I am new – starting next thursday

This topic contains 144 replies, has 11 voices, and was last updated by Martin46GB 9 years, 6 months ago.

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Anni73

2:27 pm
25 Jul 14
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Hello, I am Anni and I am 40 years old. I am from Germany so please excuse if I do any mistakes.

I did quit smoking 9 years ago and since then I struggle with my weight. I was dieting a lot and lost and regained and lost and regained… so this time I hope for a longterm success. I am familiar with fasting but more with the annual fast in springtime or such.
So this 5:2 solution sounds absolutely awesome to me, especially because I tried to fast for night-day-night (40 hours) and this wasn’t good for me, I had planned this once a week. I failed, I managed to do this only once.
Now I stumbled across this opportunity and I am so thankful even if I haven’t started.
I feel that this could be my way. I know that it will help me a lot to know that I can eat a lovely 500-calorie dinner at 6 p.m. 🙂
I think I am going with the monday-thursday idea.
Next thursday will be my first day.

thanks for reading,
Anni

AlexAndLes

11:59 am
27 Jul 14
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Hi

I am Alex and also from Germany, though I now live with my family in Northern Ireland. Our stories are quite similar, we gave up smoking about 12 years ago and my weight problems started then. I have tried a lot of different diets and while they work short-term the weight always crept back on. I lost quite a bit of weight with this a couple of years ago but then personal things happened and the stress of it made me stop fasting. I am a stress eater so not only have I my weight back on but more on top.

I am starting tomorrow again, just took all the measurements today. My days are going to be Monday and Wednesday. I’ll skip breakfast, have some lunch and then a small dinner. We’ll see how it goes.

Good luck to you

Anni73

7:57 am
28 Jul 14
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Hello Alex,

thanks for your reply!
I am looking forward to thursday, can’t wait to start. I will by a little booklet today to write down my fasting days, calories and weight.
I hope you can stick to this diet this time, I wish you lots of luck!
Good you have a partner who joins you.
I am living on my own so it won’t be a problem.
I convinced my Mom, she will also try that diet out, she has a pre-diabetes and is a bit overweight. I gave her the book and she will by herself the 5:2 cook book because she isn’t talented in counting calories.
Have a good start tomorrow!

Dummerchen

8:09 am
28 Jul 14
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Anni, there is a tracker on here where you can log your weight, waist and other measurements.
A lot of people use Myfitnesspal to log their calories and you can also log your measurements there. Just in case you do not want to use a little booklet.

AlexAndLes

8:33 am
28 Jul 14
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Hi Annie

Thanks for your reply. This is my first fast in a long time. Got up and had no breakfast which is kind of weird. We’ll see how it goes. Les is not joining me this time as he was diagnosed with Diabetes a few months ago. He has to eat regularly to keep his sugars under control. He is not stabilized as yet and any prolonged times without food affect him quite badly.

My old user name was used up so I decided to join our names for my new user name. He is my rock and is supporting me all the way so I am very lucky in that respect. Living on your own will eliminate some of the problems that I regularly face. Keep me posted how you are getting on.

Anni73

9:07 am
28 Jul 14
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@dummerchen: thank you, I’ve seen this but I am in love with little booklets 😉 and I thought this might be fun to look at after years, like a diary!

@alex: ah, that’s bad that Les was diagnosed with diabetes :(.
But I am sure you can do it on your own :). Good luck! You did it before – why not now!

Anni73

11:43 am
30 Jul 14
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Tomorrow!

Dummerchen

6:56 pm
30 Jul 14
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Go girl!

luckylucy

9:49 pm
30 Jul 14
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Good luck @anni73 ! I took ‘save’ my calories by just having water/black coffee during the day and then a large dinner. Works well for me as otherwise I find food too tempting throughout the day 🙂

@anni73 & @alexandles I also gained weight after quitting smoking (which meant I would often start smoking again to keep my weight ‘in check’ – not a good idea considering how awful smoking made me feel!).

I just started 10 days ago… Just completed my 4th fast day – it is getting easier!

Anni73

7:52 am
31 Jul 14
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Hello Luckylucy,
it’s good to hear that it will be easier and you get used to your fasting days. I have my coffee now (black) and go to the gym afterwards, hope I won’t faint ;).

@dummerchen: thank you!

DAY 1
This morning I tracked my starting weight and measured my waist and tummy.
I’ll have 3 fasting days before my holiday, I will eat regularly for 1 week and continue afterwards.
I am going to have dinner around 6 pm.

Anni73

2:51 pm
31 Jul 14
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It is almost 5 pm and I haven’t eaten a single bite yet.
Very soon I will eat a green salad and potatos with a small serving low fat curd cheese and a red bellpepper. Can’t wait!

Anni73

5:55 pm
31 Jul 14
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I had 490 calories in one meal. I feel safe!
Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning…

Anni73

5:41 am
1 Aug 14
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I FAILED!!!
At 9:30 pm, 4 hours after dinner I was hypoglycaemic and felt miserable, my hands were shaky, my eyesight was blurry, I had a strange noise in my ears and I was sweating like hell. I started a mini binge with additional 444 calories :(.
So I had a total of 934 calories for yesterday evening.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have a big serving of potatos and only a very small serving of protein. I hope to learn fasting day by fasting day.

I won’t give up.
Any suggestions fora blood stabilizing meal?

In future (after summer break) I have my choir in the evening and have to work thursday evening. So I need a good meal at 5:30 pm.

jeffR

6:15 am
1 Aug 14
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To paraphrase what Alfred told Master Wayne in Batman Year One: “Why does one fall? So that one can get up again.”

No sweat. You did not fail. You just had an experience. 🙂

Now the question is how not to go through that experience again.

The answer is… planning and preparation.

If you plan to fast on certain days of the week, you know you will need:

* 600 Cals
* Water
* Discipline

600 Cals can be made up of anything you want. That’s where planning and preparation kick in.

I check “the book”. I check the last section which contains a list of foods and their respective calories per 100g.

Plan what you will have on that day, and include fruits like apple (51 Cals per 100 G), Banana (103 Cals per 100 g), Mandarin (35 Cals per 100 G). You can also have miso soup or some sort of broth (22 Cals per 100 g!), you can have a hot chocolate (loc cal at 19 Cals per 100 ml)… and lots of water, and a few skinny teas and coffees.

And perhaps you should buy a book or an app with Calories counter, telling you the number of calories each type of food has, so that you can vary what you have on fasting days.

If problems persist, see your doctor.

I hope that helps.

HappyNow

7:10 am
1 Aug 14
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Hi Anni,

You did not fail!

I had a similar experience on my first couple of fast days. It does get easier honestly! I’ve now lost my excess weight, and more, and am now maintaining. So don’t despair!

I resorted to a handful of almonds when I got shaky and my vision blurred and that was enough to alleviate symptoms for me.

Also I did not go all day without food, I skip breakfast and eat at lunch and evening.

900ish calories for the day is still a reduction, and you did manage to fast during the day (and remember that the fast is as important as the calorie restriction).

I agree that your food choices may have been less than ideal for you. But we only learn by experience! I found cutting out carbs (processed, but also potato) on fast days, but also the day before, helped maintain more stable blood sugar. I chose proteins and fats to keep me full for longer and not spike insulin, so full fat (but unsweetened) yoghurt and cottage cheese, fish, lean chicken, eggs, plenty of vegetables, etc.

It’s early days for you, and your body does need to get used to fasting, and you do need to experiment and find what works for you. You’ll get there though.

Anni73

9:39 am
1 Aug 14
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Hello again!

@jeffr: thank you for your kind words, I will definately get up again!
Since I am a woman, I just have the 500 calorie limit. I am familiar with calories and have a good book with all the calories, newest version of 2014. Next time I might stick to salad with tuna and kidneybeans instead of the potatos.

@happynow: thank you so much for your advice. I will try another meal next monday. And hopefully I will get used to the fasting days. I am so convinced, I really want it :).
Hpw long are you on the 5:2 diet?

Anni

Anni73

10:45 am
6 Aug 14
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The monday was hard, I got horrible stomach ache when I was away from home… I couldn’t do this fast properly, I ate a piece of apple cake at 4 pm. I felt much better afterwards! In the evening I had a salad with tuna and kidneybeans and 7 almonds, but I didn’t count the calories. I think I was around 700 calories this day, 2 meals, more than 1 hour walking.

Tomorrow I will try to have some oatmeal for a late lunch and another salad with beans in the evening. See how this will work for me.
One day I’ll get there… but fasting is hard for me because I always get very hungry and get stomach pain.

Dummerchen

11:26 am
6 Aug 14
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Anni, you might want to cut out the carbohydrate. I am sure you know that cake has little nutritional value – even if it’s carrot cake – but a lot of sugar. Sugar spikes insulin, insulin makes you hungry. If you have insulin resistance (and let’s face it: most fatties do) you are not doing yourself any favours by eating cake or oatmeal.
Try lean protein and low sugar fruit and veg. A Greek yoghurt with berries, white fish with steamed vegetables, that sort of thing.

If it’s any consolation: it took me a few weeks to get under 500kcal on fast days. It’s a learning experience and you are getting better. Keep going, keep experimenting and you’ll get there.

Anni73

5:49 pm
6 Aug 14
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Hey Dummerchen, thanks for your reply!
Fortunately I am not very big, my BMI is between 25 and 26 and I am happy because I don’t have any symptoms of insulin resistance, I got it checked, my bloodsugar is more than perfect and the test for insulin resistance was negative.
I don’t eat dairy or milkproducts, just soy yoghurt from time to time. My thought was that a small serving of cooked oatmeal might help my aching stomach, I could put cinnamon as a bloodsugar stabilizer. I’ll check if this will make me even more hungry. In the evening I have planned a salad with fish, lowcarb.
It’s good to hear that it will better with everytime you fast. I am patient, I am learning.
But next week I am on holiday and will have a break.
By the way, are you from Germany (because of your nickname)? I am!
Anni

Dummerchen

7:52 pm
6 Aug 14
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It was just a suggestion as most fasters seem to do better with less carbs on the fast days. Good for you if you can have your cake and eat it – I wish I could. No envy, no no, not me. Honest. 😀

I’m German as well, from a small town near Duesseldorf. Where are you from?

Anni73

8:11 am
7 Aug 14
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Good morning!

I am from Hamburg :).
Having a black tea with lemon right now.
I decided to make a green smoothie in the afternoon (no banana).
I have a headache and don’t feel good, hope this day works for me.

Stumpweasel

8:26 am
7 Aug 14
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Hello Anni73
I’m quite new to all this too but so far over 6 weeks am 9 pounds down. Had a couple of yoyo weeks where I just lost / gained the same 2lbs. I have a desk job so don’t move around much so am trying 4:3 and it’s slow but encouraging progress.

Do drink lots of water this should help with the headache but drink it slowly. I find gulping water down fast onto a fairly empty stomach makes me feel nauseous.

Do keep trying – I found it really hard the first couple of weeks but now find the slightly hungry feeling to be a positive thing and almost look forward to my fast days.

I also find that little snacks for breakfast then lunch, with a couple of coffees keep me going until my evening meal.

Please don’t give up.

Anni73

12:27 pm
7 Aug 14
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Hello Stumpweasel,

thank you so much for your encouragement! I am also just yoyoing around a bit but I am sure the results will show after more weeks. It is almost 2:30 pm and I feel not too bad. I will have my smoothie at 3 and the salad and fish for dinner. Hope this works. I can’t do it with just one meal in the evening. Especially when I am going to the gym on mondays, I will need a green smoothie and some almonds early afternoon. I will try that out.
Next fasting day should be the 18th because I am on holiday next week and just want to enjoy ;).

Congratulations for losing 9 pounds already, well done!!!

Stumpweasel

5:52 pm
7 Aug 14
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Thanks, Anni73.
Hope your afternoon went well, with the green smoothie and almonds. Like you, I just can’t manage with one evening meal, I need a little something to keep me going. I read somewhere that mimicking your normal meal pattern works best so tiny breakfast, tiny lunch (mostly dried fruit) is my secret.

And as I can’t drink black coffee, I save a few calories for 2 cups of strong white coffee.

Enjoy your holiday!!

Anni73

7:15 am
8 Aug 14
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Good morning Stumpweasel,

I DID IT!!!
518 calories in total.
I still have a headache and now I’ll have a wonderful breakfast!

I don’t know if I will always track the calories, I guess I just eat as little as possible and lowcarb for that day. A green smoothie, a salad and a lean protein – that’s around 500 calories. I don’t think that it really matters if you consume 480, 530 or 610. It’s all around a quarter of the normal intake. Especially if I go to the gym on mondays.
Do you always count the calories?

Thanks, looking forward to my week off!

Stumpweasel

11:50 pm
12 Aug 14
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Well done Anni73, am very proud for you. Apologies for the slow reply our modem decided to break down and i have only just got back online.

I don’t always count the calories exactly – I keep a rough tally in my head. I think I’m mostly around the 500 mark but probably there are days when I go over. As you say, cutting down on our usual intake is the key and we’re definitely doing that.

Hard day for me today – I just wanted to eat biscuits but I resisted and hoping the scales will be kind to me when I weigh myself later in the week.

Anni73

11:43 am
18 Aug 14
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Hello, I am back from Dresden (Florence of the Elbe)!
I had a wonderful time, no fasting last week.

Thank you Stumpweasel, it’s good to come back and read incouraging words :).
So, today is Monday and I am back on the track!
Having a huge bowl of salty and hot veggiebroth right now.
For dinner I have planned a big bowl of mixed salad with fennel, bellpepper, radishes, mushrooms…and so on and slices of smoked turkey, a crispbread besides
I will not count the calories, I just have in mind that dinner should be lowcal and rich in protein.

My Mom ordered the 5:2 cookbook and her first day will be on wednesday. I hope that she will get used to this habit, it is important she does something to increase her health (she will be 69 in december).

@stumpweasel, got you through the day? And what did the scale show?

Anni73

7:39 am
19 Aug 14
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And I did another Monday! *yeah*
But I still have the headache that started yesterday in the afternoon. I really drink a lot…don’t know if this will be better from week to week?!

Stumpweasel

10:57 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi Anni73
Glad you had a good holiday and enjoyed your food.

So, now back to the 5:2 – Was your mixed salad for yesterday delicious? it sounded lovely from your description. I have the 5:2 cookbook but not used it so far. We have some TV chefs called the Hairy Bikers and I use their diet book, cutting out carbs on a fast day.

Despite the biscuit temptation I held out and am another pound lighter. Fast day today, so hoping for the first of this week’s 2lbs when I get on the scales in the morning.

I drink a lot too, no headaches, just more thirsty than I used to be.

Well done for Monday!

Anni73

8:03 am
20 Aug 14
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Good morning Stumpweasel!
Good luck for your fasting day. Seems you already have a good routine.
My salad was delicious, I really enjoyed that big bowl. I also added half a can of kidney beans.
You can have biscuit 5 days a week, isn’t that great? Congratulations on losing constantly.

Tomorrow is my next fasting day. In the evening I’ll get a 90 minutes Thai-massage ( a friend of mine need practice). I’ll have something with veggies and tofu before.

I really hope the headaches will be less from week to week.

Stumpweasel

12:54 am
21 Aug 14
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Ah, I have to confess that I didn’t lose anything… Most likely I gained a bit from shovelling chocolate cookies into my face on Sunday and they weren’t small ones. (So much for smugly resisting biscuits the other day.) Trying to be positive, I didn’t gain anything.

So fast day tomorrow and hopefully this will go better.

Thai massage sounds lovely though I’ll pass on the tofu, not keen on that at all. Hope you get through your fast day ok.

Anni73

9:30 am
21 Aug 14
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Hello Stumpweasel,
don’t worry, this is a longterm lifestyle, at least you didn’t gain from your cookie munch!
I am also not the biggest fan of tofu but from time to time I have some, this is a chili-tofu, maybe it’s delicious?! I try to get a variety into my diet.
Good luck for your fasting day!
Having a big mug of black tea with lemon right now, hope to get through the day.

Stumpweasel

10:41 pm
22 Aug 14
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Hey Anni73
Well the fasting yesterday didn’t go so well, partner cooked so much sweetcorn – I can’t bear waste so it had to be eaten. So no weight loss but no gain either. Not giving up though, in this for the long haul and so the ups and downs are part of the journey.

Hope your fast day went well. My next one is tomorrow (Saturday) ready for our annual gathering of my cousins. No rain please, as we’re having a barbecue.

Dummerchen

11:43 pm
22 Aug 14
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Anni, do you drink coffee, black tea or coke on your non-fast days? If you suddenly cut caffeine out on the fast days you can get a nasty withdrawal headache.

Otherwise keeping hydrated and having some salt can help against the headaches.

@stumpweasel: You do not eat to give up on fasts because your partner cooked to much. Just put things in the fridge, that’s what that big thing was invented for. 😉

Anni73

9:02 am
23 Aug 14
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Good morning!

My thursday went really well!
But yesterday (friday) I had too much chocolate and a very huge dinner with my brother. That’s why I am fasting until 2 pm today although it is not a real fasting day.

@dummerchen: yes, I do drink black or green tea and coffee, because I don’t want this headache from the lack of caffeine. Last thursday was almost okay, just a very tiny bit of a headache in the evening. It is definately getting better! 🙂

@stumpweasel: yes, think longterm. But like Dummerchen said, you can put the leftovers into the fridge until the next day. Good luck for today! I hope you get through your fasting day easily.

Stumpweasel

9:44 am
23 Aug 14
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Ah @dummerchen you are right but I was weak of will. Today, although I can smell sausages grilling, I am strong and will not be tempted. This fast day will be done properly. 🙂

@anni73 tomorrow will be full of cakes and chocolate and such things as the family are getting together so I may have a semi-fast day too on Monday to make amends.

Anni73

8:45 am
26 Aug 14
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Good morning!

Yesterday was not soooo well, I had a pear and some almonds at 3:15 pm and dinner at 6 pm followed by some wholegrain cookies *grrrr*.
I was around 800 calories for the day I guess.
Weight this morning was the same as last tuesday (after the monday fast), so no weight loss for this week.
I had a lower weight after my fasting day last friday but alcohol and big dinners were following.
So I am okay with that.
I hope I can do a better fast again next thursday.

@stumpweasel: how are you doing?

@dummerchen: no headache yesterday, yeah! Think my body gets used to it.

Stumpweasel

7:26 am
27 Aug 14
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Hi @anni73
Not a great start to the week either as the family bbq took place. Lots of catching up with the cousins but lots of delicious puddings that had to be tried and the odd glass of wine so I was rather expecting standstill this week.

But yesterday was a good fast day and as I cooked dinner @dummerchen you’ll be pleased to know there were no outrageous amounts of vegetables that had to be eaten up :-).

Possibly down half pound but second fast day tomorrow so hoping to get back on track. I know you will too Anni73. We can do this.

Anni73

8:46 am
27 Aug 14
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Hello @stumpweasel,

when a fasting day helps to avoid a weight gain from eating delicious dinners or such – then it is a good thing. And yes, we can do this! My next fasting day is tomorrow, have bough a mango-curry-tofu and will eat this with veggies as a stir-fry.
In the evening I will have another thai-massage again.
When is your next fasting day?

Anni73

8:44 am
28 Aug 14
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And another fasting-thursday… this morning I am a little bit anxious.
But I will do my best.
Of course it would be nice to lose a pound or 2 every week, but I am not in a hurry. I think it is more important to lose the weight slowly and keep it off.
I don’t count the calories and that is fine with me. But that’s why I fast completely until late afternoon. For me it is important to continue the night fast.
It is important to find my own method even if the book sets a limit of 500 calories.

Stumpweasel

11:16 pm
28 Aug 14
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Hi @anni73

Sorry for not replying – been caught up in preparations for the children going back to school. Need to finish sewing name labels into uniform.

Hope your fasting day went well – I was supposed to be having a fast day today but I didn’t because I intended to take my mother out. In the event that didn’t happen so I could have fasted after all. But I tried not to pig-out and my next fast day will be Saturday.

You are very right – it is better to have those delicious meals and then fast as you can; my colleague at work tries Weight Watchers and gets downhearted because she can’t maintain her progress. I can’t cope with all the counting but I can manage this Fasting Diet. And if it takes a while then so be it.

The mango and tofu curry sounded good!

Anni73

5:39 am
30 Aug 14
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Good morning @stumpweasel!

When I was a kid I wished for a school uniform but it was not common in germany and it still isn’t. It is so much easier for kids to wear the same look for school. How do your children like it?

No weight loss from my last fasting day on thursday…don’t know why.
But I am not nervous, my body isn’t a machine.
My next day will be tomorrow (sunday) because I am invited to a birthday on monday.

I will never be back to calorie counting again, it is the most annoying diet and it makes me feel trapped. I always get into a state of eating numbers, not food. And I get anxious and angry when I don’t know the value of a meal. No thanks… 😉
Weight Watchers might be a good thing but not for everyone. And counting points isn’t better than counting calories, right?

So good luck for your next fasting day! We have all the time we need, it will work somehow!

Martin46GB

10:40 am
30 Aug 14
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Hello Anni, hope you don’t mind me joining your thread. I’m new too, read the book yesterday, started today. I copied your name style, so as you see I’m much older than you, and in England. Also live alone, which makes it easier, but I’m also a lot fatter at 31.2 bmi, so have some way to go (3 stones or 20kg). Well done for sticking to it, I hope I can.

Anni73

11:13 am
30 Aug 14
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Hello @martin!
Welcome to my thread, I am happy to see you around. I wish you loads of luck, my first 3 trials of a proper fasting day ended up with around 700-900 calories but now I am down to 600-700. I don’t count, it makes me nervous. I fast through the day as long as I can to have a longer night-fast.
20 Kilos is a lot to lose but I guess the good thing is that this lifestyle works for everyone at every age. My Mom has just started, she is born 1945 so your age. She already did 4 fasting days. She founds the evening hardest. So let me know how your first day went! 🙂

Martin46GB

2:12 pm
30 Aug 14
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Thanks. So far so good – One cup of tea at 07.30. I have not done any walking since my dog died earlier in the year, so I decided at lunchtime to walk to the village to get some food, soup etc. for my fasting days. By the time I got back I had stopped feeling hungry. I have apples in the garden, so I’ll have one if I can’t wait until this evening. Good luck to your Mother. Oh, I bought a tape measure too!

Martin46GB

8:33 pm
30 Aug 14
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604 approximately. Today was a trial run and I’m pleased it did not seem too bad. I’ll try Monday/Thursday next week.

Anni73

8:37 pm
30 Aug 14
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Congratulations, Martin! That was a good start, well done!
I hope I can be around 500 one day.
Tomorrow is my next fasting day and I have to work in the evening. Hope I can do this.
Good Night!

Martin46GB

8:40 am
31 Aug 14
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You can do it if I can. I like things easy, so that means changing as little as possible to hit the target. Normal tea in the morning (21), cut out the cereal, cut out lunch, have soup, a slice of toast, and a piece of fruit in the evening (about 580). I like soup, so I can repeat each fast day. I don’t cook or spend time in the kitchen fiddling about with food, so I don’t have to think about what I am going to eat on fast days. Try it, but in your case no bread (sorry). I’m sure that having to think about what one can or can not eat is the problem with dieting generally. If it’s automatic, it’s easy. Just work out what suits you and stick to it. Twice a week is not too repetitive, especially with soup. I bought three cartons yesterday, so the coming week is decided.

Stumpweasel

9:22 pm
1 Sep 14
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Good evening @anni73

Hope all is good with you. Still have a few labels to sew into the boys’ uniform, hopefully finish tomorrow evening. I think uniform is a good thing, my clothes were none too fashionable when I was small so wearing them to school occasionally meant a bit of ridicule.

This week was one of maintaining rather than losing any more. As it’s my partner’s birthday soon we went out to celebrate on Sunday – the boys chose Mexican food, so though I didn’t eat as much as I once might have done, I did feel very full by the end. Had help from partner, his appetite is still pretty healthy.

So, back to fasting properly this week – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as I find this works for me – I have a desk job so don’t move around that much during the day, so 4:3 works well for me.

And hello too, @martin46gb. I’ve been doing this for a little while now, have lost some weight but still have a way to go, around the same as you if I’m honest.

Dummerchen

7:31 am
2 Sep 14
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Hi Anni, glad to hear you are getting the hang of it. It takes a bit of time and fiddling, and trying to forget all the stuff we have had drummed into us about eating (don’t skip meals, eat regular snacks, fat is bad etc.)

Once you’ve got your style of fasting though, it is quite easy. My fast day meals have become much quicker and simpler as I went on. From complicated mini-celebrations of fast day dinner to an apple and a hard boiled egg. And once you have your favourites you know the calorie count of them as well. Easy peasy.