I need to lose 6 stone. Any big girls want to buddy up?

This topic contains 944 replies, has 62 voices, and was last updated by Lolly_ 7 years, 4 months ago.

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Lisa57

12:24 pm
21 Apr 16
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Hi fitandfab. Not nuts at all – makes perfect sense. Been there and done that (big yo-yo weight swings). For me, thinking of this as a way of life eating pattern not just another “diet” was like a mental switch and once it clicked it was liberating. It’s easy to go on and off diets but instead think of it like a routine or pattern that you adjust until you find it comfortable and suits you as an individual. No fancy brands, special foods, points, syns or feeling deprived of anything, just finding out what suits you and eating normally but less of it and its so flexible and inexpensive too. My tastebuds and choices have gradually changed over time and I totally get the wanting to learn to eat “normally” on the other 5 days too. I looked up the TDEE of what would be a healthy goal weight and use that as my ideal to stay within on the 5 days so, like you, I learn to adjust gradually and its not so much of a shift as you get closer to your goals. I still have wobbles and cravings from time to time but they do pass and get better. Slow and steady will still get you there – keep at it.

speckles

1:42 pm
21 Apr 16
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Nice to have you join us, fitandfab (love the name!) and 13 lbs. is no mean feat and a quite acceptable release of fat you will never need to see again. Well done and the fact that you have stuck to it for 15 weeks is great, shows how friendly it can be.

LA, I never got a training bra, straight into the granny straightjacket when I was 13. I am currently a G-H cup, which is why when I have reached a sensible weight I am going to have a reduction. I once lost 30kg and got to 70kg which was a good weight but I was still a G cup. Size 12 (aussie size) except I had to buy a size 24 tops and dresses to fit the top half. So I am aiming for September and have seen a specialist but lets wait and see how this goes.

Lolly, I too loved you post as I do think there is something for everyone here and the more we all share the more we all learn. Even if what we learn is- OK sounds good but that is not right for me.

Something I have noticed is interesting. I do the 20/4 so don’t eat breakfast or lunch and start dinner about 7is but go to bed very late. A few times now there have been occasions where I have gone out for brunch, I have selected a sensible meal such as poached eggs and mushies, tomatoes etc. and avoided the bread. About an hour or two after each occasion, I have suddenly become so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. Once I went back to a friends for a nana nap before driving home.
With the 20/4 I don’t get the afternoon lag and yawns I used to get and my mind is a lot clearer as well so this was interesting. I will keep observing this if I eat earlier in the day again. I have insulin resistance and I wonder if it has anything to do with that.

Has anyone else noticed a similar pattern????

Well I have chucked off another 1 KG so am happy with that. I seem to be averaging about 1KG a week but I am also eating a lot less than the TTDE (most days)

I release any excess fat cells that no longer serve me. Night all.

NorthernGal

1:46 pm
21 Apr 16
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Well done DPM and Lolly on your weight releases, great news! And you LA on your top fitting better. AND for going to the gym!

Speckles, I really hope that your friend is doing better. I seem to know a disproportionate amount of people who have an alcoholic in their lives (my mother in law is also one) so understand what a tough time it is both for the alcoholic and those around them. My partner is 49 and still needs to attend Al Anon meetings (these are for those affected by alcoholics, not the alcoholic) occasionally because of the effect it had one him growing up. And indeed the effect it still has on him. Your friend will need all the help she can get, but you seem like exactly the right kind of person to be able to give her that help, if you don’t mind me saying. I really think that things happen for a reason – both bad and good – and hopefully she can now receive the help she needs.

LA which probiotic do you use? There are so many out there. I’m sure some must be better than others. I’m still craving chocolate. I’ve not yet succeeded in going 4 days without chocolate since my holidays, which is insane because I know that after only 4 days the craving, while not completely gone, is definitely manageable. Why can’t I get there? 4 days is all I need. Grrr. So, I’m going to add a probiotic to my armoury too, along with all the other wonderful things I’ve discovered thanks to the 5:2.

Welcome fitandfab! The beauty of 5:2 is that you can do whatever you want! If you’re happy with what you’re eating and the speed of the weight loss, then stick with it. My “normal” eating has changed since starting the 5:2 and I’m naturally just eating a lot less, because the fasting is allowing me to listen to my body and what it needs. Not something I used to be very good at (though at the moment my body is telling me I need chocolate, so sometimes it can be wrong too!!) Listen to your body, do what feels right for YOU and you’ll be good.

LA don’t think it could have been celiac your b-i-l had. As CM rightly said, you can’t grow out of it and your body has an auto immune response to gluten, so pizza, toast and hamburgers are a massive no-no, unless they are made from gluten free flour.

Boobs!! Ladies, I am with you. SB, I shouldn’t have laughed, but that was funny! Mine are like that too!

NorthernGal

1:50 pm
21 Apr 16
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Congratulations Speckles on the 1kg release! That’s great. Wow, you do 20:4!!

LA Chubster

2:31 pm
21 Apr 16
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HI and welcome fitandfab.

I approach intermittent fasting very much the same way. I fast on my fast days and eat on my food days. I have changed how I eat in that I don’t eat problem foods and I avoid my trigger foods like the plague. But on my food days I eat until I am satisfied and that can be quite a volume of sensible food.

My solution to the slowness of weight loss is not to weigh very often. Since Christmas I’ve been weighed twice in a doctor’s office and a week or so ago I weighed once in the gym. The number and the time it takes don’t matter anymore because I know I’m on the right path because of how great I feel and how I regularly switch to a size down in my jeans.

I’m online with your theory. If there isn’t deprivation, there isn’t the same compulsion to defy it by eating badly again.

LA Chubster

2:59 pm
21 Apr 16
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I use whatever has both lactobacillus and bifidobacterium — as many strains as possible. I also buy ones that are refrigerated as I *hope* that indicates “live” strains. And I eat the yogurt I make which has a live culture and drink kombucha which is also rich in probiotics.

As for the chocolate, it’s my theory that if we don’t feed the gut flora that are supported by and crave the wrong foods, we eventually starve them out and they’re replaced by the more productive bacteria that support us. Not backed by any science I know of, but it’s the only way I can explain how profoundly my food preferences have changed. I certainly wouldn’t have gotten this far if I were still fighting cravings for my problem foods like starchy carbs. I know there’s a certain amount of white knocking involved at the outset but the reward is that, once done, it’s over and you’re (that’s the editorial “you”) freed of those compulsions.

I guess it’s possible my b-i-l had something other than celiac but that’s what he was diagnosed with all those decades ago. The story my m-i-l told was that he screamed in pain for his first 6 months. And she had to be very careful about his diet thereafter once he was diagnosed. But doctors do misdiagnose and the progression of some people’s disease follows a different course than the conventional. I honestly don’t know and accept both possibilities.

Lolly_

4:47 pm
21 Apr 16
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Welcome, fitandfab!

You’ve brought an interesting point for discussion, and I’m always intrigued to see our different approaches. I laughed at the “eat normally” when I first arrived, but I have a new normal now and I’m surprised by how quickly that’s happened. At the risk of asking the obvious, have you checked your TDEE using the BMI Calculator found in the Resources tab at the top of the page? If your non-fast day food consumption is consistently below TDEE and you do 2 fast days a week, and you’re not losing weight — you may be like me, insulin-resistant. Changing what I eat was the key for me. Or there may be some other factor in play. A doctor can help with tests there for thyroid, etc. Good luck to you, and stick around to share your progress with us.

I would like to say that much as I’d love to be dropping a stone a week, I think slower weight loss will serve me better in the long run. My body has time to adjust, and so do I. I feel good in my skin. This isn’t a diet. As others have said so well, this is how I can live from now on. I can see, far down the road, how maintenance will be possible. I could never see that before, with all my yo-yo-ing.

Speckles, another kg banished forever — hurrah! I have also found that I do better without breakfast (heresy!) in terms of feeling less hungry the rest of the day, but haven’t experienced the kind of drop you describe. So I’m going to shout “AHA!” and point an accusing finger at the tomatoes, on the flimsy excuse of simply not liking them myself. 😀

I began using a probiotic supplement a few weeks ago, and really do see a difference. I’m using one with a mix of strains to get me started.

NorthernGal — a thought. What kind of chocolate are you craving? If it’s milk, could it really be the sugar luring you in? Might a small piece of dark high-cocoa percentage chocolate give you the flavour without the desire to eat a lot of it?

Thank you all for your kind words, excellent sharing, and brilliant support. I learn something new every day here!

Buttonboots

6:28 pm
21 Apr 16
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I’m another who never needed a training bra…went to sleep one night flat-chested and woke up the next morning with a whopping great pair!….well that’s the story in our family…seriously, they developed so rapidly, and I think I started with a C cup and just grew!….it got to the point when I couldn’t get a bra to fit. (years of squeezing myself into a too-small bra meant I grew to hat the things too!)…..losing weight has certainly helped…I can now buy a bra (Ample Bosom cater for the bigger lass)

Getting a dress to fit is impossible – I am never going to be a size 12 – the boobs are just too big….you buy a dress to fit the bust and it just hangs on the lower body…buy to fit the waist/hips and the top is way too tight….and don’t get me started on memories of guys who insist on ‘talking to the boobs’ because seriously, that’s ALL they can see….and heavy boobs cause back pain – tell THAT to everyone who says they envy you!

Fasting day today, dinner is over…it was courgetti with chill-crab and tasted divine!

LA Chubster

8:06 pm
21 Apr 16
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I hope that “hanging baskets” remark was made with love, Skyblue, but when we’re endowed like this we just have to have a sense of humor about it, right?

One vulgar expression for them in the US is melons. I always think mine look like a pair of melons, each alone in the bottom of a plastic grocery sack. :: sigh :: They were never “perky” but I’m glad I met my husband when they were still at least aloft. …and that there’s a sweet guy on this planet who can still remember then. 😏

I always say the real payoff for a good marriage is that someone who knows you naked and at your nastiest still loves you. That’s when you know that love is real and you’re not actually the *worst* person on the planet. I wish more people got to their saggy years with their first husband/wife. It’s a pretty cool compensation if we *have to* get old. …but then I’m not sure everyone here is in their senior years like I am.

Austrian

8:48 pm
21 Apr 16
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Hanging baskets, granny straitjacket…this thread is keeping it real indeed. 🙂

My vocabulary has been enlarged today, thank you all.
I know the misery through my sister, who developed big boobs early on and got a granny straitjacket as a Christmas present from our granny EVERY YEAR. She loathed the things, they looked like something designed in the 1950s and then constructed in a shipyard.

OY, baby crying (teeth or tummy?) must dash!

fitandfab

10:45 pm
21 Apr 16
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Hi LA Chubster, I love your sense of humour, it’s an essential ingredient to learning to love ourselves. Buttonboots, speckles and Austrian, my sister has always been big in the top half and for years talked about having them reduced but never got around to it. I have been bra shopping with her on many occasions and believe me I get how awful it can be to have to buy ‘over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders!

Lolly and Lisa57, you mentioned TDEE (I had to google that) and I see where you are coming from there. Fact is, I hate and loathe exercise! Three reasons really, I am too heavy for comfort, my hip doesn’t like it, and I can’t remember the third reason but I know there must be one:-)

Congratulations to you all for even just the tiniest weight loss, if it’s going in the right direction that must be good, and as for losing a kilo speckles, well that is just fabulous. Just imagine how light on our feet we are all going to feel as each pound or kilo strips away.

You are all such an inspiration and I especially love how you keep it all real.

NorthernGal

11:44 am
22 Apr 16
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Morning all. Another beautiful day here – hope it is with you all too. I’m delighted to say that I’ve shed another 3 lbs this week and am now in the 13 stones! Very happy.

Lolly, yes I’m sure that it is the sugar, although it’s odd that I only want chocolate. If somebody offered me a piece of cake, it would be a no. Very odd. Maybe my body really does need chocolate, hehe. I might try the dark chocolate idea, thank you. I think it may also be that I’m not fasting until a Tuesday, whereas it was always a Monday, which got me off to a great start for the week and made it much easier to resist any cravings. Going back to Monday next week.

Austrian, do you have a baby? How old is she/he?

Have a great weekend averybody!

Lolly_

2:13 pm
22 Apr 16
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Brilliant news, NorthernGal! When we cross that line into another stone, it feels even more special, doesn’t it? I’m looking forward to my next border crossing, too.

Interesting about the chocolate. I offered that suggestion from personal experience, since I was able to binge on pounds of milk or white chocolate in one sitting but never dark.

coldpizza

2:42 pm
22 Apr 16
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Dark chocolate is great idea. My husband loves dark chocolate, and I sometimes steal from him a piece or two, but as Lolly, I never binge on it. Milk chocolate is different story though…

By the way, I discover 4 chocolate waffles in my desk at work today. I was looking at them and thinking: ” this is a year supply of my chocolate waffles”. Than I firmly close the the door. So proud of myself! ;-D

LA Chubster

2:42 pm
22 Apr 16
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Yay, NorthernGal! Not only did you lose all that weight but it sounds like you’ve come up with a very practical way to lose even more.

Intermittent fasting is so flexible it leaves us lots of room to wiggle around and using that most effectively for each of us requires a bit of experimentation and creative thinking about our own metabolic eccentricities. Well done that you’ve learned something about yourself!

Lolly, I love your amazing positive perspective and “crossing a border” will henceforth remain a Lollyism.

LA Chubster

2:47 pm
22 Apr 16
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Yay, coldpizza! Those personal victories over ourselves keep us going!

coldpizza

3:17 pm
22 Apr 16
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Fitandfab,
You can calculate your TDEE on this site under RESOURCES (BMI Calculator).

Chubster,
Thank you!

Lolly_

3:27 pm
22 Apr 16
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Watch out for those border guards on your next trip home, LA! 😀

Austrian

5:54 pm
22 Apr 16
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NorthernGal, my baby is 6 months and 3 weeks old. It’s a girl, very relaxed and happy.

Austrian

5:56 pm
22 Apr 16
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Cold pizza, yay for closing the door in the face of the chocolate waffles! I couldn’t have done it…

NorthernGal

6:30 pm
22 Apr 16
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Thanks ladies. I hated the term melons too LA. And jugs. Yuk, horrible word for boobs.

Austrian, how wonderful. They are such a gorgeous blessing.

Well done CP!! Chocolate waffles, mmmm.

DeepPurpleMoon

7:06 pm
22 Apr 16
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LOL at the ‘hanging baskets’ discussion! I, too, have been well endowed from a very early age.

Speckles…I just wanted to say that I got a breast reduction in 2005…went from DD to a C…so not a huge difference, but it really made a huge difference to me! I got some backlash from friends who thought it was vanity, and my boyfriend at the time was very vocally against the idea (as if he had some right!), and I got the inevitable ‘just give them to me!’ comments…but it was all still worth it.

Congrats everyone who saw losses this week! Own it!

Austrian…congrats on your baby girl!

fitandfab, you’ve already gotten great results! What I’m finding really nice about the 5:2 (or 4:3 or just Intermittent Fasting in general) is the flexibility, as LAChubster mentioned. There’s something for everyone!

This is day 12 for me…7 pounds down…93 to go. I just started doing low-carb, high-fat this week for an experiment. Last night was my first really serious craving…for raisin bread. On standard 5:2, no problem, but I’m being extra strict at the moment because I suspect I am insulin resistant.

I took ‘before’ photos, which really is a hopeful act, because it suggests that somewhere in my psyche, I believe there will be an ‘after’. that’s what I’m telling myself, while trying not to cry looking at them. 🙁

Lisa57

7:42 pm
22 Apr 16
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haha – just read the discussion on boobs. I must be shrinking some back fat at the moment on my top half as well as my belly. Despite moving hooks onto the tightest setting and no strenuous movement, a couple of times the straps on the boulder holders have popped loose and I’ve found myself swinging low and free at unexpected moments! Thick shirts and winter clothes still in season so modesty remained intact thank goodness. Happened with more than one make/type so time for some new purchases very soon I think….. Well done everyone on some great results and maintaining resolve in front of all those temptations.

Austrian

7:49 pm
22 Apr 16
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Deep Purple Moon – that sounds very promising, 7 pounds is a LOT, if you think about it.
Great start! 🙂

LA Chubster

7:55 pm
22 Apr 16
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I am also impressed, DPM. That’s outstanding! So is going down a size, Lisa! One day those new purchases will be one of those ephemeral lace affairs that those of us with all the upper real estate can’t manage yet. And congrats, too, to everyone who loses it but ounces per week. We’re all at different places in this journey and down is down! And keeping the faith through the less productive weeks may be the biggest victory of all.

NorthernGal

7:55 pm
22 Apr 16
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Hugs DPM. You’re doing GREAT. 7lbs is half a stone!! You can do this.

Hehe, oh no Lisa!! Thank goodness for the winter clothes!

NorthernGal

7:59 pm
22 Apr 16
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Hear, hear LA

DeepPurpleMoon

8:02 pm
22 Apr 16
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Totally agree, LA…keeping the faith through the slow…or even backwards weeks definitely deserves the biggest trophy!

fitandfab

10:13 pm
22 Apr 16
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Northerngal, 3lbs in a week, excellent work! Cold pizza thanks for pointing out the resources tab for me. Some good stuff there, and BTW resisting chocolate waffles (not sure what they are but they sound delish) shows great strength of mind, well done. DPM, 7lbs wow, that’s a whole half stone! I must look into this insulin resistant idea too. As a bit of a sugar fiend I am surprised that I am able to resist sweet things now, although it helps that I don’t keep anything tempting in the house, and I guess I have pretty much weaned myself off them except for that constant need for something sweet immediately after dinner. I cope with that by having some low-cal jellies in the fridge and I dip into it when needed. Bad news is that I find myself eating carbs a lot. Does anyone else find themselves eating before you realised that you have? I am trying to become more mindful about food. Lisa57, it’s lovely that you can move down a size in you bras, so rewarding.

After decades of yo yoing I am finding fasting much easier. I thinks it might be the fact that you know you can always have something nice tomorrow. Psychologically that is a big help, don’t you find?

This time around I have made better preparations, for instance, I keep much of the housework for fast days, just to keep busy. I have started knitting again to keep hands and mind occupied. Lately I have also prepared a meal plan one week in advance in order to control food intake on non-fast days. Am also listening to a hypnotism weight loss tape that helps to keep me motivated. I would love to hear what other techniques some of you have found helpful.

It is coming up to winter here is Australia and I have kitted myself out with some thermal underwear for my fast days. Even though our winters are mild in NSW I find I get very cold when I am fasting. How do you northerners cope with that?

Thank you for all the inspiration and encouragement.

She-Ra

8:04 am
23 Apr 16
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Austrian, Kids and food, I totally see what your saying about the kids buying 2L bottle of coke and crisps, I really hope my kids see a glass or can of coke as a treat not the norm.

Boobs- what I would give to have a nice perky C cup!

I don’t know about anyone else, but do you tend to try and find blame as to why and how you have put on weight? In the past I blamed my parents and nan. We used to have good healthy full fat meals, my dad ran a pub and I used to have a rum baba (delicious cake) nearly every Saturday as a thank you for helping set up. Then I would pop to the shop for a chocolate bar with my pocket money. I was one of five and had to make sure I had my share of crisps etc before they all went. My nan used to put sugar in my tea and my banana butty. I was born with a form of arthritis so when I was 5 I was in hospital on traction for several weeks, then had both legs in plaster for a year followed by 9 months in callipers. Because of this I was spoilt (for a while) I have grown up with the arthritis (Perth’s disease if anyone is interested) which can be painful but have always been very active. So that is my excuse for being big, but when I think back my brothers and sister all grew up the same way and none of them are fat! Okay they don’t have arthritis but I can see they have a totally different mind-set when it comes to food, they are in control. Why can’t I be?
Rant over.

Loving all the posts, I’m half way through my first week and feeling quietly confident about my weigh in on Tuesday.

No_stopping_me_now

8:22 am
23 Apr 16
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Well done NG on weight loss, fantastic results!

Hi fitandfab 🙂

Well it’s the day before the big trek across the o2. And the day before my mini goal is due. I had 2 1/2 inches to lose on my thighs in just under 4 weeks. I have lost about 2 inches from each..so not quite there but hoping that I can get away with it. Otherwise I can imagine the humiliation of not being allowed to climb and the effect it will have on my diet afterwards. Thinking positive though…

Also lost 3.5 pounds this week (official weigh in is on Monday) and now lost a total of 13.6 pounds in just under 3 weeks. I’m pleased with this and feel great.

Never felt so anxious before. Once I (hopefully) fit into the gear tomorrow I will feel much better and I think it will motivate me more

caspersmum

8:34 am
23 Apr 16
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Hi She-Ra, Love the name takes me back.
I to have lots of weight to lose. I’ve been doing 5:2 for several months with a good result, 30 lbs. Your describing the kind of food we all ate as children. I was never a fat child but then we played out all the time. I think now its all the soft drinks and a change in our food choices plus children just don’t play out so much these days. My weight gain was from turning to food for emotional comfort. Mine was and still is my relationship with my husband but I’ve become stronger (mostly). Now its time for me so I’m improving my life and this is the easiest diet I’ve found. I feel more positive about losing weight this time. Perhaps I haven’t been in the right frame of mind in the past. Everyone is so encouraging on this forum. It makes a big difference to have other peoples encouragement, advice, and opinions, so thank you everyone.
Good luck on your journey She-Ra.

LA Chubster

3:09 pm
23 Apr 16
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Took me a while to understand your goals, No_stopping_me_now, but now I can see the urgency of your specificity. Your progress so far is VERY impressive! I’ll cross my fingers with you that you met your specs and that you’ll find your climb much easier as you haul up less weight!

If you are a bit short of fitting in the rig this month will there be another opportunity next month? I certainly hope so. Not that aI doubt your diligence in meeting your goal but I’d want that insurance and also the continuing reward to look forward to.

Best of luck! And be safe up there!

I wonder, caspersmum, if we were less disciplined on former diets or if former diets — no matter how sensible their basis seemed in theory — if those previous attempts missed an important metabolic shortcoming that intermittent fasting has addressed. I see you’ve already had significant success. I wonder if you’d say — as I certainly would — that for all the losses, this approach is far, far EASIER. I think that’s because it works effectively *with* our metabolisms instead of in opposition to them.

Got to agree with you about the toxic effect of sugary sodas and junk snack foods too! They’re so horrible for our bodies and they’re pushed on us on all fronts. My state, California, recently tried to tax them as an adversive and the food industry dumped *huge* amounts of money into preventing a disincentive. Happened in New York state and probably states I’m unaware of too. Those companies are far more invested in their profits than they are in their consumers’ fundamental health. Of course, I can remember that when cigarettes were finally reigned in by governmental regulations they diverted a lot of their investment into … wait for it… snack foods.

She-Ra, just *awful* to read that you had to grow up with that pain! I’m not any kind of medical person but it’s interesting to me that you had an inflammatory disease and ended up overweight. I can’t put my finger on the vague memory that says there’s a relationship there even though keeping weight down would put much less load on painful joints. I think I also remember that intermittent fasting should have a beneficial effect on inflammation. My fingers are crossed for you too.

As for childhood habits, there was never junk food in my house when I was a kid. I had soda if I went to a birthday party a friend’s house. When my father passed out a treat it was small pieces of cheddar cheese. I got a dime every Sunday to take to the store and always came home with a package of (Hostess) small cupcakes. …just like my sister who’s always been skinny as a rail. I just think sometimes It’s a difference in biology as I had 2 fat grandmothers and a fat great aunt and everyone else in my family and extended family was pretty ordinary.

But there were food issues in my family as my parents were kids during the American Great Depression and I know we’ve talked on this thread (I think) about that sort of thing as, at about the same time, Europe had it’s own traumatic war-related food deprivations. So, in addition to biology of food, and availability of food, there are also those issues of the rocky emotional baggage of food.

Whatever we’re each overcoming — not the least *ourselves* — HOORAY for all of us and ever upward!

speckles

3:25 pm
23 Apr 16
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WOW, it must be the weekend as the thread is so active I have had to make notes so I don’t forget things. (Sounds a bit OCD doesn’t it LOL)

I have laughed and laughed reading all the comments about the boobs. Seems many of us have a similar issue. I would dearly love to be a C cup but the Dr said a D – DD would best suit me. I will try to talk him down as I can always wear an insert if too small- ha as if!

LA yes Melons is a pet hate but worse still I used to get called bazookas as a teenager! And as for talking to the boobs and being taken seriously by men, well just forget it.

Lisa, I had such a comical visual of you and your boobs with the bra straps. I think also that I have released it from my upper back as I have dispensed with the extender fasteners.

Lolly, how can you dislike poor innocent blushing tomatoes! I also have insulin resistance and take metformin though I have dropped it to 500mg with dinner only as I am not eating other meals. My sugar has always been OK but the insulin tolerance went through the roof. I think this is why if I eat I am them continuously craving sweet foods and another good reason to not eat till dinner. (for me anyway)

F+F, I also have trouble exercising but I have a Wii-Fit which I love. I can play tennis, bowling, golf and other sports, dancing and the best is the Wii fit and the balance exercises. I can do 10 mins at a time and don’t have to go anywhere or wear anything special to do it in. It was a good investment.
I am also in NSW in Sydney, where are you?

DPM, WELL DONE. I am please to hear your breast reduction was worth it. I have had a few comments such as just loose weight and it will come off but the thing is it doesn’t come off the breasts, I know this from experience, so I have a goal to release as much as possible before then not be so intense about it after. I had a friend take “naked” photos of me soon after I started as I need to keep a visual diary. Not only for the future but so I can see where the fat cells are disappearing from. As I wear loose clothes and elastic waists, it is not so easy to tell by my the clothes. It was a big ask but she is happy to do it for me and the next photos will be after 10kg release in a few weeks.

She-Ra, Interesting train of thought. I also had hip problems, I had slipped epiphysis (basically my hips slipped out of place) at 11 + 12 and spent the better part of 2 years, in hospital, wearing callipers or in a wheelchair. Before that I was quite skinny but I went from being a very active child to lying in bed. I now have replacement hips and most of my back in rods with fusions so exercise is not an easy option though I LOVE swimming and the water exercises. Blame – yes, I have tried to pin it on everyone and everything but when it comes down to it blame is a pointless really as the damage has been done and it is just time to get on with changing it. You also may find that your siblings while being in control of what they eat, may not be in control of other aspects of their lives. I am trying to work on the “what emotional triggers made me fat” such as reasons for comfort eating or angry eating and why I used to choose the bad foods for comfort. Good luck as it is a journey.

N Gal, You have done so well! It sounds like the Low carb is suiting your body. I am sorry for you partner and that he grew up around alcoholism. It is not a pretty picture and quite emotionally damaging. My sister is a bad drunk and while not alcoholic when she drinks she get very abusive and usually at me if I am around. Now, she picks up a glass and I leave which is such a shame as I would love to have a good relationship with her but if she cant do it would out a drink I don’t want to be part of it. I seem to be surrounded with suicides, I have lost several friends in recent years and know quite a few attempts which fortunately not fatal.

It really makes me wonder what we are doing to ourselves. Our society is not expecting excellence in everything and it is not OK to be part of the “norm”. Kids are taught that they must excel and be first, part of the winning team or they will never get anywhere in life. This is so wrong and so detrimental. I really feel we all need to get back to basics- basic family values, basic foods that are grown not produced by machines or with extra hormones and with time to enjoy nature and experience what this wonderful world has to offer.

NSMNow, I dearly hope you get to go on your climb as you have put so much into it and what amazing results. Where are you climbing???

Caspersmum, I congratulate you, especially for doing this with a baby around and for doing so well.

Sorry for such a long post, I get carried away if you haven’t noticed already and am now ready to carry myself off to bed and hope for a lovely long sleep in tomorrow.
I release any excess fat cells that no longer serve me. Night all

No_stopping_me_now

4:15 pm
23 Apr 16
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Thanks LA Chubster! Unfortunately i will lose the money if I can’t climb as there is no refund. However I would look at booking again maybe in the summer if it came to it.

I am climbing the o2 arena in London Speckles. Basically the big white dome 🙂 It was a birthday gift for my 30th so I really want to do it. Heights don’t worry me generally yet fitting into the harness feels me with terror. We will see! Will hopefully post tomorrow with a big grin on my face 😀

Love that you are using Wii fit speckles too, do you find it helps? I have it tucked away forgotten about so may grab it out

caspersmum

5:41 pm
23 Apr 16
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Sorry Speckles but I don’t have a baby. Im 61 yrs old, no chance of that happening. However I do have 4 grandchildren and another due in June.

NorthernGal

6:31 pm
23 Apr 16
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All the very best for tomorrow NSMN. Wow,climbing the O2 will be quite something. Look forward to hearing about it.

LA Chubster

8:33 pm
23 Apr 16
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What a cool opportunity, No_stopping_me_now! I didn’t know what 02 was so I had to google it and there’s a short video of finishing the climb.

My fingers are crossed for you!

LA Chubster

10:21 pm
23 Apr 16
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Say! Not that I don’t think you’re doing everything you can, No_stopping_me_now, and shouldn’t fit into the harness, but a non-refundable fee would make my stomach turn flips.

Have you considered presenting yourself ready to climb then doubling over with extreme stomach pains? Do a few wretching jerky motions. Have a friend say, “you can’t go up there like that and get sick when you’re halfway up!” Should make the promotor nervous about the effect it would have on other climbers. I’m sure he/she would, in the circumstances, give you a raincheck for a later date.

Then you’d have a sort of “insurance” that you can get rid of that last 1/2″ with confidence and climb without anxiety when you’re ready. If they don’t give you an adequate interval of time tell them you’ve got to be out of the country for a month or so. So you’ll just struggle through the climb now. …even if it means someone behind you will need to climb around your sick. 😪 That’ll get ’em! 😏

I know it’s not strictly honest but then neither is taking someone’s money and not providing an accommodation so that they can avail themselves of what they paid for. KWIM?

speckles

3:13 am
24 Apr 16
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Caspersmum, My apologies, I think that was Austrian, unless of course you want to claim your husband is like a child LOL. I obviously misread my notes.

NSMN, yes, I have seen the O2 climb. It is similar to our Harbour Bridge climb in Sydney which one day I would love to do. Have fun on the Climb.

I have been re-reading a very good book called The Gabriel Method. It is more about emotional eating and I take what feels right for me out of it and add it to IF. He talks about “Emotional Obesity” which really resonates with me and the book came with a CD which was good though I now have lost the cord to my portable CD player to have no speakers- need to remedy that one as I used to listen to the CD before bed.

The other book I keep going back to is “Alkalize or Die” written by Theodore Brody. A naturopath recommended it to me many years ago and though I haven’t used the system in years, it is always in the back on my mind. It is more about health and getting a healthy body and reducing conditions such as arthritis by eliminating acids and foods that are high in acid (usually carbs and sugars). It also has a scale of food and their acid content which is very useful.

Tomorrow is a public holiday for ANZAC day and I am going to spend it searching through my photos for a timeline in my life of pics of me and my weight. Then I am going to put a few – good and bad on the fridge as a reminder of what I do and what I can look like.

Happy Sunday everyone!

I release any excess fat cells that no longer serve me. Cheers

LA Chubster

5:33 am
24 Apr 16
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Hi, Speckles. Could you play that CD through your computer? I know more current models don’t all have the CD players but I’m hanging onto mine as long as I can because it still has one.

Mind telling us some about ANZAC Day? One of the joys of being in an international community is the opportunity to learn about other cultures. In any case, I hope you enjoy your holiday!

caspersmum

1:12 pm
24 Apr 16
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Its ok and yes my husband is like a child and has always been difficult, its driving me mad. He’s one of the reasons I started comfort eating when I was younger. Im afraid my tolerance level is now zero so life is challenging. Its one of the reasons Im resolved to change my life and losing weight for my self esteem is the beginning. Don’t know how it will go but it cant stay the same. Going to be a difficult road.
I tried 3 fast day this week but not happy with it so will just carry on.

caspersmum

2:17 pm
24 Apr 16
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You may be right about how we approached diet when we were younger. It was my GP that first put me on a diet. It was an extreme diet along with barbiturate diet pills. I had gained 7 pounds in 3 months after he had put me on the contraceptive pill at 17 yrs old for very bad periods. I was only 130 pounds in weight and 5 ft 7 1/2 inches tall so not overweight really. Well I lost 20 lbs in 4 weeks and I was high. I was elated and of course the weight piled back on and it started a vicious circle of dieting. I got so bad I was only eating 400 cals a day and that was working shifts while nursing. So now Im grossly overweight and my life is miserable so I decided enough and accepted there’s no quick fix so here I an doing the 5:2 fasting diet. Its going fine so Im happier about it. I see a brighter future now and this forum is very helful. THe people are so positive, its refreshing.

speckles

2:32 pm
24 Apr 16
Permalink

Caspersmum, there are so many different ways to do the 5;2 that it is worth exploring different ones. You could try Intermittent fasting or I do 20hrs fast then have 4 hrs. in the evening to eat. As I don’t get hungry till I have eaten this suits me well at the moment. 2 days I only have 500 cals and the other days usually up to 1000.I have a very sad social life so sont have to take into account going out as it rarely happens but if it does then- yippee!!!
I also think you may benefit from doing a daily affirmation saying something like “I embrace change into my life in whatever form it take” or something similar. Only used positive words and it is best if you write it in your own words. Don’t worry if you don’t believe it at the moment, the more you say it the more it will resonate with you.

LA, Unfortuately my computer is aging and the CD holder will no longer eject. I just have to take my portable with me to the shops to make sure to get a cord that fits.
ANZAC day is always on the 25th April and it stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps So it is a day that we have given to thank the servicemen and women throughout all the armed services and years. It began because 101 yrs ago when the Aussie and NZ ( and some British troops) landed in Turkey at what is now known as Anzac Cove. As they arrived onshore, many thousands were slaughtered even before they got off their boats as the enemy was waiting. and the majority who got ashore didn’t stay alive for long. You may have heard of Gallipoli – there have been a couple of movies about it.
So on this day around Australia and New Zealand there are Dawn services in nearly every suburb and town and there will be big marches in the main towns and cities where servicemen and women current and ex (some are nearly 100) march or go in cars and receive the thanks for their service for Australia. It is a public holiday here so everyone can attend or join in.
I hope I have explained it well enough and given it the gratitude it deserves.

I will go the service which starts at 4.30am !!! then come home to bed.

I release any excess fat cells that no longer serve me. Night all.

LA Chubster

6:01 pm
24 Apr 16
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((((HUGS)))), caspersmum. I was a child in a difficult marriage. I well remember what that was like as my parents didn’t divorce until I was 18 and I can’t remember them having a single happy day together.

You must be one strong cookie and I admire that you’re directing that to your best self instead of just enduring. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for a good outcome for you, whatever that is.

LA Chubster

6:12 pm
24 Apr 16
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Thanks for that, speckles. I am always glad to learn about other cultures and see how much we have in common.

ANZAC sounds like our Veterans’ Day which occurs on the anniversary of D Day in Europe.

When I was just out of college my boyfriend (now my husband) and I lived in France. As it turns out — and I didn’t know this until MUCH later — we were living in a small interior village well off the coast of Normandy. There were many small American cemeteries — still attended by the local French — dotted around the area. And I, a Baby Boomer, daughter of a veteran of the Pacific, never put that all together until I was a mature adult.

But, the point is that we have so much in common and don’t always get to appreciate that until these little internet conversations come up so I’m so grateful that you shared that.

No_stopping_me_now

8:54 pm
24 Apr 16
Permalink

Thanks for all the words of encouragement and advice…

Pleased to say I did it!! Harness was fine, phew! I’m glad I lost that weight though before. The trek up was steep and was quite challenging at some points. But getting to the top was worth it. The views were good but just knowing that I’ve worked hard to get to that point was great. Now onwards and upwards 🙂

Next step Sydney 😝

Love the idea of putting photos up on the fridge Speckles. I think that would definitely be a good motivator.

I’m off to bed now. Back to fasting day tomorrow and weigh in. Feeling good x

LA Chubster

10:06 pm
24 Apr 16
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YAAAAAAAAY, No_stopping_me_now!!!!!!

Did you take some video?

fitandfab

1:11 am
25 Apr 16
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Hi speckles, you asked where I am in NSW, I am on the Central Coast, East Gosford to be exact.
I really related to your experience of taking notes because I find myself a bit confused trying to keep up with what everyone is doing, but isn’t it lovely that so many people are so supportive and that we all have our problems and challenges. About photos on fridge – I once cut out a picture of a lovely slim woman, whose style of dress I could relate to and then stuck a picture of my own head on it. Hilarious, but it was meant to be inspiration. Only problem was that I would gaze at it longingly while chomping on a chocolate!

On a more serious note, caspersmum, is it possible for you to get a break away from your domestic troubles for a bit? It may give you a bit of breathing space, and heaven knows when you are so focused on getting your body and health right it is crucial to have a supportive environment. NSMN, what a brilliant effort. I am not familiar with the thingo you were climbing but I know that I would not want to be climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, although I know some who have done it. You rock girl!

The one thing I am sure of is that women need to be kinder to themselves. When we are nurturing and caring for others, no matter how much we might love them, we often neglect ourselves. Losing weight is a way of looking after ourselves. Keep up the good work all ( I musn’t assume that you are all women) and know that we are worthy individuals no matter our size. 🙂

speckles

2:13 am
25 Apr 16
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Good for you NSMN. I hope it was every bit exhilarating as you expected. If you come to do the Sydney climb, I will get into practice and come with you. Just give me a bit of time.

LA, How interesting that you lived in France and so close to the cemeteries of the fallen soldiers. Of course when we are that age, it doesn’t have the same significance as it does as we mature. What town ( or what part of France did you live in. Yes, I have seem Veterans Day and it is very similar. I know the Brits also celebrate on 1 May and I have been in Europe at that time and it is widely celebrated.
I don’t condone violence of any sort but I do honour those that have gone to war for us.

Fitandfab, MY! We are practically neighbours! I live and work in Hornsby. How funny is that. Maybe we should get together one day- set a goal and have that as a reward.

Caspersmum, Just know that you are so supported here and we don’t have a vested interest in anything but the best for you. Sometimes family and friends have alternate agendas as it will affect them but from here it is pure love!

Where is SKYBLUE???? We miss you.

I release any excess fat cells that no longer serve me. Cheers all