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

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Skyblue69

8:59 am
16 Mar 16
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Hello Speckles – its good to have you on board! Like LA I love your idea of ‘releasing’ the weight. I have steadily put on weight for the past 15 years or so and I tried 5:2 for the first time 3 years ago but it was quite half hearted and I went totally overboard for the non fasting days. This time I have my head around it and am being (mostly) sensible on my eating days (Mind you have had a bit of bad(ish) week this week so we will find out on weigh in on Friday!!). This time though, I have told myself it’s not a race, its a change of lifestyle and a journey and I’m glad you are here to share your journey with us too! So welcome to the forum Speckles!!

Slim at last

9:26 am
16 Mar 16
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Hello Speckles and welcome.. It’s great that you have presented your story so well.. Loved reading it.. Hope it all goes well for you.. Well done girls on the weight lost so far and especially thank you la chubster and you other prolific posters..you are a lifeline for us “lurkers”
I’m slowly getting used to IF and gradually stopping the over eating on my non fast days.. Lost 1kg so far…19 to go!
Good fasting day to all you luvvies fasting today
Xx

speckles

11:48 am
16 Mar 16
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Thanks girls for the lovely welcome. I really love the idea of supporting each other as only others in our situation can understand the joys and the heartbreak that goes along with the body change.
My mother who is and will always be my biggest critic, well I haven’t told her I am doing this as she will find something about it to say it is bad. She is constantly nagging me to lose weight but when I have she criticises that also. Why do we allow our mothers to have such an influence on us? Maybe if I had married it would have been different as I often think she still sees me as s little girl instead of a middle-aged woman.
Fast day tomorrow and as I wont get home from work till 8ish I have already prepared my dinner. Reduces the risk of just grabbing something quick and easy.
Cheers and sweet dreams.

NorthernGal

12:24 pm
16 Mar 16
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Hi Speckles and welcome. I too really enjoyed reading your story and wish you every success this time around. I too love the idea of “releasing” weight. I shall now imagine that I’m releasing my fat to go off and do whatever it likes – maybe pack a rucksack and go off on a round the world trip! You’re absolutely right of course, as the word “loss” has negative connotations for most of us and we try to find or regain what we lose. Maybe it makes our subconscious work against us when we’re trying to slim down? I’m so sorry to hear about your mum. That’s sounds hard. We are all here to support you.

Well done Localc and SAL for your weight “release”. Great news.

SB, I can definitely sympathise. I too am having a hard week and had my toughest fast yesterday since the very first week. I couldn’t manage my usual water only fast and have a very stubborn headache that I can’t shift. I’ve had a hacking cough for a couple of weeks now also (though otherwise feel great). I think my body was really trying to tell me something yesterday and if I feel the same on Friday (my other fast day of the week), I might skip the second fast day this week and just eat what feels right. I was hoping to get to 14 1/2 stone before my holiday on 2nd April, but if I don’t so be it.

Happy fasting and eating everyone.

Skyblue69

3:31 pm
16 Mar 16
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Hey NG – that made me laugh thinking about our fat going off to do whatever it likes – I’ve got images in my head now! Gosh you sound like you have been really unwell, it’s got to be really hard fasting when you feel like that. We need to take care of ourselves too and listen to our bodies. See how you feel on Friday, you might feel a lot better by then fingers crossed. I really hope you can get rid of that nasty headache there is nothing worse! I fasted on Monday this week and my next fast is going to be tomorrow. It’s been a bit of a naughty week as over the weekend we ate out and also we had a birthday party with lots of buffet food – I find it really hard to keep a tight reign on myself when there’s buffet food about – and I’m ashamed to say I ate like a pig. We also ate out last night at a local pub and had a starter AND a main!! Oh well – on the positive side I have stepped up my exercise and have been getting up early to do a bit of an exercise routine before work and have managed to do a lot of walking – I did a record breaking (for me) 18,447 steps on Monday!! Not so much yesterday or today but still over 10,000 so in view of that I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Friday but if I don’t lose anything – onwards and (downwards)!!!

NorthernGal

3:39 pm
16 Mar 16
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Wow Sb, 18,500 steps!! That’s fantastic. Yep, buffets are VERY hard to resist

Skyblue69

3:49 pm
16 Mar 16
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NG – there was all the usual suspects – sausage rolls, sandwiches, pizza, vol au vents, crisps, onion rings, chicken, cocktail sausages, prawn toasts – the list goes on and I could have gone on eating it!!!

LA Chubster

4:40 pm
16 Mar 16
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Dear speckles- Soooo sensitive to the mother issue. I didn’t have a very happy family either so I know the minefield.

You have such a great attitude about yourself and your weight. Can you visualize “releasing” your mother too or at least the emotional umbilical cord that hasn’t quite been cut yet? She may have her opinions and she may have her faults like all of us. But what if she’s simply WRONG? What if she were giving you bad directions to City Hall? Would you feel bound to follow them? So if she’s “wrong” about *your* life are you bound to consider it any more seriously?

I had to sever my ties to my family a long time ago to go on and have a healthy happy life. Maybe you don’t have to do something so extreme. But you *do* have to take good care of yourself so consider what contributes to that and what needs to be at least isolated and/or neutralized. Whatever anyone else thinks your relationship and affections and loyalties need to be, they don’t know your life and they don’t know what makes it livable and constructive. You do and you’re *entitled* to pursue it as the highest tribute to the life you were given.

I had to walk away to put 2 decades of toxicity behind me. I was disinherited as a result. (And not unreasonably, I might add. I accept it unequivocally.) But I was able to move on to a happy marriage of 48 years because of that decision so I feel like it was the right and responsible choice and I’ve never regretted it despite a certain degree of judgment that has always followed me. That’s why I always have to speak up for people who are smothered by a toxic cocktail of bad parenting and conventional social obligations that refuse to recognize the damage being done.

LA Chubster

4:42 pm
16 Mar 16
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YAY, Skyblue!!! 👏 🎉 Congrats on that *outstanding* activity level!

Skyblue69

5:09 pm
16 Mar 16
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Lol!! Thank you LA!!

LA Chubster

6:50 pm
16 Mar 16
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No! Thank YOU, Sky-blue! I think you’re what finally inspired me to use that rec center membership my husband and I signed up for when we got to Vancouver. I did 10 miles on a stationary bike. Now I’m seeing how my knee feels about this but I feel GREAT about it!

Thanks for the motivation!

MmeMonkey

7:33 am
17 Mar 16
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Welcome speckles! I can soooo relate to what you say … Especially about your mother. I have a similar tricky relationship with my mother over this. Of course she controlled my food intake certainly until I got into my teens and instilled bad habits (in my house it was completely normal to eat bread and butter with every meal no matter what that meal was) and she sees all her failings in me, writ large. There have been some painful conversations about my weight over the years. But we remain on good terms, overall. In fact she’s coming to stay today. And now I have a good news story for her because….

Weigh in today… And I’m another 1kg down in just six days (always weigh after second fast day). Very pleased with that. 10.5kg gone after 20 fasts.

NorthernGal

1:05 pm
17 Mar 16
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MmeM that is fantastic news!! Well done you. That’s an amazing overall weight “release”. Hope all goes well with your mum and that she’s proud of what you’ve achieved

Skyblue69

1:12 pm
17 Mar 16
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Ahh that’s great LA – 10 miles is a huge distance! So glad I helped inspire you! MMe well done that’s a fantastic loss congratulations!!!

Skyblue69

10:50 am
18 Mar 16
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Good morning everyone, Happy Friday! It’s weigh in day for me today and unfortunately I haven’t lost anything this week, I’ve just stayed the same – but at least it’s not a gain!! Was a little disappointed but I’m just going to carry on, it will come off eventually! It had me thinking though, there is so much advice and information out there about how much you will lose if you only eat a certain amount or exercise for a certain amount of time. The consistent advice I see on the internet is that to lose 1lb we need to eat a deficit of 3500 calories and for a 2lb loss that’s a whopping 7000 less. But I think I have come to the conclusion that it is not all as black and white as it seems and everyone’s bodies are totally different and are liable to react unpredictably. I have been logging everything that I eat, and what exercise I do on MyFitnessPal and also weighing myself for the past six weeks now and here are my statistics:-

(Remember that I have been fasting though since the start of January but did not weigh myself until 5th February so the weight loss for week one is not the ‘big loss’ you normally get when you first start dieting, I was 5 weeks in when I first weighed myself)

WEEK ONE
Total Calorie Deficit 4070
Average Daily Calorie Intake 1419
Loss 3lbs

WEEK TWO
Total Calorie Deficit 4070
Average Daily Calorie Intake 1419
Loss 1lb

WEEK THREE
Total Calorie Deficit 1963
Average Daily Calorie Intake 1720
Loss 1lb

WEEK FOUR
Total Calorie Deficit 4007
Average Daily Calorie Intake 1428
Loss 4lbs

WEEK FIVE
Total Calorie Deficit 5076
Average Daily Calorie Intake 1275
Loss 2lb

WEEK SIX
Total Calorie Deficit 4260
Average Daily Calorie Intake 1391
Loss 0lb

So you see, it’s not at all predictable! Last week I had one of my lowest daily calorie intakes and didn’t lose a thing!! However, I did pig out at a buffet and ate out twice but really upped my exercise to burn the calories off. This is just an observation by me really and I’m kind of glad its not as black and white as I thought. Onwards and downwards! And a happy weekend to everyone!!

speckles

11:49 am
18 Mar 16
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Great post Skyblue. I totally agree as I know that to release any weight I have to go well below the average or what is printed. That is my metabolism and for each of us it is different. You have done the right thing by logging it all in and in time I am sure you will start to see a pattern for you that will emerge. WEll done on all those steps, you put me to shame. I have trouble walking but have been using my WiiFit most nights.
Well done MmeM on your release. I hope to be in a similar situation in a few weeks. It is such an interesting relationship the mother/daughter one. My mother is very aesthetic and she doesn’t like looking at anything that is not pleasing to the eye Judgemental Yes but that is her and it is her issue. I just have to learn to not react to it every time she mentions my weight or what she thinks I have been eating. I have never known a time when she was not dieting herself, even my earliest memories.
LA, I so admire you for being able and strong enough to walk away from a bad situation. It must have been very hard for you. I like the idea of cutting the umbilical cord. I do try to surround myself in a bubble when I see her so anything she says can just bounce off it but sometimes I forget. I do love my mum but sometimes I don’t like her if that makes sense.
N Gal, I hope you are feeling better. Do you think it is your body cleansing itself with a detox?
I noticed yesterday that after fasting when I had dinner of a salad with quinoa and a bit of steamed chicken that I was SO bloated afterwards and even most of today I had such an uncomfortable stomach. I wondered if it was the wheat/grain as I have been avoiding bread/crisp breads etc. since I started. I will keep a track of that. I hadn’t intended doing a 2nd fast day but I had no interest at all in eating till this evening so I did it. All up, a good week with nearly 1.6kg released which is very pleasing.
Happy Friday to you all and I am soon off to bed as I am working in the morning.
Cheers

NorthernGal

12:47 pm
18 Mar 16
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Hi everyone and Happy Friday to you too Skyblue! Sorry to hear about no weight release today. I was in the same position a few weeks ago, so can fully sympathise. And you’re right, it will come off eventually and I’m sure you’ll see downwards movement on the scales again next week. If there’s anything that I’ve learnt from these forums, it’s that I can expect to see weight gain and plenty of plateaus before I reach my goal. Your post was really interesting, so many thanks for that. I completely agree with you and the 3500 calorie deficit = 1lb weight loss is all very well in theory, but it doesn’t translate into actual life. I think what you eat has a huge impact also. I too use MFP and find it really useful. I read somewhere that you can’t eat back the calories that you exercise off though, so maybe it was the buffet after all. Blame it on the buffet!! I find it interesting that you’re eating around the 1400 calorie mark. Is this your TDEE or is this just what feels right? My TDEE is 1800 I think at the moment, but I find that I naturally just want to eat around 1400 – not deliberately as I often don’t fill in my food diary until the end of the day, so have no idea how many calories I’ve eaten until I put it all into MFP. It just seems that that is the amount my body feels happy with at the moment.

Congratulations of the 1.6kg release Speckles. That is fantastic in a week!!! Great achievement. I am feeling better thank you Speckles, although still have the cough. Thankfully the headache has gone. Yes, I think my body is definitely trying to detox. I wasn’t sure if I was going to fast today, but it feels right, so water is my tipple for the day. I wonder why you’re feeling bloated? Wheat based grains and starchy carbs definitely have that effect on me and I’ve given them up, but I usually feel pretty good after some quinoa. Apparently salad can cause bloating (strange I know!), if you suddenly start eating a lot of it, so maybe that?

Have a wonderful weekend everybody and happy 2 day fast to you LA over the weekend. Do you break your fast on the Sunday evening or Monday morning LA, out of interest?

Skyblue69

1:31 pm
18 Mar 16
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Hi Speckles and NG! Thanks for your support guys and congratulations on the 1.6kg release speckles that’s fantastic!! Well done!

NG glad you are feeling better and so glad you have got rid of that horrid headache!! Yes I agree with you I think it was the buffet and also we ate out twice as well!! My TDEE at the moment is approximately 2100 and I calculated, that not counting the exercise this past week, that I averaged around 1800 calories a day so probably not enough to lose anything I guess – but it’s a great learning curve and I expect to have losses, gains and ‘stay the sames’ along this journey. At least I had a great time having a pig out on the buffet ha ha – and I know that’s not going to happen every week!! We just need to have a little patience and faith really, and know that if we stick to it, it will eventually fall off!!

NorthernGal

1:42 pm
18 Mar 16
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SB – I think you did fantastically having the buffet AND eating out twice and staying the same weight!! I think that’s amazing. And you enjoyed it too which is the main thing.

Skyblue69

1:49 pm
18 Mar 16
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Ha ha thanks NG yes I did enjoy it very much – so there’s always a silver lining!!!

Buttonboots

3:15 pm
18 Mar 16
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Hi everyone! Hope everyone is having a good week!

I have been really lucky with my Mum – she is my biggest support. (She is an OAP and is also my carer)….not so lucky in the dad department though!

Skyblue – terrific post! There are some weeks when the ‘maths’ just doesn’t seem to work! (My BSc is in maths!) …you eat less, exercise more and STILL don’t get a loss on the scales!…All you can do is stick with it…we are in this for the long haul.

I have rejigged things this week – and have been fasting today. Yesterday lunchtime I felt something in my mouth…and spat out a filling!…So another trip to the dentist was needed! Phoned for an appointment this morning, and he managed to fit me in at 12:15…I suspected he would do the work then and there, and that would mean the ‘no biting, no hot fluids et.c for 2 hours’ advice – which is what happened…So I had a small ball of porridge for breakfast, have just sipped a small cup of tom yum (hot and sour soup…hardly any calories!),and have a piece of salmon which I will have with steamed veggies later….always useful to have fast-day foods to hand just in case I decide to make it a fast day!

Skyblue69

3:54 pm
18 Mar 16
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Hi Buttonboots – ooh poor you having a filling fall out – that happened to me last year, not nice at all. But still you’ve managed to turn it around and get a fast day in – way to go!!!

LA Chubster

5:14 pm
18 Mar 16
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How diligent and brilliant, Skyblue to have all that data. It must be comforting to see how erratic weightless can, in fact, be when you have to explain an annoying week like this one. Good for you for being able to be philosophical about it and put it in proportion.

You’ve done very well and it will release when it releases. I hope, in the meantime, you find, as I do, that I simply feel and function much better eating this way. That has surprised me as being the true reward.

I take the opposite approach and don’t monitor *anything* but the truth of the matter is that I’m VERY into data and obsessing about it. 😵 …and that’s why I *don’t* do it. 😏

Glad you’re past the headaches, NorthernGal! And bummer about the filling ButtonBoots! OUCH!

After I fast I break it with lunch at 2pm on Mondays. I always just eat lunch and dinner. Sorta covers that eating in an 8 hour window thing. Forget what that approach is called…

Skyblue69

8:29 am
19 Mar 16
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Thank you LA! It is comforting to know how unpredictable weight loss can be when you know you’ve tried hard. Keeping track of all the data keeps me on track if you know what I mean. This is a journey and it will take as long as it takes with all the ups and downs that come with it!! And I’m so glad I found this forum to share it with too!! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

CherryBlossom

10:03 am
19 Mar 16
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Hi all, would you mind another member in your group? I’m fast approaching 50 and would love to have just a few years where I don’t obsess about food or feel the need to eat combinations of sugar and flour until I feel like I am dying. Heaven knows what I have done to my body over all these years but have been inspired by your posts and your frankness about the ‘issues’ so many of us seem to share.

I would like to lose 5 stones but have set myself an initial target of 22 weeks (until my 50th) to see where I can get to. I’m planning on Tuesday & Thursday fast days with a 8-10 hour eating window on the other days (I struggle to eat breakfast so this works well for me). I plan to eat the best quality foods I can but not be restrictive in what I eat – for the first time in my adult life I’m going to see if I can eat like a normal person.

NorthernGal

11:10 am
19 Mar 16
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Morning all and a warm welcome CherryBlossom. I can completely relate to the wheat and sugar combination. Incredibly addictive for me and I used to also eat them pretty much every day in excess (and I really mean excess). I have cut wheat out completely and rarely have sugar (I choose to have it occasionally, rather than it demanding loudly that I eat it) . Given that I only started in mid January, I would never in a million years have believed that I could control those cravings so quickly, but that is what this diet has done for me and for that I am truly thankful. I really hope it helps you too. All the best with your fasting. LA only eats within a certain number of hours window also, so I’m sure she’ll be offer some great advice.

Wow LA, that must be around a 60 hour fast you do? That’s fantastic and I’m sure you’re body really thanks you for it. You must feel light as a feather by lunchtime on Monday.

Eeek about the filling BB, but well done you for turning it around to your advantage!

I had a great fasting day yesterday after a really shaky one earlier in the week and another pound has packed it’s bags and departed for pastures new. I’m delighted as I was expecting a gain and would have been happy to stay the same. I’ve also lost 2cm from my waist and 1cm from my thighs, so all in all I’m very pleased. Are you measuring yourself SB? Even though your weight stayed the same this week, maybe you lost inches/cms, especially as you’re exercising. You can record those on MFP too. Because I’m quite tall and the excess weight is spread evenly it means that I’m not seeing much of a change in the mirror or my clothes, so the weighing and measuring are essential for me to keep me motivated.

Have a great weekend everybody

CherryBlossom

11:37 am
19 Mar 16
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Thanks for the warm words NorthernGal and it’s great to hear that you’re managing to get on top of your cravings with 5:2. I started a year ago and was doing really well for a couple of weeks then self-sabotaged for no good reason (as I have done so many times with a hundred different diets). In a better head space now and have more realistic expectations so my hopes are high. Hope you have a great weekend too.

LA Chubster

1:19 pm
19 Mar 16
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Welcome CherryBlossom! I think you’ll feel very much at home here.

The sugar-flour monster really is insidious. It feel so comforting while it makes us so miserable. And when we try to avoid it we feel so miserable while we are actually opening the door to being so much better.

It really is possible to get past it and intermittent fasting has been a tremendous asset to do just that. I hope you will find that the support of his company will help you stick with it and have good success!

speckles

1:50 pm
19 Mar 16
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Welcome Cherry Blossom, I hope that like me you find a wealth of information here and sort through it all to find what is right for you. I think part of that is looking at our previous eating habits and like LA said, the flour/sugar is a comfort but doesn’t do us any good. I have realised as I am typing (as we do) that I need to think of the flour/sugar as a punishment not a comfort and do I want to punish myself by having it.
I started on the 5:2 only a month ago – or there about and have released nearly 6kg but I have been very strict most of the time. I am not a breaky eater and if I am busy am happy to skip lunch as well so on my fast days I do just that and have a salad and a bit of protein for dinner. If I want something more I can allow myself to have some Greek yoghurt with berries. On non fast days I usually still skip breaky and have a snack late afternoon if I feel I need it then dinner. What I have found is that as I am not having carbs, it is so much easier to fast as I am not getting the hunger cravings that I used to get after having lunch.
I am not really exercising, though I do get on the Wii Fit and that gets my pulse hammering. I hope as I shed the kilos that walking will become easier but at the moment I have too many ailments/injuries to push it, so the Wii suits me. Oh and I visualise myself walking, sometimes on a walking track sometimes on a treadmill.
The best thing here is the support from others who are going though the same journey.
Good job Northern Gal on your release! Isn’t it lovely when it just fly’s off and we aren’t expecting it to. LOL
Happy Sunday to you all!

CherryBlossom

2:07 pm
19 Mar 16
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Thank you LA Chubster and Speckles for the words of welcome, wisdom and experience. It makes such a huge difference knowing there are people out there who understand.

Congratulations on your successes – so encouraging. I’m looking forward to releasing some of my fat lbs and sending them off into the ether (the ‘releasing’ concept really made me laugh this morning)!

Big Welsh Mam

3:32 pm
19 Mar 16
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Hi Cherryblossom & Speckles….our band of merry folk is growing almost daily…I bet when LA first posted she didn’t expect the response she’s now got lol!

Well my news of the week..drum roll please (cos if I can’t beat my own drum, who can) is that I’ve lost 1.5lbs making my total 8lbs

I know it’s small fry compared to some but for me it’s a huge achievement.

What is also spurring me onwards is a guy I used to work with has posted his recent weight loss – a massive 5st. The change in him is amazing. So if he can do it so can i!

My relationship with my mum is a great one but as she’s also overweight & diabetic to boot I tend to get nagged to lose weight so I don’t have the health problems she has….but with any personal issue, the person has to want to do it for themselves and only now do I want to do this for myself.

One question for everyone is when did people start noticing you’d lost weight, especially if you didn’t tell them you were on a diet? I know people aren’t going to notice me losing just 8lbs but was wondering how long it would take.

Non IF news from me this week is hubby and I have started talking about me working in his company. He’s also talking about moving to offices locally which would mean we could walk there in the morning, walk the dog lunchtime between us and walk the dog earlier in the night meaning we could eat earlier when we got home so it’s a case of watch this space on that one.

LA Chubster

4:52 pm
19 Mar 16
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Yay for you, Big Welsh Mam!!! Everyone starts at the beginning and what a great beginning you’ve had!

As for people noticing, I think it has to do with a lot of stuff. Some people aren’t looking at your weight. They care about what you’re about and will focus on that and miss what’s happening in your body. Some see you all the time so the little increments don’t stand out. Some haven’t seen you in ages so they’ll just adjust their mental image to fit your current status. I think it takes a person who knows you well and has a strong image of the last time they saw you which was a considerable time ago OR the very familiar people who are with you all the time but it takes them MUCH longer to get to the point of “say, what’s going on here, you look different”.

In the past that upset me. I was hurt or anxious if they didn’t see the changes. Or I doubted my progress, got discouraged and bagged my efforts. So, a couple diets ago, I started monitoring my progress by taking selfies. I take one of myself head on each week. And one of myself in profile. Wearing the same close-fitting clothes. And I put them in a photo file that’s just for me.

It’s arranged with all the head ons one after another in chronological order and all the profiles in a separate array.

It’s very instructive. When I look at it dispassionately I can see that the changes are subtle and come slowly. Comparing one week to another I can’t see a difference even if I’ve noted that it was a week when I lost some weight. Even month by month it’s still pretty nuanced. BUT over the course of a few months there are differences. In my last successful diet over the course of 9 months the change was significant and indisputable. But it has to be seen over time and in the context of direct comparison until it’s really a very big change.

So what this gives me is confirmation that though it’s a slow process I do make progress AND it gives me a sense of what other people see. So, if they’r not focused on it like I am when I scrutinize the pix I can see exactly why it takes them time. Then I don’t get frustrated and hurt and undermine myself.

Also, do you use the tracking app that’s up there in the top right hand corner of every page? You can put in your goals, your current weight and your current measurements at intervals of your choosing. It charts them and, again, over time, you’ll see those lines moving down.

One caution about that, though, is I’ve found that the neck, bust, waist and hip measurements that they reference don’t tell the whole story. My weight is all in my middle, Humpty Dumpty style. While those measurements move more slowly I’ve noticed bigger changes in my upper arms, my thighs and my back.

So, bottom line: we have to know if we stick to our programs that we are making progress, that it’s a process and that we’ll get there in time.

The really *big* measure, I think, is how do you feel? I went from a painful lumbering waddle to comfortably being able to move almost right away. Every day I feel better than I used to when I was weighed down by more than just pounds. I’m betting you’re already feeling changes in your body and I can hear that you’re enthusiastic about going back to work with your husband.

Keep doing the things that are good for you and good things will happen! 😏

MmeMonkey

5:07 pm
19 Mar 16
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Although I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight now, I can’t see that much difference (trousers are looser). But my mother is here at the moment and she’s not seen me since Christmas, before I started the 5:2, and she says she can see a huge difference, particularly in my bottom and legs. An ex colleague popped into the office last week (she’d not seen me since last summer) and said I looked “fantastic”, so that was a nice boost. People are noticing and it’s only been a couple of months. Another 4-5kg and I’ll be back at the weight I was when I was 30 and met my husband and piled it all on. Still a long way off a healthy weight though so I’m definitely going to keep going.

Fallen off the wagon a bit this weekend, thanks to my bloody mother (is it any wonder I’ve got a weight problem?). Took her to a Jewish deli place for lunch yesterday where we had salt beef and chopped liver bagels. She then ordered a portion of apple strudel for us for pud, which I wouldn’t have bothered with. An hour later we’re walking through Soho and pass a fancy gelateria, and she couldn’t resist going in to get ice cream, and of course I had one too. Today we went to a local cafe and they had the most amazing looking cinnamon buns in the counter, so we had those. Oh well, I went for a run yesterday and am going again tomorrow. I fast again on Monday when she’s gone.

Well done on your weight loss everyone. Have lovely weekends.

LA Chubster

6:00 pm
19 Mar 16
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That’s one of the good things about intermittent fasting. Before we get too far along the road to bed food a fast comes along and restarts us.

Two weeks ago I was so far back to my old compulsive eating issues that I was genuinely GLAD it was time to fast for 2 days. And when they were over I went back to sensible eating without any resistance. The compulsive episode was O-VER. Yay!

Big Welsh Mam

9:33 pm
19 Mar 16
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The photo idea is a good one LA….as you say people who see you every day aren’t going to notice a weight loss so to keep a record of it would be useful.

As for how I feel I can feel clothes becoming less tight and, in some cases I can actually do them up (hangs head in shame lol)….here in Wales the weather is rain rain and more rain ( in fact there’s a joke that goes the only way you know it’s summer in Wales is because the rain is warmer lol) and my dog walking coat is a man’s (cos I couldn’t get a woman’s to fit me) super super large (hangs head further in shame) and now I can do it up with a double layer underneath for warmth.

I think I like this eating plan(almost called it a diet again then) is nothing is off limits. Want to spend your 500 calories on 2 doughnuts …be my guest lol!

One food that I have found useful to eat is a product called slim rice / pasta…anyone else tried it? It is an acquired taste but find that it helps as I’m tricking my brain into thinking I’m eating real food even on FDs.

NorthernGal

10:58 pm
19 Mar 16
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Thanks Speckles.

BWM that is fantastic, congratulations. You’ve broken the half stone mark!!

LA Chubster

11:10 pm
19 Mar 16
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I’m so sympathetic about the rain. We’ve just been through 4 solid weeks of rain and the 4 or 5 days of sun and blue sky, I believe, saved sanity for more than a few of us. We’re due for another bout of rain but at least we got our Vitamin D rush to hold us through. 😏

It’s great that you’re seeing change in your clothes. Especially since it happened so fast!

Skyblue69

11:48 pm
19 Mar 16
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Welcome Cherryblossom! It’s lovely to have you on board! As BWM says this forum is growing every day which is fantastic! I understand your struggle with the flour! I’ve never had s sweet tooth, but oh I’m a complete carb addict!! Completely love bread, pasta, potatoes you name it! However by following the 5:2 lifestyle I think it has automatically reduced my intake of carbs anyway. I still eat them but just not as much, even on non fast days which is good. Still wish I could reduce them further though!

NG and BWM Congratulations on your losses!! That’s Wonderful news!!! And Bmw good luck with your new venture with hubby it sounds ideal!! NG I haven’t measured myself but today I wore a pair of jeans that wouldn’t go near me at the beginning of January and also a top that was too tight to wear before so that has been a bit of a boost!

LA taking photos is a fantastic idea, I plucked up the courage (as I really hate my photo being taken) to take one of myself last week and I plan on taking another in around a month or so to see if I could see any difference.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday!

speckles

1:37 am
20 Mar 16
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Good morning to you all,
BWM I had to laugh at myself as I had read your name as Big Welsh Man and wondered why you were trying to fit into a woman’s trench coat. LOL of course I had presumes you were in a same sex partnership as well! But all sorted now and I re-read you last few posts so it makes more sense.
Great question about when do people notice. I have released nearly 6kg and as yet a few people have said “what is different about you” or you look really healthy but no one has pegged the weight loss. Not surprising though as I tend to wear clothes to hide my body and elastic waisted skirts/pants. Even I haven’t noticed it as much as I thought I would but I don’t tend to look at myself properly in the mirror. YET!

LA I love the idea of the selfie and it got me thinking. I once – many years ago saw in a magazine a series of pictures of a woman (they were drawings) at different weights. It started with about 130kg then went down every 10kg or so with a picture of what that woman would look like then 90kg, 80kg etc. This was so inspirational to me who was about 100kg at the time. I cut it out and kept it on my cupboard so I could get a good sense of my progress and what I looked like at a lower weight.
I had been thinking of asking a friend to take a nude photo of me front and back as I have realised that I don’t actually see myself if I do look in the mirror. My BFF would do it I am sure as she is a nurse and not shy of seeing people naked but am I ready for that??????? Something to ponder, though it would keep me on the straight and narrow- so to speak and give me a reminder if I slipped up and went backwards.
The other epiphany I had this morning was that I need to wear my good clothes now as next summer they wont fit me. So instead of putting on my around the house garb today I got out a “save for good” outfit that I haven’t worn a lot. This way I wont regret passing it on when I downsize for next summer.
Enough from me LOL
Well done Skyblue on getting into a slimmer outfit. What an achievement.

Happy days.

speckles

1:52 am
20 Mar 16
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MMe, does your mother know you are on the 5;2 and is she trying to sabotage you? Maybe you could alternate between your choice of food and hers or maybe this is just a once off. Please don’t think I am judging you as I am just playing devils advocate and I can see your situation in my life as well but not with my mother.

I have a friend who I know if I want “fat food” I can go out with her and enjoy it without guilt as she will have it as well. – (OK I am feeling a bit exposed here) whereas other friends would be more inclined to say “lets share something” or “oh I don’t feel like anything” and I wouldn’t have it either.
So I know I have to either avoid my fat food friend ( who is skinny and can eat what she likes) or invite her over to my place and serve sensible food.

I am writing this for me as much as anything as I find when I start typing, thoughts I had tried to dismiss and revelations I had ignored come to my fingertips and suddenly are in front of me on the screen where I cant ignore them. Do I sound crazy?

NorthernGal

7:31 am
20 Mar 16
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Thanks SB and that is wonderful about your jeans and top!!

Speckles, no you’re not crazy. I’ve had a couple of revelations whilst typing on this forum too. Isn’t it wonderful. A huge thank you to Lancaster Chubster for starting this thread and allowing us all to express our fears, successes and everything in-between.

Happy Sunday everybody

speckles

8:09 am
20 Mar 16
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Hear Hear!!!

NorthernGal

8:18 am
20 Mar 16
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Sorry LA Chubster, not Lancaster! My phone’s predictive text again!

MmeMonkey

10:05 am
20 Mar 16
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Hi speckles> ha! I don’t think my mother is deliberately trying to sabotage me, but some bad and self-defeating behaviours have kicked in this weekend but it’s just for this weekend. She’s down here for her birthday celebration (we took her to a show on Friday night) so it is a bit of a special weekend. But yes as a kid there was a lot of “you’re so fat!! Now let’s go and get some chocolate ice cream.” I was certainly over fed as child, as was my mother. It’s in the family. My grandfather was in a German labour camp during the Second World War so food is very precious and important. Having plenty of food is a sign that you are safe and loved. My mother tells a story that when she was a teen she said one day that she was hungry and her father got really upset.

Like you, I am easily led around food. If I’m with someone who pushes that extra slice of cake on me, I can never say no. I’m trying to learn better habits and behaviours.

This morning I ran for 20 minutes without stopping. Tomorrow I will eat no more than 500 calories. The scales will say what they will say.

I really liked what you said about releasing weight. I like to watch Chris and Heidi Powell’s Extreme Weightloss programmes (they’re on YouTube) and I watched one yesterday about a woman who had a weight problem and a hoarding problem and she spoke in terms of release.

speckles

1:28 pm
20 Mar 16
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MMe, I am so glad you weren’t offended. Sometimes I know I can offend when all I had was the best of intentions.

My mother was the opposite and still is. Even as a teenager (I was one of 4) she would get me diet yoghurt- which was disgusting back then, and buy ice cream and chocolates for my siblings. So you can imagine how that made me feel!
From that, I learned that if I wanted “nice food” I had to have it in secret. Isn’t that awful and an awful admission to make as well.
Even now if we have a gathering for a birthday or anything she will give me a half size serving. I know she thinks she is doing me a favour but it takes away any power I have to say “no thanks” or just a small one for me and it tells me that I am not as worthy as everyone else. We have discussed this but she just cant see it- or doesn’t want to.

What a minefield and just before going to bed too!!!

My BFF is coming over tomorrow to take photos of me and I am both nervous and excited. Having released about 6kg, I cant see where it has gone from, so hopefully the pics will help in the future and give me a reminder of what my weight has been. ( and not to let it back in).

Sweet dreams to you all in the Southern hemi and have a lovely day for those of you just rising.
Cheers

speckles

1:29 pm
20 Mar 16
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I hovered my mouse over the submit button for quite a while before sending the last post. LOL What is done is done and better to be honest with myself.

NorthernGal

1:32 pm
20 Mar 16
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Wow MmeM with the running. That is quite an achievement. Well done you!!

Speckles you seem so lovely that I can’t imagine you offending anybody! I on the other hand frequently do, quite unintentionally when I express something the wrong way 🙁

NorthernGal

1:42 pm
20 Mar 16
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Speckles I truly think that being honest with oneself is a difficult, brave and soul searching thing to do. To then share it publicly is even braver. You’re an inspiration and thanks for sharing.

What country are you in?

LA Chubster

2:49 pm
20 Mar 16
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Running for 20 minutes!!! Now that’s impressive!

I broke my knee cap several years ago and it took out all the cartilage so I have to be very careful now. Even here in BC just 45 minutes away from Whistler I can’t ski which has always been my favorite exercise of all time and space.

Anyway, running for 20 minutes is a real achievement and bound to improve your life and health in many ways!

And talk about bravery and honesty! Getting nuddies is an act of courage!

I just take a selfie clothed. And to get that profile I have to do some twisting and distorting but they’re only for me and only for reference.

Yesterday was a toughie but I stuck to just a couple cups of my broth cocktail to keep the hunger down.

Buttonboots

3:10 pm
20 Mar 16
Permalink

Afternoon all!

Half a pound off for me this week (but still averaging a pound a week as it was a pound and a half last week!)

My wardrobe used to contain a selection of black or navy pull on slacks/joggers and a pair of dark brown ones for when I wanted to look good! Plus an assortment of tees and sweatshirts in dark muted colours. …last year I was confident enough to buy some new clothes – including my first jeans!…this year I am having to wear the new stuff as much as possible because I am starting to shrink!….and this week a bought a new pair of jeans…PINK ones!….Mum looked at them and said…you had better wear them young lady (Hah ‘young lady’!!!…I won’t see 50 again!) no keeping them for ‘good’!

I was overfed as a child too…in some ways I think t was Mum’s way of showing us love! Firstly because she had been hungry at times in her youth (she was born in Germany, brought up there during the War…when she talks about shortages and rations it really makes me realise how warped my attitude to food has been!…and then after the War she was a refugee..)so I think she, possibly unconsciously, was determined that her children would never go hungry…and then my father was not overly generous with housekeeping, there wasn’t much money for luxuries, so Mum gave us the one thing she could…FOOD!

These days, Mum is the best support I could ask for on 5:2 – and elsewhere! I am so blessed to have her!

I have tried slim-rice…but it wasn’t for me…but I do LOVE my spiralizer…veggie-noodles are fantastic and for only a few calories!….and cauliflower can be blitzed in a processor and steamed as rice/couscous with a curry!

I have a few photos…which I hate even Mum seeing – which is totally daft as she is the one who takes them!…just as a personal record…I have moments when I feel so fat and frumpy and useless and deny that I have lost ANT weight…just look at these rolls of blubber *sob*….and the photos help to put things back into perspective…but NUDE photos…no no NOOOOO!!!!!