Jean, sure hope your cold passes soon. don’t you hate it when the scales go the wrong direction?? even when you know the reason for it. I had one of those weeks too. my weight had gone up about a lb. so I was really careful, a strict fast day and guess what, went up two more lbs. 🙁 guess I’m paying for my candy gulping day. 🙂 here’s to a much better week.

Annette, and inch gone!!!! that’s great! sounds like your workouts are really paying off. since I’m about 5 hrs behind you here in the U.S. I’m sure you are on the dance floor having a great time. at least I hope so.

take care my friends. Phyllis

Well done, Annette!!! And you too, Issu!!

I’m coming out of my recent slump & have dropped some gained inches & pounds. Sadly, it’s not coming off as fast as I had hoped or as fast as it usually does….. HOWEVER, I’ve had an amazing week at the gym. It was spring break here so lots of people were gone. This is a busy time of year for my husband, so we stayed put. My kids went camping with my parents for part of the time & the rest we did quick day trips places for fun. Not looking forward to school starting next week!!!

Anyway, with several people out at the gym we had a new instructor for barre. And I loved her!!! She did different things & they really, really helped & refocused me. I taught 2 classes at the gym this week for an instructor & it has me considering getting certified to teach….

My degree is in musical theatre. I was a singer/actor/dancer in my past life. I loved every minute of it!!! When I married my husband I gave up my career (I was really burned out on working nights in the theatre, never seeing sunsets & having my days free when so many of my friends worked, etc!!) & moved back to my hometown (also my husband’s hometown but we didn’t know each other growing up!). I had family, but no job, no friends, & no theatre. My performance life came to a halt. I tell all of this because this is when I began gaining weight. Although it was very subtle & I got back down to my “happy” weight right before I got pregnant with my first child. Since then I’ve been up & down, at one point 40 pounds too heavy. {oh my}

My love for the gym does have me considering getting certified to teach classes. My youngest will start school in the fall. And though I’ve loathed people asking what I will do once she starts school, I now am considering this. So we shall see!!!!!

Oh my…sorry I rambled, y’all!!!! Tomorrow is a fast day for me. And I’m hoping I’m not as irritable as I have been my last few fast days!!!! Grr!!!! Happy fasting, friends!!

Go for it mommabear! Job in fitness industry will keep you focused and active, gym is a great place to meet new people so be ready to be busy making nee friends!!! 🙂 happy fasting tomorrow, I will think about you when I will get hungry! 😉 xx

Haha Mommabear! That’s no brainer then, You will love your new career. I know what you mean by people ask what you going to do when your youngster will start school. I get constant question when I’m going back to work, even thou my little one is 7 months only. I don’t like talking about my self employment as everybody seems to have a lot of questions then 🙂 once I’m standing on my 2 feet I will be able to answer some of them, but not ready to talk about it yet. Good luck to you on your new adventures, it will be great start to new you!

I have just started and was wondering how much exercise we need to do each day

Oh, mommabear, I’m so envious of your theatre career.

As a teen I longed to go to drama school, but my school convinced me that it would get me nowhere. Because I wasn’t pretty enough, and worse, because of my voice! It was deep and husky and could be described as a “booze and fags” voice (with the British meaning of “fags”, i.e. cigarettes). Disconcerting and somehow indecent in a fat, bespectacled, little 14-year-old. I wasn’t even allowed to read the lesson at morning prayers, let alone take part in any drama, and on several occasions was taken to one side by teachers and advised “to see a doctor about my throat”.

Happily, I got plenty of chances to do theatre in adulthood. I happened to hit uni, where I went to study modern languages as a mature student, at a time when there was some very strong drama going on and I was lucky enough to get some great roles. Even on my college reference, they describe me as “an actress of great personality and power”. I went on to join a fringe theatre group after being talent-spotted at a drama workshop, but got fed up with “profit-sharing” when profits amounted – if we were lucky – to £5 a head for weeks of rehearsal and a week of performances. I’ve only auditioned twice in my life and passed both, one of them for a highly reputable London drama school that has turned out some well-known names, but no way could I raise the fees. Plus the fact by then I was pushing 40. No regrets, though. I love my work as a freelance translator specialising in arts and media. Translation is a job where age is a distinct advantage and given reasonable health many people continue into their 80s and even 90s. I know I didn’t really start to hit my stride until I turned 60.

And the voice? I still have it and consider it one of my best features. I’m told I sound a lot like the wonderful Judi Dench and I’d love to believe that’s true.I wonder if any of HER teachers told her to get her throat fixed.

Your idea of qualifying as a gym instructor sounds great and well worth pursuing. My husband is in the process of doing something very similar, although his subject is Chi Gong/Tai Chi. He started Tai Chi classes as a beginner two years ago, but turned out to be a “natural” and was soon asked by the instructor to coach other beginners in the class, and before long to deputise for her occasionally. He is continuing to practise and is now regularly teaching Chi Gong – a gentler form of exercise – for a charitable organisation, but in order to be allowed to teach in the public, lifelong-learning sector, he must take a formal qualification. He’s now two thirds of the way through. Quite an interesting household with two (very) mature students. Him with his educational theory, me with my art history MA.

It seems like I’m as good at rambling as you are. But one of the delights of the 5:2 forum is finding common ground with other posters that isn’t necessarily to do with fighting the flab. Have a great weekend.

Mommabear how is your fast going? Zero kcal for me so far, feeling good to have a break from constant munching… 🙂 Hermaj you are true wonder woman! So many talents! Xx

Jean, if I only could saw I would do it! I grown up in Era of disposable cloths, they don’t teach you how to saw anymore 🙁 thank goodness for eBay! Reading about your tea made me hungry! That is a great effort, fair play to your daughter! I wouldn’t dream of fasting with that feast on the table myself 🙂 I have homemade thai green curry cooked for me tonight, zero noodles will come and play today 🙂 hope my hubby is not stuck at work to long, I could do with eating Wright now! 🙂 xxx

Well done, annette, an inch off the waist is a major achievement.

I agree, issu, it is annoying when people tell you you’re “looking well” when you have been working your butt off to lose weight. At least it’s not like it is, or at least used to be, in Spain. While living and working there I lost a lot of weight and was getting close to optimum. Imagine my dismay when people told me “Estás más gorda” – you’re fatter! It was actually meant as a compliment, since in that society plumpness equated with prosperity and beauty.
I hope you enjoyed your Thai green curry, a big favourite of mine too. Recently when I went to make our usual green fish curry, I found I was out of the green sauce so used the red and it was every bit as good.

mommabear, I got to play a couple of comic roles too and got very good at prat-falling. Another thing we have in common – teaching. I got a post-grad qualification to teach French and Spanish and, would you believe, beginners’ Latin, which I did for a total of nearly 5 years. Hope you get through the rest of your fast day without too much grief.

Cup of coffee and good old chat would be great, I agree Annette 🙂 How did a shopping trip go? @Hermaj my curry was lush! Hubby made his own paste and I was gobsmacked how easy it is to make. Will be on the menu regularly now I think! I make my own teriyaki sauce, masala paste, pesto and green curry will also never come from the jar anymore. Even my 7 months old loved it ( minus the chilli of course) cooking is a one thing I’m good at, and since my better half said we eat too much meat I experiment lots with fresh, healthy food. I know he secretly misses good old potatoes and mush sometimes 🙂 I had second fast today, I desperately try too go back to my weight I achieved before the big weekend. Two days in the row are tough I was physically hungry by 3 pm, and had to eat at 4 but it worked out great, as I could go for a run just after putting little man to bed. It was sunny and warm, so I couldn’t resist. I’m looking forward tomorrow… Will start my day with poached egg, or two 🙂

Mommabear how did smoothie experiment worked out? I thought I try 2 consecutive days and gosh it was harder then I would imagine 🙂 not in a rush to do it again! 🙂 xxx

Hello from sunny Wales! 🙂

I had a busy day/ but not productive at all ( do you know that type of day? ) very frustrating! Had a chat with my boss, about possibility of returning to work- which only left me want to bang some heads together. I had to ask questions for 2 hours, just so I could get one clear answer!!! basically I’ve been told that either I’m coming back on full time or there is no work for me, but because i work for big company they can say it straight, so took lots of persistence on my behalf to get to those two options.

I also been ‘horrible’ to them, and said that in that case, I don’t know if I coming back, or when 😛 have to give them 2 weeks notice, so still have 4 months to think about it (even thou I wont get payed)left them in the pickle, coz boss was sure I’ll come back before the summer, when business really needs me…

Made appointment with the accountant today, guess what I’m doing this evening? Starring at the books, working out what is coming in, what out. yeah! 😉

ok rumble over!

my plan was to fast 2 days, have a normal day two more fast and weekend off- i don’t like to fast on the weekends. But I don’t think I am made for it 😀 like to challenge myself, but that is hardcore even for me. I was pleased with myself for sticking to it, for whole 2 days anyway, and I did manage to drop back to weight before the weekend (+ half a pound, but who counts halves anyway? 😉 )

Annette you need to leave jar with beer (lager) in the garden, slugs and snails love it, and go there. They don’t like gravel so maybe put some around your veg? slug pallets? and dont worry about the dresses, they will be loose in no time 🙂

mommabear… my 4 (well almost 5 now) picked anything which was in my garden last year. This year he is into growing everything himself, so that stage wont stay for ages.

don’t have a plan what to cook today, so better head off to the kitchen before hungry men comes in 😉

ps. Annette don’t read, as you are fasting today 😉 for lunch I had lovely veg in tom sauce left over from last night. I thought: gonna have a pasta with it, even that I had plenty on my plate. I didn’t eat the pasta at the end, but why on earth if anything is in the sauce my brain is screaming CARBS! don’t have a problem with skipping carbs when i have (meat+veg, salad, or soup) so whats wrong with the sauce?

ok gonna go now! xxxx

Hi Mommabear,

What Great News, go for it girl….starting in the fall and fits in with school times. It’s always a nightmare to find a job what fits in with the children, no child care.

The panini sounds good too…

Good Luck to your new adventure.
Jean x

Mommabear that’s absolutely fantastic news!!!! dancing with you!!!!! 😀

You are obviously good at it and she could see a potential, so grab occasion with both hands and get your ass in gear 😉 get all the papers ready asap, and go, go, go!!!!!

I came to realization yesterday I may postpone my dream about self employment, and go back to work for 2 more years. Will do my uni course never mind what! Working full time, be a mum, and a student will be difficult, but looking at the numbers depressed me last night. We would struggle financially big time, and I would add a big pressure on myself. Stress doesn’t do much good to my self steam ( packet of chocolate buttons gone again last night!) I’m not sure if I have what it takes, to start business quite this moment, and really don’t want to scrape my pockets to put food on the table, dress my children, and constantly worry about it. I like my job, doesn’t pay a fortune and I’m not learning much… but i think I need to concentrate on one thing at the time. “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” 2 years… I’m going to fill it with study and working on self believe, am I giving up ladies?

fasting today…

of I go to make myself feel better and have a mug of (black) coffee! I actually enjoy it now 😀

have a good day!

mommabear big hip hip hooray to you again! 🙂 your story made me smile, so go out there and show them what you made of! xxx

Annette: I happened upon your post weeks ago and was inspired and carried on, so I quickly left this page feeling good for the whole day. It never left me and I wanted to re-read it, but good gracious, I couldn’t find it and forgot WHERE this was posted.

This morning, while researching Fast Diet recipes for dinner inspirations, I FOUND YOU AGAIN! Now, I’m pasting this on my computer for days I need pick-me-ups.

Thank you for your positive view and re-enforcing my belief that this program does work. I haven’t lost 23 lbs. yet, but 14 lbs. is good even though I’ve been on it since last March. I know my rate of weight loss is due to not worked out in a year, but eventually, I know I’ll pick up my workout routines where I left off and my progress will pick up a bit of speed.

Take care.

Hello all! I just finished reading the entire thread (took me awhile!) and wanted to stop being a lurker and join in. I originally started the 5:2 for lent and this is the fourth week I have really done it. I am down about four pounds and have not done measurements yet because I am bad at math but can tell things might start fitting a little better. Nothing super dramatic though. I am positive that this is going to last me far past Easter and will in fact become a way of life. I really just love how I feel.

Now that I have read the whole thread I feel like I have a group of fast friends and it is fun to check in on your progress 🙂 I will say though you all have me dreading Christmas a little bit that seemed like a rough time.

I do have a question I have been able to stick to this because I basically eat the same thing every fast day :

Grapefruit for breakfast – 84 calories
California roll for lunch – 274 calories
Miracle noodles with fat free/low sodium chicken broth and mushrooms, tomatoes,bacon and basil for dinner – 100 calories
458 calories

Plus every fast day I “neg” my calories by burning the amount that I eat on the elliptical. So far it is going well and I am managing but I worry I might need a bit more variety, are there any go tos that you all use?

Thank you Annette for starting the thread and for all you who share your stories and struggles. It is super inspiring!

issu,

Maybe I’ve missed it but it seems as though you have already decided on your degree subject. Am I right? Or, of course,if you are going to do an OU degree, I think you can make it up of a variety of modules of your own choice. Is that what you are going to do?

You say you don’t have enough self-discipline to be your own boss. I am the laziest person on the planet BUT I never miss a deadline. Not because I’m virtuous, but because I’m paranoid. I always think if I miss a deadline, the client will tell everyone else so I’ll never work again. Or if it’s for a uni assignment, I feel sure I’ll be sent to the head of department and politely asked to leave. So maybe you could choose a job where there are deadlines to be met. You’ll find that you have to meet deadlines during your degree course, so that will be good practice.

I am a night owl and find it difficult to wake up before 10 a.m. (which was fatal when I was employed by others), and when I do I feel so bad it’s a choice of suicide or murder! But I work very well in the evening. So if a job is due for delivery at, say, 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the client has it by 9 p.m. latest on Monday evening.

It’s easy now that everything is sent electronically. Back in the day when you had to deliver hard copy, some poor couriers sent to pick stuff up from me were frightened out of their wits by the dishevelled witch in a dressing gown who answered the front door.

hermaj I am totally with you, dead lines is the way to go! 🙂 when i was translating I never missed a day. Worked nights sometimes, to catch up on the days I’ve chose to sun bath on the beach instead working (it happened to be a hot summer) but I always got there on time. My postman comes around at 9 am and he thinks I live in my dressing gown 😀 Yes, I’ve chosen business and management already, and not only for the money bit. I know I can find a job which will suit me just fine, not necessarily in office environment. I am dead excited, and can wait for September, so many modules I can choose from!!!!! 🙂

I am relived in the way I am going back to work. My original plan was to work for myself (just so I can escape routine) but then my dear friend just popped question why don’t you go to Uni? (he actually suggested I come and work with him in the council 🙂 ) before I looked at education in UK I needed to do my A levels again, as my didn’t count then. But now law changed and my education is transferable and Open Uni doesn’t need it anyway I though ‘this is my chance’.

I feel that starting a business was my way of trying to better myself, but now I have better picture of how I can achieve it. I may not stay in the job for whole 2 years, I will actively look for something else. But uni gives me something to focus on now.

freelance work sound like lots of fun! not too easy to come across thou 🙂
I have a great hobby- I make my own organic beauty products. Soaps/ body lotions/lip balms/ bath bombs. I can only support my hobby and try to make it a business with income to pay for needed licence (so I can sell it to public) I never had an idea of how, I can make it big enough to earn a decent living, but I’m sure I will learn new tricks at Uni. If I don’t return to work now, I will have to do something else, and fast to make money, as you say, is sad when one is only working for money. I feel good, even that I had to admit to the fact that my business plan sucks, and is unrealistic 😀 one more lesson learned, better sooner then later I suppose! 🙂 xxx

Oh hermaj, I LOVED your enthusiasm for me. And your fist bumping dance. Ha. In the US we don’t necessarily say “certified” to mean crazy, we say “certifiable”. Ha!!!! Means the same thing!! So yes….me getting certified might just mean certifiable. Ha!

Today was a fast day for me. I started the day just fine…but then my Dad (who recently started playing tennis again) wanted to meet to play a couple sets of tennis. Afterwards I was famished. I started with my 500 calories but that quickly doubled. So while I stayed under my BMR, I ended the day at about 1000 calories. {sigh}

I’m not too upset with myself. It’s almost my time of the month!!! Normally I’d throw in an extra fast day…but since I’ll soon be hormonal I think I’ll let it slide this week. Hope everyone else is doing better than I!! Happy fasting tomorrow for all you Thursday fasters.

Hey Annette, I’m sure you’ve tried it. But I’ve been told cornmeal helps with slugs. That’s a big issue here as well, but so far I haven’t had any issues in my garden at this house.