January's Small Group Accountability Challenge!

This topic contains 167 replies, has 15 voices, and was last updated by Lessofme34 7 years, 2 months ago.

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xamos

8:17 pm
13 Jan 17
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Happy Friday everyone 🙂

It’s a Fast Day here for me and tomorrow is officially my first weigh in! I’m also going to be taking full body pics and measurements – I’ll keep you all updated!

@grins hope your b2b fasts went well 🙂

@karlanz exactly the same as me! I often fancy something sweet during the evening/nights hours especially if I stay up late which I have been recently. The thought of posting an update here keeps me strong!

@lessofme34 hope you managed to get your run in! Good job for staying focused while travelling.

@hippyhayles AMAZING news! So so happy for you 😮 and fab that your mum noticed a difference, that’s got to feel good! I’m updating your goal for you and re-arranged fast day 🙂 I’m waiting to weigh in tomorrow then hopefully I can join you on cloud 9 😛

@j-ray nice one for joining the climbing club! Me and my sister used to do a lot of it when we were younger so I know it’s a tough workout!

Updated:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

Grins

9:00 pm
13 Jan 17
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Friday FD not for me I guess. My husband and son went on an ice fishing trip and so I made them rice krispies….dumb, as I have NEVER kept my hands off of them in my entire life…I love them! SO…I am going to have a light dinner and a glass of wine, and know that this was going to be an extra day and it is what it is – and there is a lesson…do not make indulgent treats on your FD!!!
Good luck on the weekend everyone!

Lessofme34

12:46 pm
14 Jan 17
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Good morning and Happy Saturday to one and All,

@hippyhayles – WTG on achieving your target early!! Hope you are able to celebrate your achievement in a way that does not involve food! Glad you’re enjoying success and thanks for sharing the wonderful feedback from your Mom. Keep up the effort! Don’t want to be negative but do hope you continue to enjoy your journey this month as your weight loss continues but possibly at a slower pace (first two weeks typically have more dramatic weight loss due to water). Again don’t want to be negative, just hope you keep your wonderfully contagious joy! If I’m out of line, please let me know.

@xamos – hope your FD yesterday went well and hope you are pleased with your weigh in results today. Had a cool, Xamos-like social dinner last night.

@grins – great candor and we all have eating days where we fail. Hope you were able to rebound nicely and thankfully TODAY IS A NEW DAY :)! Btw, really admire you for making a plan to rebound at dinner. I still occasionally have those reckless eating days (thankfully far less frequent now) and often struggle with a “Heck with it” attitude and eat even more junk (very good about recognizing each day is a new day but struggle the same day on days that I really crash and burn). Someone shared this with me years ago – if you fall down, do you stay on the ground there the rest of the day? Lol, I clearly still can but find this metaphor profound.

@ray – glad your recovery jog went well and your using the roller for an hour – love the wisdom (I’m a baby, hate using the roller on my IT band!). And climbing! You are a core fiend – WTG! I bet you even enjoy full burpees!

Apologies for my ramblings below (and above!) but enjoying a wonderfully slow morning at Starbucks. Thank you all for your patience and support! Have a wonderful day!

Got in a nice 4 mile run yesterday on the beach after work (flat enough to run on) – beautiful weather, awesome. There is a great local restaurant near our place here in St. Augustine and had four small, awesome blackened mahi sliders with a delightfully spicy aoli on Hawaiian rolls with 2 sides of fresh broccoli. While I know these were definitely not low calorie At All, had that interesting MFP dilemma when it’s not clear what entry to use for tracking (and was too lazy to put individual items together) but did complete my MFP entry with a best estimate.

Had dinner with my wonderful cousin I have not seen in 35 years last night! In addition to enjoying the time together, it was great to take my time eating and dine with conversation between bites, putting my fork down (amazingly it will not run away!). Slowing down with my eating is still not natural for me but I enjoy when it happens. Lol, I think I had my first room temperature meal 3 years ago when I started to eat slowly – gives time for the 20 minute delay for fullness to kick in. Btw, ever notice how slowly a healthy (no eating disorder), older skinny person eats? Always amazing!

Nice victory yesterday – woke up crazy early (4:30 am) and was super tempted to eat more than I had planned for lunch (fatigue cravings) but knew I was tired and that my lunch was more than enough and did not have any more food (thank you Jesus!)

Going to local YMCA this morning for full upper body weight training session (chest, back, arms, shoulders, abs) and watching American football playoffs later but NOT having any chips or crackers or turning it into an eating event (will plan out my meals) – Need to be especially careful when I’m alone. Missing my amazing wife but looking to not have a bad eating day today.

xamos

6:49 pm
14 Jan 17
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Hello all, hope we’re having a good weekend thus far!

@grins ah no how annoying! Glad you didn’t take it as an opportunity to have a free-for-all day. God knows I’ve done that before! I’ve made a vow to myself to stay at home/do very light non-food related activity during my weekend fast days so I can avoid getting really hungry/temptation until at least the end of January!

@lessofme34 sounds like you’ve had a wonderful, productive, enjoyable and strong past few days! You’re doing great and it must be lovely to catch up with family. Glad you’re having a relaxing time 🙂

Are we all ready for my weigh-in results? Are you sure? Drum roll please….

I’ve lost 0.3kg!! (about 0.66 pounds)

Not the best result but i’m happy anyway 😉 I’m enjoying the lifestyle and the scales are going in the right direction.. I’m also coming to the end of the most enjoyable week of the month for us ladies (sorry too much info) and I know that can have an effect on weight so fingers crossed next week will have budged a bit more. Then again I think I only have around a stone to lose so I’m not expecting massive jumps. I made a similar scales faux pas to you @hippyhayles in that I had them set to male instead of female so while my weight was the same, my body fat percentage was about 5% higher than I thought it was 🙁

Some other stats that my scales measure for interest:

Weight: 66.9kg (around 10st 7lbs)
Body Fat Percentage: 33.6%
Water Weight Percentage: 49.1%
BMI: 27.1

Also body measurements:

Waist: 92cm
Hips: 95cm
Bust: 94cm
Neck: 34cm

My height is 5″2′ (158cm) so by the calculation @karlanz posted about waist needing to be below half of your height in cm I need to be under 79cm so need to lose over 10cm 🙁

That feels like a bit of a downer but other than that I genuinely am okay with these numbers.. I know where i’m at and it’s all down from here and with you guys cheering me on I know I can do it!

I’ve also taken some full length body shots and I’m debating whether i’m brave enough to post them on the Facebook group 😉

Smeagle

11:18 pm
14 Jan 17
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Hello everyone

I had an busy week. A good thing happened: I received an offer on a flat I am selling! Unexpected. What a relief!

It sounds silly but, with the excitement and worry of selling, I wasn’t sleeping well, or eating as I lost my appetite. But I had no time to weigh myself in the morning which is when I normally would. I believe I’m about .6 kilo from my goal.

Xamos if you post your pics, I believe those pics are there forever. So think twice As it’s a big deal.

I am trying to lose weight partly for health, partly to look nicer. Some of my pics on FB make me feel ashamed because I think I look soft and flabby.

My partner says he is going to put his weight goals on the fridge and on the calendar as this helps. We heard that there is a scale on sale that tweets a person’s weight – my goodness, no thank you, it is v personal, isn’t it?

I did two yoga sessions this week, which is better than none.

@lessofme34 your mahi sliders sound amazing. I ate mahi in Japaan, v nice. They also sell it occasionally in GB.

I remain perplexed by my waist; trying to do more stomach crunches and side bends and twists, see if hat solves it.

I agree that as a younger person I ate as much junk and indulged in bad but pleasant food. I had to adjust and un-learn my habits in recent years, because unlimited bread and biscuits cause me indigestion as well as weight gain.

@grins, Rice crispies are my fave too. I like to make dark chocolate rice crispie cakes. They are almost virtuous?

Everyone, thank you for your enthusiasm and joy. You are my role models!
x

Lessofme34

11:53 am
15 Jan 17
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Hi All,

While I had a really pleasant Saturday (including a great workout at the gym in the morning and a leisurely one hour walk on the beach), ended up having a tough eating day with dinner. Looking forward to a rebound today with my food choices/caloric intake. Today will be a run (at least 4 but would like to do 5 or 6 miles ideally). While I enjoy exercise, I am not going to exercise my way to life-long freedom from obesity!

@smeagle – Congrats on the offer! Hope it brings you some welcomed peace.

@xamos – lol, congrats on the results. To your point, I believe water retention is a normal side effect when your “friend” visits you ladies. In fact, any weight loss strikes me as a victory in your back to reality (work) week!! Btw, did a bit of research after getting a higher end scale as part of a wonderful weight loss program 3 years ago and the body fat readings on home scales are notoriously inaccurate. Not even sure you can trust the differentials but the weight and your body measurements certainly do not lie. (Lol, our pants obviously tell us when the reality). Btw, really admire your dedication to body measurements. Not sure how many times it would take me to measure my waist without sucking in my gut!

That aside, if we each average even just 1 lb. per week, imagine where we’ll all be in 2 months … 6 months … 12 months. In addition, since most of us (@J-ray appears to be our wonderful example of someone who has not made food a g-o-d in their life) are overweight because we cannot function day-to-day without some eating structure (even boundaries?), every week is always an opportunity for weight gain so congrats to all who have had a less than perfect week but still managed to lose or not gain weight!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

xamos

12:00 am
16 Jan 17
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Hello all, a late night post from me here before heading to sleep.

@smeagle glad you’ve received an offer and had a weight taken off of your shoulders 🙂 I suppose your weight being automatically uploaded to Twitter could be some pretty sturdy motivation! Like you though i’m not sure that would be for me.

@lessofme34 I hope eating was a bit easier today. I’ve also heard about body fat percentage not being very reliable so i’ll take that number with a pinch of salt and keep tracking the rest! I wont lie I had to re-do some of the measurements a couple of times making sure I was being honest with myself! I agree completely, anything downwards is a step in the right direction 🙂

Hope we all have a great week ahead, goodnight!

HIPPYHAYLES

8:47 am
16 Jan 17
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Hello peeps,

Sounds like we have all had a good few days over the weekend! I’ve been really busy and sometimes even coming to work gives me a rest! The joys of family life eh!

@lessofme34 thank you on the congrats, yeah I’m know that from here onwards my weight is more likely to slow down, that I’m happy with as long as it is still coming off.

@xamos to be honest I haven’t even measured myself! Sounds daft but for me that’s mentally worse than getting on the scales. I’ve told my self when I get 2 stone off I will take them!

@smeagle well done on the offer!! Its can be a stressful time selling property so well done for doing your yoga classes.

Well im off t get some work done! Enjoy the rest of you day people x

Lessofme34

1:14 pm
16 Jan 17
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Good morning All

Had a good eating day yesterday to rebound and ran 5 miles on the beach. Thrilled that my wife and I had a nice, long call yesterday morning (she’s amazing). After hanging out with my Dad and eating dinner, retreated to the bedroom as a non-eating sanctuary to continue watching American football (don’t eat in bedrooms, hotel rooms being the exception).

FDs this week are Tuesday and Thursday. Will step on scale when I return to Maryland in a week.

@xamos, thanks again for leading our band of merry folks!

Hope everyone has a super Monday!

Grins

2:50 pm
16 Jan 17
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Hello JSGAC friends – that is January’s Small Group Accountability Challenge…Friends.
Well – I wish I could say I had a great weekend – but I sort of struggled. I did not eat that much – but what I did eat…just was crappy! Started with those damn rice krispies…!!
Anyway – it is Monday – I was up a bit on the scale today, but still down from my start 1 1/2 weeks ago 1.4 lbs. I think with a couple of good days this week, it will come down fast again. Today and Wednesday will be my FD. I have a function on Thursday – and the weekend am at a conference in Minneapolis and with friends…UGH! The only good news is that I love the FD diet, which generally says you can eat on your NFD – So.
It is finally above 0 degrees F here – in the 20’s and sunny, so I am going to take for a walk outside today.
My husband and son brought home some fresh Walleye (MN fish – great tasting) so we had that for dinner last night it was fabulous. They were out on a frozen lake – drove 5 miles out on an ice road to where they fished. Lots of “fish houses – some double decker” Anyway – an adventure for them and great fresh fish for me. I will put a couple photos on FB.
OK –
@lessofme – way to rebound and go for a run – nice to be able to run on the beach!
@Hippy – You just seem to be an inspiriation for me! Thanks.
@xamos – I do not have a scale that does all the BMI info – I almost bought one – but missed the sale. I did take some measurements – but not with a cloth tape so who knows if those are accurate for me, but they are a starting point – I should probably go to my Gym and have them done for me…UGH!
Thanks for starting this group – I hope that we can continue past January! I think that I did not check in this weekend much and it makes a difference!
@smeagle – happy for the offer on your flat – hope the sale all goes smoothly and of course it is a relief.
Good luck all this week.

L.e.n.8

3:07 pm
16 Jan 17
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Well! I’ve had a bad week!
Over the course of the week I have eaten a restaurant burger, a Doninoes Pizza and an Indian Takeaway for various reasons(embarrassed face).

My fast days went as normal.

As a result I have had a maintain in my weight this week.

Start Weight: 15st 11lbs
Current Weight: 15st 8lbs
Total loss: 3lbs

Brand new week! Fresh start! Fast days Tuesday 17th and Sunday 22nd.

HIPPYHAYLES

3:56 pm
16 Jan 17
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Well peeps,

Here is my first moan, not about the diet but just about today. I have had the shittiest (sorry!!) day I’ve had in such a long time at work. Really manic and really depressing because of other people mistakes, anyway, today should be a FD but it certainly isn’t now as I’ve had 3 cups of tea with 2 sugars, my shake for breakfast, a whole punnet of grapes, a chocolate digestive and I still have my tea to have at home which is cottage pie!

@grins I would give anything to be where you are now and its nice to hear I’m an inspiration to you! If you really knew me I’m sure you would think different lol

@l.e.n.8 God I could eat all that right now in one go!

@lessofme34 I LOVE lying on a hotel bed and eating junk, watching films with a bottle of good wine (oh see, now I know why I got so fat haha)

Anyway, sorry for the rant but I felt like this was the place to go to get it off my chest and so I DONT reach for this bad bad food again.

Catch you all later people, maybe when ive got my hand in the biscuit barrel…JOKES 🙂

J-ray

4:25 pm
16 Jan 17
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Day 16, nfd
Monday would typically be a fd for me, but today is a holiday and kids stayed at grandparents and my proposal due Friday got cancelled, so I got another unexpected climb date in with a friend. It’s the funnest weight training workout!
@less (and hippy et. al), I have been struggling a lot more with a good relationship with food the past few years. Eating my feelings, late night chip binging especially when the husband is out of town, and unfortunately drinking more alcohol to the point of feeling like I was on the verge of a problem, and alcoholism runs strong in my family. Doing the 5:2 helped me start cutting those ties, if anything, at least starting two days a week. It’s helping me take ownership of my health in a very direct way vs. Doing more superficial patch fixing. It’s hard having access to food all. The. Time.

A small victory for me is having taken the month of January off of alcohol, my migraine was almost non-existent this month during my monthly friend time comma a first in almost two years. My migraines are significant enough that this may be the start of a new way of life for me too.
I’ve also noticed a dramatic drop in inches the past 2 weeks, I should probably have taken measurements at some point but maybe I’ll start that now. no weight loss on the scales.
Happy Monday friends!

xamos

7:31 pm
16 Jan 17
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Hello lovely JSGAC friends (love it @grins!),

I sincerely need no thanks for looking after the spreadsheet, it is utterly my pleasure and I’m rather fond of all of you 🙂

Sorry to hear some of us have had a tricky weekend, I fared quite well however I was a recluse for the vast majority of it so perhaps that had something to do with it.

I’ve had quite a good NFD at work – getting back into the swing of things. I visited a local Asian wholesaler during my lunch break to stock up on spices and bought a box of my favourite cardamom tea, i’m currently nursing a warm cup of it with honey – delightful!

@lessofme34 glad to hear you’re back on top form. I adore how complementary you are of your wife! You must be a lovely couple. Hope you enjoyed your time with your dad, I love love love watching documentary’s and giggling away with mine. Did you do a fast day between 10 – 16 Jan? Sorry if I’ve missed one.

@grins loving the photos on FB 🙂 sounds and looks like they had fun. I got my scales from Argos (unsure if you have this shop in your part of the world) for around £15, I’m sure you can pick up a set online for not much more than that. Absolutely i’m intending to keep this group going past January and hope to keep a lot of our current group around, I’m going to create a new thread for February a few days before the 1st to give people a chance to get on-board 🙂

@l.e.n.8 the main thing is you stuck to your fast days! We’re allowed to indulge on NFD’s every so often!

@hippyhayles sorry to hear work was stressful, god knows I had a few days like that before the Christmas Holidays. Deep breaths 😉 fast day can always be tomorrow but do not be discouraged, you are doing phenomenally well and I want to see a picture of you in those lovely wellies on the Facebook Group!!

@j-ray I hear you with regards to alcohol, historically my family’s not had the best relationship with it either. I started drinking rather too young and sometimes rather too heavily but thankfully after a few years of “getting it out of my system” I just didn’t fancy doing it anymore, almost like a light switch turning off. I now very rarely drink, maybe on one or two special occasions through the year and even then I often turn it down. Fantastic that this way of life is helping you realise and begin to conquer those areas of your life, keep going.

Updated:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

Tanchora

8:00 am
17 Jan 17
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Morning lovely people.

Three pages and we are half way through the month. That’s a record, I think! Well done on your weight loss, you all seem doing well.

I wish I could report the same but January is going difficult for me. I always have it when I break my diet for a fairly long period (Christmas and NY), I find it very hard to go back and get the momentum going again.

Days 11-12: NFDs
Day 13: FD
Days 14-16: NFDs

Fasting today. Yoghurts and soup on the menu. Travelling with work this week also which means not sure how well I will be coping with trying to go for healthy options.

I have just under eight weeks until my holiday, so have to up my game, that’s for sure.

Good luck everybody, have a good week!

Mystic

8:07 am
17 Jan 17
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17th a FD and the days before NFD. I had a little gain after my four FD’s last week, so am hoping to see some shrinkage again this week.

HIPPYHAYLES

1:01 pm
17 Jan 17
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hey JSGAC

So another bad day for me today, I really want to reach for everything I shouldn’t! I’ve decided to sack my FD off for this week as I’m really not feeling it.

So with this in mind, my TDEE is 2321 and BMR 1934, I’m eating no more than 1200kcal a day so as long as I’m eating no more than this I can still achieve a loss each week.

Work is very stressful for me at times and that’s when I reach for the comfort food. My eating behaviour is what’s got me in this place and I know I have to change it. I just don’t think fasting when I’m tired, stressed and working long hours is going to help my overwhelming urges to dive into the biscuit barrel lol.

Due to work I’ve also had to cancel my spinning class for tomorrow to which is another thing that’s really annoyed me! So, I’ve booked a course of sessions on a Flabelos machine at my local beauty salon. My best friend used one and said it was great when dieting as it helped her tone up. Plus they are open until late, meaning I don’t have to commit to a specific time.

Oh and plus the wedding planning is now getting quite stressful and my OH is a much use as a chocolate fireguard, typical man. Only 14 weeks to go!!

I’m still walking the dog too so I’m just hoping that by doing it this way I can sustain it. I really really don’t want to fall of the wagon.

@xamos can you update me as all NFD from 13th please.

Sorry for the depressing update but, I feel better just for typing it out!

XX

Grins

4:04 pm
17 Jan 17
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Happy Tuesday JSGAC friends, Yesterday’s fast went better than the last try – but not perfect…as far as eating goes. That being said – I had a fantastic day – first I went snowmobiling with my almost 14 yr. old daughter and my 15 year old son. We lived in AZ for 11 years, that is where they basically grew up, but we always returned to MN for summer (nice then) I remarried 1 1/2 years ago and so moved the kids back to MN where they were born to live. So anyway – this was a new adventure for them – and a long time for me – we went 30 miles and had a blast – mostly all there are around here are “Pubs” to eat…lots of burgers and fries..I ate a chicken breast and yellow yucky iceberg lettuce salad. Then in the evening we have a small ski hill..and it has tubing and my husband and I went tubing…very fun, felt like a young kid instead of 53. Ate a bowl of chili there. So a little over my 500 but not too bad and even sitting on a snowmobile is physically active as I am sore today! Back down a bit on weight – but wishing I would not have blown it so bad over the weekend. But – move forward not backward!
OK -@Hippy…come on now…my turn to be your inspiration…you can do this – we call can do this. Don’t let a “shit” day at work, take away your goals and upbeat, as that is what we all do – and then it makes it worse. I did a little meditating today – new for me, but I think people that meditate are mostly thin…calm, peaceful…sounds good to me – so try to take 10-15 and breathe..in and out!
@tanchora – hang in there, its all ups and downs, good luck today on FD!
@mystic – keep up the good work!
@j-ray, good for you, I have cut down as well on the alcohol for the diet days and more – I do like my red wine though…
@xamos – thanks for keeping us all going – looking forward to all of us reaching our goals and staying in this together!

J-ray

6:17 pm
17 Jan 17
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Day 17 FD

I really am so thankful for this group; I am 99% sure I wouldn’t be doing this today if I wasn’t a part of it!
Last night after I put the kids in bed I went for a run 3.5 mile run, and then came in and made myself a bowl of buttered popcorn. While not the best choice, I felt no guilt after all my exercise. I’m guessing with a couple hours climbing in the AM, I burned at least 800 calories for the day on top of BMR! The extra exercise definitely allows a bit more mental freedom! And the late night exercise meant less opportunity for nighttime snacking lol.

@grins – man I love red wine too! I miss it! It seems to be such a migraine trigger for me, I just may have to turn to the once or twice a month enjoyment vs a glass a night after February starts. Oh, and I live in AZ and miss winter sports so much! Hoping to get some Flagstaff skiing in but taking advantage of our nice weather as much as possible! Actually, it’s been rather overcast and rainy for the past several days, a sunny break today but another storm coming in (and it rained all yesterday afternoon, why I had to wait until 8:30PM to run!). We’re all like “Gah, it’s under 50*F! Break out the winter coats!” lol.
@less, agreed on the lovely words you had for your wife. Would love to know your special “this makes marriage awesome” secret!
@hippy, definitely take the break! Part of what I think makes this so sustainable is the 7 day rhythm, take this week off, there’s always next week! Did you ever take the eating type quiz from Mosley? I think there are hints on how to manage each type. They had feasters, emotional eaters, and constant cravers. I fell mostly into the constant craver with a bit emotional eating. Identifying my weak area helped me to figure out ways to manage it; as in, I don’t need to try and fight the battle on all fronts, but if I focus on the constant craving part (as opposed to emotional eating, which I do some but not overwhelmingly), that will yield the greatest returns.
@tanchora, you are still here! Struggling or not, you are in the pack. Great job maintaining and working on your effort. Good luck traveling!
@mystic, 4 FD last week, wow!
@xamos cardamom tea, I’ve never seen that here, and I drink A LOT of tea! I’m going to have to see if I can purchase some online! Sounds wonderful!
Have a great day all!

xamos

9:59 pm
17 Jan 17
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Hello all!

Oh my, if today’s Fast Day wasn’t a test of will then I don’t know what is.. I woke up absolutely starving hungry, stomach gurgling and everything. I managed to fight through till lunch by drinking flavoured squash just so I could taste something, I then had a nap! (the luxuries of working from home) and managed to keep fasting through until dinner time, i’m now just waiting to go to bed before having my low cal hot chocolate to help me fall asleep. I would say today has been my most challenging Fast Day to date!

@tanchora I know we have a lovely chatty group this month! Your holiday is good motivation to help you get back on track, I know it’s a pain when your routine gets disrupted with travel, let us know if you figure out any handy tricks!

@mystic nice work on your continued fasting success 🙂 figures crossed for a good number on the scales!

@hippyhayles really sorry to hear you’re having a tough time. I know we spoke about this a little bit before and I completely understand and respect your decision to do your own thing but I would really recommend you getting more calories on your NFD’s, I don’t know what everyone else here thinks but you’re getting a particularly large calorie deficit over the week and your body is probably not enjoying it at all. I hope you managed to stay with it.

@grins congrats on picking the healthy options even if they were a bit yucky 🙂 sounds like you had a great time with your family. We don’t have the snow here to do anything fun like that it’s just miserably cold!

@j-ray I totally agree with you, I think I likely would have broken today if it wasn’t for you guys! I’m very tempted to treat myself to some popcorn on Friday – yum. We have cardamom tea here in Tesco but it comes in a tiny box for around £2.50, I get about 10x as much for the same price and the wholesalers! This is the one I have:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ahmad-Tea-Cardamom-Pack-Total/dp/B00GRS0BUI/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1484689900&sr=8-2&keywords=cardamom+tea

Updated for you lovely people:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

HIPPYHAYLES

9:37 am
18 Jan 17
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Good morning peeps!

So today is a new day, and I’m feeling damm good. Didn’t fall off plan at all yesterday and stuck with it. I’ve just realised its nearly TOTM for me so there we go!! That explains all.

When I finally got home from work I cooked a yummy tea and then sat cuddling up to my OH on the sofa, fell asleep in pure contentment.

I just want to say thank you to all of you for listening to me, I really do feel that I have a connection with you all and its getting me through some hard days at work!

@grins, thank you for your inspiration, I think my contentment lying on my OH chest last night whilst he stroked my hair was enough for me. Does me the world of good, also with the dog and daughter at the other end of the sofa. The best feeling in the world is having the ones I love the most right by my side all at the same time, which doesn’t happen very often. The dog is mental and my daughter (Lilly) is a typical 15 year old!

@j-ray Thanks for that about the quiz, I don’t suppose you have a link to it do you? I cant seem to find it on the net, or what I’m finding I’m not sure if its right. Yes, flexibility with a diet, or as I’m calling it, a lifestyle change is a massive must.

@xamos I’m normally not an emotional wreck and quite strong, but, planning a wedding has GOT to be the MOST stressful thing I’ve EVER done in my life! I totally get what your saying about the calories but I REALLY need this deficit at the moment to help shift those extra pounds before the wedding and honeymoon. I’ve actually put weight on since I bought my dress due to over eating and lots of drinking at Christmas! We are going to Marrakesh for a week, 4* all inclusive for the honeymoon so I want to be looking a little thinner in my bikini, well tankini, its been 15 years since I worse a proper bikini ha!!

So here’s to another day and a better one than yesterday!!

x

Smeagle

10:45 am
18 Jan 17
Permalink

Hi JSGAC Friends.
Jan 17 was a FD for me and I intend Jan 19 as a FD too.
Thank you @ Xamos for the continued spreadsheeting and encouragement. And everyone else for your lovely stories, small blips on your progress etc.

Thank you as well for your kind wishes about the property sale. I’ve got many forms to fill…

The weekend was challenging as usual because of … Alcohol! And snacks! I noted that others also have possible issues with alcohol and I am the same. We try to have a rule in our house that we only drink at the weekend.

However, I use stress as an excuse and alcohol as a crutch to get me through it. Though I realise it doesn’t help, if I am honest with myself.

I am a new driver, and have been driving our car since late October last year after my partner got his license suspended for health reasons (an awful thing happened in October, he was hospitalised in the ICU in a coma and I though he was going to die, and after that he isn’t allowed to drive). Or, from the positive POV, he was lucky and I am lucky because I didn’t lose the person I love.
@hippy, yes, there is nothing better than to be with those you love.

I am sure driving a car is no big deal to most people. My partner says having near accidents is common. On Monday night coming home late after a two and a half hour drive, a deer stepped in front of the car. We didn’t hit it because our car has good brakes and my partner was yelling at me to ‘stop!’ As he saw the large creature before I did. The car behind was too close but also managed to stop without hitting us. I don’t think they even saw the deer, as they overtook our car swiftly, as if to say, ‘why on earth did you stop so suddenly?’

I was a little bit shaken so had a glass of wine when we got home.

Anyway, happy fasting, hope we all make progress. I am .5 kilos from my goal. I have decided to wear form fitting clothes as that will encourage me to not hide it all. If I can see the problem I can deal with it!

X

Grins

3:51 pm
18 Jan 17
Permalink

Good Morning JSGAC friends,
So glad to have you all today!! I was absolutely threw myself into a tizzy this morning because my husband made those damn cinnamon rolls again. IT IS MY FD!!! Maybe it is best he made them today – a real test…but I told him after that it was my FD and I had to smell them and have them in the house today…he said that “he made them for the kids”…guess what – neither of the kids ate them this morning and neither did he..so an entire pan of fresh cinnamon rolls is sitting in my kitchen..I put them in a cupboard so not to have to look at them. It seemed so stupid, but I literally cried bringing the kids to school…this is hard for me, if it wasn’t I wouldn’t be fat..but he is a totally great guy that loves me so very much – but how do I tell him to not do things like that when he had just good intentions..he knows nothing about dieting..he just doesn’t eat when he doesn’t want to. Anyway – I knew how happy I was to have you all here – it really helps me to not dig in and eat them!!! OK – enough, I really am feeling better about it!
Oh and my 2 week weigh in this morning – I am down 3.8 lbs from 2 weeks ago today when I started…was hoping for at least 2 lb week – but its close and as
@lessofme says – if even 1 lb a week…down and not up…would be great, but of course we all wish it could come off as fast as it goes on!

@HIPPY…glad you are feeling better! One of my favorite sayings or prayer type things…I pray to God..but it is “Thank you God for this never before lived day” Sometimes for a brand new hour or minute too! Anyway – glad you got through it…Now for the wedding planning…stop and breathe. I was pretty lucky – I planned two weddings and they were both perfect. But, I truthfully did not stress…all I wanted was for my guests to have a great time and for us to have a great time…stress can get in the way of that. Try, try, try to take away the stress…trust that all will turn out just the way it is supposed to!

@smeagle, driving even after a long time always has challenges, but good for you to step up and do it. We have many deer here too and my husband hit one about a year ago…so I am glad you were able to avoid it…good job! Also glad that your partner is Ok and you did not lose him.

@xamos – good job getting though your toughest FD ever. I hope they get easier at some point – sort of like…it just is a FD..no biggie!

Good luck today all!

Karlanz

7:43 pm
18 Jan 17
Permalink

Day 14-17: NFD
Day 18: FD

Like a number of others, I had a tough weekend – partly due to catching up with friends, but also due to poor self-control. Ate a whole (takeaway) pizza Friday night, then had a couple of days where I went nuts on chocolate. Monday was supposed to be a FD, but by dinner time I couldn’t handle it anymore, so that went down the drain… @xamos, sounds like you were in a similar situation, but managed to stick it out, well done!

Manged a successful FD yesterday though, and the scales are back to heading in the right direction. I know it’s not what you’re supposed to do, but I weigh myself several times a week at the moment. Seeing the increase from eating too much was good motivation to get back on the band wagon!

More importantly, my clothes are starting to feel a tiny bit looser around the waist/hip area, so I actually feel like I’m starting to lose those cms. Still aiming for that healthy waist size (even if it is slow going).

@grins – I feel your pain. I love cinnamon rolls too, especially fresh! I’m just going to ask – does your OH agree with your decision to follow the Fast Diet and lose weight? It’s very difficult if subconsciously (or consciously) he doesn’t want a change to happen, as he will be inclined to sabotage you – even if it’s just by forgetting about your FD and making yummy things. I’ve had partners like this in the past, who encourage bad eating or bad exercise habits – it makes things so much harder. Being single has different challenges though (no one looks at me askance if I eat a whole block of chocolate, because no one knows…). Anyway, I’m not intending a critique of anyone, I’m just saying I do understand, and maybe you need to do more work to get him on board? Which is not fun, but hopefully worth it in the long run.

J-ray

8:34 pm
18 Jan 17
Permalink

Day 18 nfd

Did mostly well on fd yesterday, I had a very light lunch of lettuce, half a chicken breast and artichoke hearts and the flavored water/juice they come in. Had the most marvelous dinner, Mexican pizzas; having enjoyed the first so I much I sat down and calculated the calories and was pleased to see it was only about 150C, so enjoyed a second! Did have some munchy pretzels after dinner though. Oh well 😊
Lesson learned this am, went on an 8 mile run and got overwhelmed with childcare when I returned and didn’t properly refuel (especially considering yesterday’s FD and hit a really bad wall, I turned into super crankasaurous rex and started to get the shakes. My poor kids lol. Chicken, potatoes and red pepper/tomato soup down the hatch, ah, better, now time to move on.

I have to say that I think it’s generally easier for me to eat healthy(er) most of the time bc my youngest has food allergies including wheat and soy, so I have to homecook 95% of our meals, and living 15 miles from a grocery store I am pretty well produce stocked at all times, especially planning for 1-2 veggie trays a week. Circumstances can so easily dictate our habits!

@smeagle, driving is really stressful, and close calls can be heartstopping. Thank goodness that the deer incident turned out ok! Red wine is totally called for! I want to have a glass for you!

@grins, you are so inspiring! I love your attitude of gratitude! Excellent putting away the temptation! What a huge step!

@hippy, your evening surrounded by your loved ones sounds so perfect. You are loved right now, how you are, at this size and shape, and you will be equally loved your OH at a smaller size. Don’t forget to give yourself some self love and acceptance through this process!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ddsv0
If you scroll down this page you can take the test of your eating type! I think this helped me have a successful FD yesterday, eating for my type instead of waiting for one big meal.
Happy day all 😊

Grins

3:56 pm
19 Jan 17
Permalink

Good Morning JSGAC friends…
like @j-ray did mostly good on my FD yesterday – but I did have a glass of wine last night after some dog in the neighborhood put a rather large hole in the head of one of our dogs while my daughter had her on a walk. Husband was angry – wanted to call police (it is a pretty big hole) but I hate to do that, as we have a couple other dogs that are not always good and I don’t want anyone to call the police on me…so everyone needed to stay calm – the lady said she would pay for the dog to be stitched up.
I am excited and nervous for the next few days. We are having a pre-party tonight with drinks and appetizers for friends before we go and watch another friend in concert tonight, but I am excited to see the friends…I will try to focus on that rather than the food…????
Then the weekend I go to an event in Minneapolis for an Omega 3 oil that I sell – I will see my BFF and my sister both of which are coming from Arizona.
Then I will see other friends too and there will probably be some eating and drinking – I really need to be so careful as I have blown entire 2 weeks of dieting on one weekend before UGH!. So, I am going to pack some apples and celery and carrots…to go and munch on – instead of buying chips for the road trip – about 3.5 hours.
@j-ray – food allergies are a bummer – but does make you have to plan meals and such. Good luck there and good job on your FD.
@karlanz – good job getting back on track – just keep those clothes in focus!!
@lessofme…where are you????
OK everyone…we can do this!!!

xamos

10:28 pm
19 Jan 17
Permalink

Hello all 🙂 a slightly sleepy post from me here today, I’ve had a busy couple of days! A successful fast day for me today.

@hippyhayles good job for staying on track, and such an adorable description of spending time with your family, I love it. I hope you’re still going strong.

@smeagle blimey that doesn’t sound fun.. there’s often deer around where I come from in England but luckily we mostly just see them by the side of the road. I hope you’re doing okay!

@grins oh no not again 🙁 I adore cinnamon rolls and danish pastries, I seriously admire your determination to resist them! Also sounds like a awful ordeal with your poor dog – is she okay? R.e. possible ways to help your husband understand your FD’s and what they mean to you – do you have a calendar on the fridge or similar? You could post up your FD’s for the coming week and ask him to double check against the calendar before making any tasty treats? I’m also missing @lessofme but I think he’s travelling!

@karlanz I was hanging on for dear life at one point but thankfully made it and had a more peaceful FD today! Glad to hear your measurements are going in the right direction 🙂

@j-ray sounds like a successful FD 🙂 I’m also a big believer in being prepared, I tend to have all sorts of lovely meals ready to grab and go in my fridge/freezer. That way I know what i’m eating for the day and I have a good idea of the calorie count. I cook every 3 days or so to make sure I don’t run out.

Updated 🙂
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

HIPPYHAYLES

8:07 am
20 Jan 17
Permalink

Hello JSGAC,

Happy Friday!!! Well, this week has been the most testing week I’ve had in a long time. Not so much with the diet but mentally in every other way, work, home and just life in general!

Anyway the end of the week has been better and I’m now back to my normal happy self! I haven’t reached for the chocolate, wine or cheese, which I normally do when I’m feeling low. Nothing better than a cheese board, bottle of wine and some chocolate.

However, my weekly weigh in this week shows….*drum roll* 2LBS OFF!!!!! 15lbs in total, looks like I may be able to reach the 18lbs by then end of the month if I’m really good. I haven’t had any FD this week and my exercise has been half what it normally is so next week I’m back on it!

@smeagle I’ve been dry so far this month, I hate to admit but I drink way too much. I don’t drink in the week as I’m up at 5 driving but, at weekend I tend to overindulge in wine and spirits at night, along with the food. Can you see then trend of why I’m the size of a house!! I feel so good for not drinking and its great to know that I can do it. Not been dry for this amount of time for a long while. It’s nice to know that I don’t have a drink problem, looks like its just a food addiction! Sorry to hear about the fright with your OH and well done for getting so close to your target! What an excellent feeling that must be for you.

@grins I’m so sorry to hear about your dog!! I hope your little furbaby is recovering! What sort do you have, I don’t think I would have been able to control myself it that had happened to me. Sounds like you have a great few days planned. Plus you sounds like you have it in the bag with regards to your choice of snacks. I find that planning ahead make me stay on track! Good luck and i hope the sale goes well. Just out of interest what is the product that you sell?

@karlanz YES I fully agree, nothing better than feeling them clothes get loose! I can now pull my work trousers down with out having to undo them! For the past 12 months the popper on them used to pop open when I sat down. Just goes to show I was too ashamed to ask for a larger pair! Don’t feel too bad about the pizza and nuts, at least you know where you went wrong and have acknowledged it. That’s they best way, and remember how guilty you feel next time your hand starts to reach for it!

@j-ray sounds like you have a busy life forgetting to re-fuel! I’ve never had that problem and I’m busy, maybe just goes to show I let my stomach rule my life more than I think ha. Thanks for the advice, I have to admit my size has never bothered him, I was a lot smaller when we got together, but he has never once told me to loose weight. I knew things were getting bad when I hated him seeing me naked, for me that was another turning point. Our sexlife started to go down the drain and then I constantly felt like a fat failure. This in turn, yep, made me head straight for the food!

@xamos ahh thank you! I do adore my little family, even tho I do want to kill them at times! My OH was away with work last night and Lilly and I had a fab evening. We walked the dog together, made tea and watched the soaps in peace, something that doesn’t happen much as OH hates them and will constantly moan whilst they are on just to P**s me off!

Have a great day whatever your doing my lovelies!

xx

J-ray

3:58 pm
22 Jan 17
Permalink

Good morning JSGAC peeps!

Day 19-21 NFD

Made some not wise evening choices during the week, but feel like I’m back on track. Struggling a bit with eating properly but made some better food choices, with the increased exercise and intensity I need to pay close attention to my macros.

I may make today a FD, it’s a rest day exercise wise since I pushed it on Friday with track work, and I underdressed for my easy run last night so ran way too fast to loosen my hamstrings (it was chilly!)

@hippy kids will keep you busy! When I’m at work I rarely have this issue. And the “mommy diet” swings between me giving them the food off my plate to my eating what’s left on theirs lol.

xamos

11:04 am
23 Jan 17
Permalink

Hi all,

I hope we’re all well! Some of our more regular posters are a bit quiet so I hope we’re all still on plan and enjoying ourselves 🙂

Had my weigh in yesterday, then time got away from me so I didn’t post! Here are my results:

Weight: 65.6kg (around 10st 5lbs) (down 1.3kg from last week! down 1.6kg total – about 3.5 pounds)
Body Fat Percentage: 32.8% (down 0.8%)
Water Weight Percentage: 49.7% (up 0.6% which is a good thing! – more hydrated)
BMI: 26.6 (down 0.5)

Didn’t do measurements.. will try my best to get them done at this weeks weigh in day.

I’ve had an another annoying revelation about my bathroom scales.. I happen to weigh a different amount depending on where I place the scale! (My flat’s in an old building – I don’t think any of the floors are fully level) Grr.. However I think I’ve managed to find the flattest part and I’ve also taken to using a 1kg weight to check that it’s measuring right so hopefully this safe guards me a little.. this has dampened my spirits somewhat as it makes me feel I have to take my readings with a pinch of salt.. but lets see I suppose the best way to judge is by taking a few more readings over the coming weeks and seeing how things go.

I’ve also had a somewhat testing week however somehow I’ve managed to keep myself together.. according to Krista Faraday’s book this week should be the last testing one then it’s all plain sailing to the bod of my dreams 😉

@hippyhayles glad you managed to enjoy the soaps in peace! My sister loves EastEnders but no one else at home watches it so when we’re all together there she’s forbidden from watching 😛

@j-ray sounds like we’ve all had a bit of a tough week.. great that you’re still on track with your exercise though!

Would be lovely to hear from the rest of you 🙂

Updated:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

Lessofme34

11:58 am
23 Jan 17
Permalink

Good morning All,

Apologies I’ve been out of touch – Hope everyone had a super weekend. My last day in Florida (leaving early AM to return to Maryland), looking forward to a reunion with my wife! Eating has been largely decent (although FDs have not), MFP tracking has been inconsistent, and exercise has been strong. Targeting Wed and Friday for FDs. First weigh in 2 weeks will be Wednesday morning, assuming break-even (temper expectations) but uncertain.

@xamos – chuckled at ur scale observation, I place my scale in approximately the same location relative to bathroom tiles to be consistent. Of course, I have had days where I (lol – sadly) where I moved the scale, looking for the “sweet spot”. Great job with the weight loss, dealing with challenges, and thanks so much for organizing our group!

@hippyhayles – wow, awesome not turning to food during the stresses that life may bring and wonderful results on your continued weight loss! Keep it up!!

@grins – bummer on your dog but hope your wonderful weekend with friends and family was fantastic and that food, while always a cast member did not have a starring role 🙂

@j-ray – really enjoy your commitment to exercise! Was tempted to mail it in yesterday but Saturday got away from me with several important errands/projects meeting with other people so made sure I made it to the gym for weight training. Appreciate the positive peer pressure your comments bring!

Hope everyone has an excellent Monday!!

Tanchora

12:33 pm
23 Jan 17
Permalink

Hello everybody, I hope you enjoyed your weeekend.

I am still here and this is the main thing, thank you for your encouragement. My travel is over (at least for this month), it meant dining and wining, of course. Hence didn’t have a good week but another lesson learnt. I can’t believe how badly the festive season affected me in general. I was doing really well up to Christmas and it is very hard to get in the mode again.

Anyway, enough moaning.

I have 47 days until my holiday, that’s just under 7 weeks. I am getting serious with my dieting. No indulging weekends, no chocolate and other sweet things ideally. Will see how it goes.

Good luck to everyone!

@xamos, would love to come down to your weight, that’s my dream.

Day 17: FD
Days 18-23: NFDs

Grins

3:00 pm
23 Jan 17
Permalink

Hello JSGAC friends…glad to be back! Sorry, I had a busy weekend and not a great weekend food and drink wise! Started on Thursday – wore some shoes that for whatever reason I tend to turn my ankle over (at least this is the 2nd time) and so my ankle was over the weekend the size of a grapefruit! UGH – not good for my walking regime. Then the biz conference went ok – but Sat. night…put 12 girls together, some that I have known since grade school and am in my 50’s – well, lets just say, we had too much fun and too much food. Then yesterday met another summer neighbor friends that I have known my whole life and out to lunch – and then a 3.5 hour drive and no ambition to move my body – but maybe put my foot up again! So – needless to say – the scale not on my side this am. My sister is in town from AZ and we are having lunch with our neice and nephew, whos mom (our other sister) passed away just over a year ago after a stroke. So tomorrow and Thursday will be my FD and I am looking forward to them.
@Hippy – glad to know you are mentally feeling better! Life can definitely load it on!
@lessofme – great to hear from you as well, glad you get to go home to your lovely wife!
@xamos – thanks for encouraging us all!
@smeagle – the drinks can definitely be a factor and for sure were for me on Thursday and Saturday – so…going dry for a while here too – at least all weekdays and have no plans for anything big coming up – so that is good!
I am not on track to where I would like to be – so need to kick it up on my NFD’s and make this work!!!
Here is to Monday everyone!

HIPPYHAYLES

4:24 pm
23 Jan 17
Permalink

Hello lovelies,

Well where do I start, what a bad weekend I’ve had. the weekend itself has been lovely, but I fell off plan in a major way Saturday. I had a lovely day trying my wedding dress on and it fits beautifully, it needs some little adjustments that my mum is going to do. It all went downhill when I got the JD out on Saturday night! I then ended up finishing the bottle, then opening a bottle of wine! I then went to meet some friends in town, got really drunk and grabbed a burger and chips on the way home at 2am, oh and they were covered in mayo! I don’t even remember eating them, however the remains were on the living room floor when I woke up on the sofa the following morning! So yesterday I lay in bed with a horrendous hangover, eating pizza and garlic bread for tea, after eating my body weight in wotsits!

So I’m back on plan today but feel so so guilty! Oh well what’s done is done and I’m not drinking now until my hen party. That’s 39 days away and we are staying in a lodge with a hot tub for the weekend. So there goes a load more ale and crappy food haha.

Sound like we’ve all been busy these past few days! Happy Monday folks!

J-ray

4:51 pm
23 Jan 17
Permalink

Day 23 NFD

Yesterday’s fast day went pretty well, but I had serious trouble getting to sleep! I remember that happening often when I started 5:2, and it also tested another resolution I have which is keep the phone out of the bedroom! I was getting heavy into the habit of watching a netflix show under the cover (ridiculous right?) until I fell asleep, but it definitely affected how much sleep I got on a regular basis, a loss of about 30-60 minutes daily. I was so tempted to get up last night and grab it, but didn’t. whew. Got a 30 minute jog in-between dropping the kids off at school
and heading to office.
Congrats on the loss @xamos! That’s so funny about the scale! Just curious, how much of a difference do you see with the movement? I love the measuring a kg for calibration (and that you actually have a kg weight lol). I feel a science experiment coming on haha.
@lessofme34 I joined an online running group last fall, it’s been the biggest source of inspiration for me – like you said, positive peer pressure! If you are on fb I’ll link the group if you are interested in joining. I have to admit my calves hurt just thinking about 5 miles running on the beach – hardcore!
@tanchora – so glad you are still here! I have to say that doing 5:2 before and over the holiday (or not) made me a lot more aware of how much it affected me too. Lesson learned for life is so much more valuable than a quick weight loss tool (which is exactly what we are not doing); keep your chin up and plug on! I’m in a painful life lesson learning stage (not health related) – while difficult, it provides deep, fertile ground for growth and change.
@grins – while you say your weekend was not great food and drink wise, it sounds full of joy and friendship, good nourishing food for your soul. Lucky you 🙂
@hippy I am now so craving french fries and mayonnaise right now lol. So glad to hear the wonderful news of your dress fitting, enjoy these next few weeks!

Smeagle

10:27 am
24 Jan 17
Permalink

Hello JSGAC friends

I gained weight over the weekend, so I have have slid or slithered back to being 1.2 kilos from my goal. I think it may be down to the weekend, which involved pizza and tiramisu in Cambridge on Saturday, and an evening in the pub. @Hippyhales, and @karlanz, pizza is too tempting isn’t it!

I hardly ever eat pizza so it was a treat, and I must say I really enjoyed it; perhaps it wasn’t the best pizza, because the mozzarella cheese was plastic and elastic. But the base was light and crispy. It is unfair that something so innocent tasting be so heavy in terms of effect, it seems impossible.

A couple of years ago I went on a Med cruise with my mother; it required a lot of discipline because cruises have unlimited delicious food at all times, but I started and ended the cruise at the same weight. I always think of my current weight as my ‘cruising weight,’ neither good nor bad, as at the time of the cruise I was happy with my weight. It seems like two years later I am a different person, wanting to be lighter.

I won’t do any proper fast days this week although I will commit to 16:8 and will be eating what I believe is healthy and suits me (low carbs, low sugar, lots of vegetables, cheese and lentils).

@j-ray I’ve been having insomnia too. On Friday we stayed up very late and going to bed at 4am was fun at the time but even though I was tired I couldn’t sleep properly – another weekend of over-indulgence in alcohol. I like sparkling wine too much and can really down it very easily. Luckily we finished all the sparkling wine that was left from Xmas so I have no choice now but to drink other things. I drink far too much for a woman, according to GB government advice (14 units isn’t very much is it).

We had more good news last week because my partner’s job wasn’t made redundant. He kept his job so we are so happy. They do this restructuring exercise way too often so every year or two we endure months of stress. So when we found out on Wednesday it was an excuse to drink all the sparkling wine and anything else in the house.

This week is going to be different. I am going to stick to Government drinking guidelines this week …

I filled in the forms for the property sale and posted it off last week. But they haven’t received it. Fingers crossed it’s not got lost in the post.

@grins your week sounded like fun except for the ankle turning (ouch!); getting together with family and friends is important and I suppose pleasant food is going to be a part of that.

@tanchora, I am increasingly thinking about my holiday in May. It’s so nice to have something to look forward to.

@lessofme it must be v nice to be back home, enjoy.

@xamos thanks for your continued encouragement. Those pesky bathroom scales! I found that when I clean them (a bit of soap and water, or some alcohol gel) they give a lighter reading. And it isn’t that there is .4 of a kilo of grime on them either. But it is definitely weird and annoying. Congrats on your weight loss.

Does anyone have any info on what fat % people are supposed to be? Women are supposed to generally have more fat than men. I am a bit jealous of my partner as he varies from 14% fat to around 20% depending on how committed he is to diet and fitness (he varies depending on whether it’s any festive season or special occasion).

Best wishes for a good week everyone.
x

Lessofme34

11:27 am
24 Jan 17
Permalink

Good morning Friends!

Wow, woke up way too early! On the plane in Florida about to depart, awaiting my flight home to Maryland/Washington DC (unfortunately changing planes although the layover is brief). Been gone for 2 weeks and psyched to see my amazing wife tonight. We had purchased a new mattress that arrived while I was gone but my wife has slept in the guest bed because she wanted to wait to “christen” the mattress until I got back 🙂

Eating was OK yesterday although I probably had more mixed nuts than I should have (and we all know nuts, while healthy fats, are crazy high in calories for the serving size) although I did not eat them out of the container and got a 4 mile run in (really was not feeling it but wasn’t sure when I’d run again heading back to colder weather).

Only about 5 hours sleep and today is a work day (have a couple conference calls when I land). Want to be mindful of food as I will be very tired and that can be a struggle for me. Today will be a FD (may be only one this week) but will have a higher calorie target.

Hope everyone has an excellent Tuesday!

@xamos – wow, just checked out the tracker, amazing with your alternating FD cadence (as well as your great results)! Thank you again for tracking our journeys this month!

@hippyhayles – excited for you about your pending nuptials!! Have a great bounce back week from what was likely a crazy, fun weekend. Do remember those occasional party nights that got a bit out of hand and, lol, typically enjoying a break from drinking for a few weeks after that 🙂

@j-ray – wow, a FB running group sounds fun and I do have an account. Is the easiest way to connect to join our FB group? (If so, will someone please repost the group?)

@tanchora – I know business travel can be tough, glad your back home and looking forward to hearing about your renewed focus! (Probably need some of that myself!).

@grins – glad you had a fun weekend and appreciate looking forward to a respite from events and the eating/drinking challenges they may bring.

@smeagle – great attitude for a bounce back week. After rarely eating pizza (which I really enjoy) for several years, we moved close to a great pizza place. I have really started to enjoy buying pizza by the slice (I get 2 – 700 calories total, definitely a treat!) as I have little self control when I am staring at an entire pie!

xamos

11:38 am
24 Jan 17
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Morning lovely JSGACer’s!

Can’t believe there’s only a week left in January.. how quick did that go?!

Glad we’re all still about and it sounds like we’re all having fun 🙂 I’ve just had my treat lunch for the week.. a nice meal deal from Tesco with sandwich, milkshake and packet of crisps. All calorie counted and allowed for so no guilt! 😛 However having counted all of the calories all I have left is enough for a small dinner (I skipped breakfast) so it’s slightly worrying to think I used to have breakfast, meal deal for lunch, dinner and snacks in-between! No wonder I gain a few pounds 😉

Hello @lessofme34! Glad to have you back and glad you’re being reunited with your lovely wife! I am somewhat tempted to find the place in the bathroom where I weigh the least and use that as my weigh-in point, might be cheating a little bit!

@tanchora glad you’re still here 🙂 I know what you mean, I went away to Rome with my sister in December and despite my best intentions to come back and jump straight back onto the diet it was very difficult to haul myself back onto the wagon. I can’t remember if you’ve ever listed your height here but i’m only 5’2 so I have a bit of extra weight 🙂

@grins sounds like you’ve had a lovely few days though, a well deserved catch up with friends 🙂 Sorry you hurt your ankle!

@hippyhayles when you posted your pic on Facebook I was like oh no 😛 Just think of your tankini in that hot tub when cravings strike!

Hey @j-ray I’m also in a somewhat nocturnal sleeping pattern from the holidays but i’m getting better slowly but surely.. I really struggled in the beginning getting to sleep especially on fast days purely because I was hungry and just couldn’t get to sleep with an empty stomach. Now I save my calories for dinner time so I have something in my tummy when its bedtime. Then I stay up until 2am anyway 😛 I’m excited to meet my target, only 0.4kg to go for this month so I hope I make it! It’s actually +/- nearly 2kg so it’s a significant disparity! I don’t actually have a kg weight I just used a litre bottle of squash which conveniently weights 1kg, i’m not that organised 😛

Hey @smeagle, this site is pretty good for body fat % info:
http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
I also like to look at pics to get an idea of how each % looks too:
http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
I’d like to be around 20-25% 🙂 looks as though your partner is mostly in the athletic category!

Hope we all have a great week, updating now:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

xamos

11:45 am
24 Jan 17
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Oops @lessofme34 you posted while I was posting! Take it easy today, travelling is tiring in itself without all of that running you do! Hope your new mattress is comfy.

Thanks for your praise! I’m really committed to Alternate Day Fasting now, I worked out all of my calorie deficits for 5:2 and ADF and my 5:2 deficit was hardly anything because my TDEE is quite low anyway, so to see any results I have to be quite well behaved on ADF, it’s getting easier every day and I’m really proud of myself 🙂 I do feel as though I can continue this until I reach my goal weight and then adapt for maintenance!

Grins

3:19 pm
24 Jan 17
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Well – I am still in recovery it seems, been having trouble getting to sleep, even though I am so tired when I go to bed, and then the morning comes and I can’t wake up.
I am disappointed in myself as I just feel like the month is almost over and I am nowhere near my goal for the month. I am down only as of today 2.4 lbs – today is a FD and also Thursday – so, I must do well. Saturday is a dinner party – I am not going to drink! I can do this! My husband got on the scale and I weigh so much more than him…ugh!
OK – so…I am going to go to the gym and row – as my bad ankle is making it so that walking is not a good idea at the moment.
It sounds like we have all had some ups and downs recently – lets give the last week of the month our best!!!
@xamos – I think I should do the ADF too – at least 3 times a week, perhaps that would give me the boost I need.
@smeagle – I look forward to know how the 16:8 works this week.
Thanks all for support!!

Tanchora

8:06 am
25 Jan 17
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Morning everyone!

24th: NFD
25-27: FDs

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement.

@j-ray, I am very determined this week. I have no time for messing around, my holiday countdown is on!I had problems with sleeping too. I can’t believe that being hungry can prevent you from sleeping but that happened to me. Hoepfully the body will adjust soon.
@smeagle the holiday countdown makes me more serious about weight loss. May is not that far away, I bet you are getting excited!
@lessofme34 Business travel means lots of sandwiches for me (no time to get anything better). But also lots of wining and dining, of course.
@xamos thank you! My height is on the border 5’5/5’6. I am glad I am still here too. So easy just to give up and forget about it for a few months but that’s not me!

Good luck everyone.

Lessofme34

1:27 pm
25 Jan 17
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Good morning Friends,

Back in Maryland, had a wonderful evening last night and morning with my wife before work. My last weigh in on January 10 was 189.4 pounds and my weight this morning was 196.3. Very pleased to go out of town for two weeks and post a loss (even break even would’ve been fine).

Slept a ton last night and looking forward to hitting the gym for some weight training after work today. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

@grins – hang in there! While health imbalance can be no fun in a marriage, I’d encourage you to let it go. As a husband, I can assure you that unless your husband is a sculpted triathlete, he has his own flaws and sees past yours. There have been times where I was in good shape and my wife was less so and all I saw was beauty. I have also experienced the disappointment with being the one on the wrong end of the imbalance and understand your feelings. Without being crass, I would say what is tough for husbands is if a wife starts holding back on physical intimacy because of insecurities or self esteem challenges (that’s the beauty of turning off the lights, no flaws in the dark!)

Also, I think it’s GREAT your down 2.4 lbs!! If you were just winging it, you would just as easily have a weight gain. If alternating FDs is too challenging (and it certainly can be), an idea might be to stick with the normal 5:2 and see if there is ONE thing in your eating behavior on your normal eating days that you can change. Unless you have personal challenges, alcohol does not need to be a feast or famine/All or nothing exercise but it certainly does bring additional calories and challenges to weight loss (as well as potential munchies 🙂 ). As someone who has kept off my 20 lbs of weight loss for three years, I can assure you changing any habits will pay major dividends in not gaining weight back during our lifelong struggles with eating. Regardless of what you decide to do, I have no doubt that you are an amazing woman!

Lessofme34

1:28 pm
25 Jan 17
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Correction, my last weigh in was 198.4 and this morning was 196.3 (although looking forward to 189 🙂 …

Grins

6:09 pm
25 Jan 17
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Hello JSGAC friends!!! A new day, thank you Lord for this brand new day! Actually yesterday FD went REALLY well – a bit hungry here and there, but mostly in my head I think! I kept my calories where they should be and the scale REWARDED me today as it is my Wed. weigh in 3 weeks from start and I was down 5.4 lbs!! So – I feel better as if I am more on track…my goal was 8 for the month…so I must do well this last week!

Also, I wanted to share an email I got today from “The Universe” Ok it is a corny email I get every day and usually I pass it over from too many emails, but today decided to read it…this is what it said:
Judy, it’s supposed to be easy. Everything is supposed to be easy. Everything is easy. You live in a dream world. You’re surrounded by illusions. And the illusions change when you change your thinking!

Tell yourself it’s easy. Tell yourself often. Make it an affirmation. Eat, sleep, breathe it, and your life shall be transformed.

It’s supposed to be easy,
The Universe

So my friends…it is easy…it can be easy, if we get out of our head!
It really hit home with me especially because when I was going through my divorce in 2013 – I was telling my life coach at the time that it was “going to be hard, so hard, we fight..bla, bla bla…” to which she said…”What if it were easy?” So, I journal and I wrote that in my journal many times over the next few months. SO – divorce time came and my husband who never got an attorney, never went to court – so when I walked out of the courtroom – divorced, I said to my sister “That was easy!”
Moral of my story – think of it as easy…write it if you must (I did today and will continue) it is easy and it feels good!

@lessofme – thank you so much for the male perspective, I do know that my husband loves me and looks past where I am at. I gained almost 40 lbs since we were married 1.5 years ago- he has gained as well. We are both trying to lose weight, although we are not on the same sort of diet. He just doesn’t eat – he also hates veggies…so, I am doing my best and we are both eating better and he does encourage me the best that he can.
Mostly the wine is not a feast or famine for me – although I love it and like to drink it often – I did definitely over indulge more than I should have at my 2 occasions. So, now, I am just going to focus on the last part of this month and do what I can to hit my 8 lbs or at least close to it!

@JSGAC it is easy….we all got this…Good luck today everyone!

Lessofme34

6:27 pm
25 Jan 17
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@grins – great posting and nice point and personal reflections about “easy”! Awesome!!

Grins

3:57 pm
26 Jan 17
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Hello JSGAC friends, where is everybody?
Had another good day yesterday – not a FD, but watched myself pretty closely, and the scale was good to me again today, down 1lb from yesterday. I know I should not weigh everyday, but I do. Today is another FD – I am determined to have a minimum of an 8 lb loss for the month. So, I must remember today…that this is easy!

I hope you are all doing well – we are past hump day and only 5 more days in the month.

HIPPYHAYLES

4:24 pm
26 Jan 17
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hello lovlies,

I’ve had a busy few days hence not posting. Sounds like we are all doing ok. So after my binge at the weekend I had gained 2lb on Monday, then Tuesday I was another 2lbs heavier, I was ready to cry! However when I stepped on this morning all 4lb had disappeared thank god so I presume it was some water weight as I’ve been peeing non stop since Monday! My start weight was 19st 6lbs and this morning I was 18st 4lbs. My goal on the spread sheet is 18lbs… well I’m going for 20LBS!!!!!

@grins what a great post that was! Very true!

@lessofme34 never mind about the gain, you know you have gone up so you can change that. I know don’t hate my scales because they tell me the truth. The tell me when ive been bad!

@tanchora well done for keeping up with your FD’s

@xamos my FD this week have been Tuesday and Wednesday, and will be another on Friday if you can update please. Yes, I am certainly thinking of that tankini now!Im still aiming for that last few lbs to get me to 20lb loss for the month. I just need another 4lb by Wednesday! Fingers crossed I can do it!

Happy Friday eve people, I’m off home to cook some yummy pork chops for tea after having nothing but 2 shakes and a fish salad for most of the week.

x

xamos

4:43 pm
26 Jan 17
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I spoke too soon.. yesterdays FD was a complete fail.. I’ve also had a fight with a family size chocolate bar today and it wasn’t pretty.. Gah, so annoying! I’m just going to brush myself down and start again with a FD tomorrow, fingers crossed my weight wont be too adversely effected 🙁 I’ve also just burnt my hand on the cooker so i’m feeling thoroughly sorry for myself!

I’ve made a few observations and might be making some tweaks to my diet regime.. i’ll make a different post about them in a bit and reply to you all here otherwise it’ll get far too long!

@grins give it a go if you reckon it’ll do you good, it’s not too difficult once you get into the routine, she says despite just falling off the wagon 😉 Maybe even if you just do it for a couple of weeks to kick-start you again! Loved your message from the Universe 🙂

@tanchora keep up the good work 🙂

@lessofme34 absolutely delighted you were wonderfully reunited with your wife. Can I just genuinely say if my future husband is even half as kind, thoughtful and loving as you are I will be a very happy lady! You and your relationship are an inspiration.

@hippyhayles I hope if I have any weight gain from my slip-up I can just pee it off again, sounds like a good deal 😉 enjoy your tea

Updating now:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CdCQODvRCLBPJEuMo_ZVoX81g0DrpRY9TVQmmzkGdlQ/edit?usp=sharing

xamos

2:04 pm
27 Jan 17
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Hello again all,

As I mentioned before i’m thinking of making some changes, ADF is getting a little bit inconvenient especially when it comes to making plans with friends, both in the week and at the weekend. Because it’s every other day there’s always a fast on a weekend day and every other week day so if one week i’m not fasting on Wednesday, the next week I will be. I am meant to be signed up to a running group on a Wednesday with friends and it’s a pain to have to excuse myself every other week because i’m fasting. I’ve also been dealing with the weekend issue by basically isolating myself on my fast day which is very quickly becoming incredibly boring and I know I wont be able to sustain it.

Therefore, i’m thinking of cutting back to doing 4:3 each week and fasting on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, that way it’s the same days each week and I’ll have my Wednesdays and weekends free. I also go to a meditation centre on Monday and Thursday nights which I can keep doing with the fasting as there’s no physical activity. I know some people seem to be able to exercise as normal on FD’s but I don’t seem to be able to.

Next month is going to be great in terms of seeing family but potentially tricky for food.. my dad is visiting next week and my sister is visiting for a few days two weeks after that! I’ll have to see how I get on.

I think I’m going to take a rain check on this week and not beat myself up about it too much, I’m planning to fast Monday and Tuesday next week to see how I get on then i’ll do my final weigh in for the month on Wednesday.

Grins

2:52 pm
27 Jan 17
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Hello JSGAC friends,

@xamos – I would imagine the every other day must get hard, for sure! It is nice to have the weight come off faster, but it is also better to not have to beat yourself up, if a day does not go as planned – as I think I feel – like if we have to think about it too much – that it is tougher. I want this diet to be more of a lifestyle for me – that being said – I do wish it came of faster, although I have had a good week and should be very on track for my 8 lb goal, maybe more like 10 – which is my wish goal! Maybe try the 4:3 and if that does not go as well, because you have two days in a row – just go for the 5:2 and add an extra day in, when you are feeling up to it. I would imagine that ATF does take more out of you than 5:2 or even 4:3 as far as being able to exercise. Do what works for you, mentally and physically. I believe this diet is meant to be manipulated to what works. Good luck and keep us up to date!
All that and I know I have a busy weekend ahead again as well. I have a Volleyball fundraiser tomorrow for my daughter and I know there will be lots of “treats” there – probably even rice krispies! Then I have a dinner party tomorrow evening. So, dinner party is an hour away and I am going to volunteer to be the driver – that will curb my drinking! I am feeling so good right now, don’t want to blow it! I must remember…this is EASY!!!

Good luck all! Have a good and healthy weekend…remember the end goal. (Trying to take my own advice here!!!)