Day 13 NZ – NFD
About me: Kia ora I’m Hana, 27yrs, living in Wellington New Zealand, I’m a practice nurse working in Wellington Central. I started my weight loss journey way back in 2017 (before I became a nurse) when I went up to a 110kg and had some breathing difficulties so I decided I needed to sort myself out and lose some weight. By 2020 I had got down to 62kg by calorie counting and exercise, I would say back then I really lacked knowledge of how to lose weight safely as I wasn’t fueling my body correctly. Fast forward to 2020 I had got back up to 100kg after I graduated from University with my nursing degree. Tried to lose weight with a range of things over the years but never really stuck with them. Anyway last year June 2023 weight was 117kg I decided I needed to do something and ended up back at 5:2. I had lost 7kg between June and November 2023 and then my nana passed away in November so I did spiral as that really effected me. But I’m doing ok now.
I decided on 1st Jan 2024 that I need to get my weight down as my blood work isn’t great and my asthma is worse, and my weight will continue to go up if I do nothing.
Anyway here I am again with quite a bit of knowledge about fueling my body correctly and 5;2
4 fasts down so far this year, I do x2 500calorie days, the day after my fast days I usually have 3 meals and other days I have 2 meals. So far I’m down almost 2kg in 2 weeks 😁
Looking forward to hearing about everyone’s success, good and bad days and motivating each other

Day 13 county west Australia CD 81.8 kgs
Thank you to everyone for their wishes and comments. It is much appreciated and helps me stay on track, albeit it spasmodically.
2024 is a year I have decided that I MUST do something about my health and weight. ( as was 2023… and 2022…and 2021…. etc etc)
Well ‘ the dress’ situation has become the catalyst for doing 5:2 as I was doing it originally , way back in 2016/17 and it was successful. I became healthier and slimmer.
I have lost 2.5 kgs in 3 days!!!
While I am aware of water weight loss etc I have definitely lost some weight in 3 days. Clothes already fitting better and able to do up buttons which eluded the buttonholes last week !!!😱😱
I am eating about 1/4 of what I normally eat.
I have done 2 good FDs and planning a CD today ( under 800 calories).
I am drinking litres of water – at least 2 litres a day.
I am not eating carbs, chocolate, eating mainly salads – no dressing – tomato/cucumber/onion/spinach, not drinking any grog, drinking very little coffee ( flat whites a particular downfall but full of. milk!), exercising like I can’t believe, back to resistance work and it is all paying off.
The bad news is – it shows just HOW much I have been overeating for a very LONG time ( as in years) and trying to convince myself otherwise.
The dress I have to fit into in 2 weeks today is very expensive and especially bought for a special occasion.
As several people have pointed out , it is day at a time.
When I am tempted to eat something I keep telling myself ‘I can have this in 2 weeks time. ‘but planning to keep it going for the next 2 weeks after that and the next 2 weeks after that….
I am also asking myself, again , ‘ Why do I choose to be fat?’ And that’s the tough one. I seriously think I just truly enjoy food.
For example : Whenever I go to a buffet meal I am the kind of person who will have a bit of everything and go back for more of something I really like.
My DH on the other hand has always only had a few of the dishes on offer and rarely goes back for seconds.
Needless to say he is trim and healthy – and I am not !!
Have to get the results of my recent blood tests so not looking forward to that….😬
As Tom Venuto of ‘Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle’ says – you can’t outrun a bad diet !! Ain’t that the truth !!!
Fast days definitely DO make a difference. And as I found last time, fasting and eating to TDEE does help to reset my appetite.
Hi to everyone. Welcome to newbies – you are in th right place for help and support @fastingnurse.
@funshipfreddie, I am also thinking of your ‘ delayed gratification’, you mentioned a long time ago.
So good to be back on the wagon !!! Just hope I don’t tip it over!! 🤞

Day 13 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

@fastingnurse – welcome back!

@lilymartin – 2.5 kg down in 3 days?! Go you! 💪 Delayed gratification, yes, & also mindful eating can make a huge difference. Although, I was anything but mindful yesterday, when I lost the plot with an entire bar of chocolate 🤦‍♂️. I really need to go back to daily MFP. I’m scraping maintenance, but 3 x FDs per week is getting tiresome 🥴️

@flourbaby – Boo Boo was spayed a long time ago. And my neighbour’s cat Popsie is also female. Boo Boo’s just a big bully. Popsie never comes near my place – at least, I’ve never seen her near here. Boo Boo goes looking for fights. And she’s in her 10th year! She’s like the Benjamin Button of the cat world. I’m starting to wonder if she’s a full quid. Can cats have bipolar disorder? Sometimes she runs around like a lunatic all day, & then she’ll have a day or two of being very lazy and docile. Yesterday she ate her weight in Whiskas, & then she sprawled out along the patio window in the sun for most of the day. Anyway, I’m hoping the bell diminishes her hunting/bullying skills, but I’m not holding my breath 😅

@merryapple – whisky & marshmallows?! What a bizarre combo?! 🤣

@songbirdme – I just finished watching ‘Fool Me Once’ a couple of days ago. I really enjoyed it; lots of twists and turns, & a very unexpected ending! 🤐

It was a toasty 28 C here yesterday. It felt like summer had finally arrived &, I wore shorts for maybe only the 3rd time since December. Only 23 C today, but just reading about all the snow & those crazy minus 20+ C temperatures gives me chills?! 🥶️

Aiming for a more controlled NFD today, & most likely another FD tomorrow…

Have a good weekend everyone 🌤🌈

Day 13 – Rural Nebraska, USA – FD800 – 161.4

Yesterday was a total treat; we made it a true “snow day” and DH stayed home all day and we started in on the “Fool Me Once” series @songbirdme mentioned that I’d been eyeing, and we really enjoyed the baked brie meal I’d planned. Tonight we’ll do the pork tenderloin for supper; I’m doing a FD800 today, but not as one of the three extra I’m throwing in for the month, but as compensation for how far over I went for daily calories yesterday.

Today, we’ll decide if we cancel church for tomorrow. It’s currently -5F/-21C (which is the “warmest” it’s going to be all day) and when church is supposed to start in the morning, it’ll be -20F/-29C with windchills around -50. 😵‍💫 We don’t get temps like this every year here in Nebraska, so when we do, we sit up and take notice, because they’re so very dangerous.

@at Nicely done on the drop! Yeah, we’ve caught 12 mice in the house so far, and they’ve wreaked havoc in our pantry. I’m afraid that they’ve breeded and there are more to be found, ugh, which apparently takes only 19 days!!!!

@songbirdme So have you caught any clues so far?? I haven’t.

@fastingnurse Welcome! What a good job you’ve already pulled off; well done. A book that many of us read and we’ve discussed frequently is The Obesity Code; have you read it? It was extremely motivating to me when I read it, and I recommend it highly.

@merryapple Oh, that Thai Oat Risotto sounds interesting!

@lilymartin You are doing tremendously to limit your caloires so dramatically, and be so determined to stick to the regimen. And, whether it’s actual weight or merely water weight, it certain adds up to inches lost, so go you; I’m sure you’ll fit into that dress and look terrific, and then you can continue the journey at a more usual and tolerable pace.

@penz Enjoy your sparkling shiraz.

@funshipfreddie What drama with Boo Boo; do keep us updated on whether the bell is helping at all.

@snowflake56 You’re absolutely right about the glue traps, and I’m not at all happy with them either, but the mice had learned to lick everything off the regular mouse traps without ever setting them off, so I was desperate, because living with mice in the house simply cannot be tolerated. Do you have any suggestions? I’d love a more humane solution. The only comfort is that when DH takes them out of the house, he somehow kills them and ends their suffering.

Have a grand one, everyone!

@stitchincarol — finished “Fool Me Once” last evening — as @funshipfreddie said, there are several twists. Happy thing though, they all seem to solve the puzzles in the end!

2nd Post – Day 13

Pocket List – Day 13 🥝
@stitchincarol FD800
@ccco

Day 14, NFD, Aus

The sparkling shiraz was underwhelming! But we had a lovely meal with friends, lots of fun and good conversation, so that more than made up for it.

Looking fwd to my FD tomorrow!

Day 14 UK f800

Quick check in as I’ve done something to my phone and it’s stuck on horizontal and I have to sign into everything multiple times so need to spend some time messing with it

Pocket List – Day 14 🥚
@lilymartin
@funshipfreddie
@brightonbelle

Day 14 – Rural Nebraska, USA – NFD – 162.0

I couldn’t figure out why I was so persuaded yesterday and Friday were for playing, and not for disciplined eating, and this morning made it clear. The sky is blue, there’s only a slight breeze–albeit the temps are frigid–and I no longer feel like it’s a magical snow day, but is merely a dangerously cold day when church was cancelled for us as well as all around the region. The difference? The wind is no longer blowing and there’s no more snow falling/being blown. It’s amazing how the weather truly made it feel like a holiday, and DH being home for two full days–and today is a third–is also unheard of. So the resting up that vacation in California didn’t accomplish has been provided by these two delightful days. Now for some discipline!

@songbirdme and @funshipfreddie We too finished “Fool Me Once” yesterday and now the title makes sense. Delightful show!

@penz Bummer on the underwhelming Shiraz, but I totally get how that’s truly beside the point when you’ve had a lovely time with friends. I too am looking forward to my next FD (Tuesday)!

@funshipfreddie ON THE LID OF THE TOILET??? Boo Boo is definitely a one-in-a-million cat, LOL!

@brightonbelle Oh, bummer on the phone; I hope you get it sorted quickly and easily.

I still have all the Christmas decorations out except for the large tree, so today plan to get it all put away…it’s time. Each time we’re in California over the Christmas holidays, it’s so hard to put stuff away, because I’ve lost the days of enjoying them, but the 14th of January has pushed it far enough, LOL! 😂😂

Have a grand one, everyone!

Day 15 country west Australia FD 80.8 kgs ( 177.76 lbs)
FDs working well and CDs also.
@funshipfreddie , @at and @merryapple , that drink and that food sounds delicious BUT I keep reminding myself that I CAN do this for 2 weeks – and so I shall.
I already feel better in myself- getting up from chairs, going up and down stairs etc.
And clothes fitting better.
I will try on THE dress on Friday to see how I am going.
@stitchincarol, I saw the weather in the US on our news bulletin last night. That looks COLD !!!!!
Here we are battling temperatures of 37-41ºC and several fires due to lightning strike from a storm yesterday afternoon. Another 3 days of this and then a cooler change….
@at, I love your ‘ just a quick 6.2 miles’!!
I’m not able to do a ‘ quick’ anything as yet, but getting there….
Happy Monday everyone. It feels like it will be a good week.

second post.
@funshipfreddie. Indeed I do have a longterm strategy.
My consecutive FDs and CDs re a drastic but unsustainable measure as a one off.
Then it is back to doing 5:2 more sensibly as a WOL and eating well but only to TDEE on NFD and under 500 – 800 calorie on FDs with MFP as my friend !!😬

Day 15, London, UK, FD,

Once again I forgot to post over the weekend! Must do better🤭

My goodness @stitchincarol, I can’t even imagine temperatures like you’re getting, I want @funshipfreddie‘s weather please🙏🏼. I truly despise being cold🥶🥶 Not sure why I’m going skiing at the end of the month!🤣🤣 Unlike @jaifaim, I don’t actually enjoy skiing, it’s being with my friends & colleagues that I enjoy, so I’ve booked myself a spa day for day 2!!😁

Welcome @fastingnurse, glad to have you along for the ride!!

@merryapple, this is the recipe I used, absolutely lovely!!
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/cauliflower-fried-rice.html

@funshipfreddie, I’m not sure why some cats need to dominate!! Bo-Bo isn’t exactly a gentle soul, but he loves to play with other cats and humans alike, however there are a couple of neighbourhood cats who (despite him being a robust & chunky 6kg!) have the audacity to come into his garden & bully him!! 😿😿

3.2lbs down for this week, which isn’t too shabby and dry-ish January is going well, I went for Sunday lunch yesterday, after 15,000 steps🏆 ………………….. Coke Zero to the rescue!!🙏🏼🙏🏼

Onward & downwards folks!!

“The greatest wealth is health.” – Virgil

Pocket List – Day 15 🍋
@merry🍎
@penz
@lilymartin
@flourbaby

Day 15 UK FD800

Last day of my 2 week experiment on fast 800 today , I’ve had no scales over the weekend ( hubby out now getting new batteries) so I’ll see tomorrow morning how I’ve done and will be deciding today on the next phase

Pocket list, day 15
@merryapple
@penz
@lilymartin
@flourbaby
@excelsior12309 (FD 800)
@brightonbelle FD 800

Fascinating to see the varying weather around the world , if I could choose @funshipfreddie s would be perfect for me – off now to dream about holidays 😎 Have a good week all 💪

Day 15 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 228 lbs. Well, this is VERY interesting! There was very little gain with homemade meals the past couple of days, even with homemade cheesy potato soup in the mix. But the very moment I get some fast food chicken (family request for last night), then KABOOM the pounds pile on the next morning. If I had made the meal at home, I ponder if my body would have reacted the same. It really makes you wonder doesn’t it?

Anyway, last NFD before my next stretch of FDs!

@merryapple Here’s your long post, compliments of my email…

Day 16 NZ NFD 77.3kg

Mr Mac had an unsettled night pacing and was up early trying to get me out of bed for his breakfast… 🐻‍❄️🖤
I have my Texan friend coming for dinner and am going to make Tamale Pie. I have made a gourmet version in the past with a beautiful sauce made from various dried chiles and slow cooked meat but it’s too hot to have the oven on for 2 1/2 hours so I’ll do a mince version which is not dissimilar to cottage pie! It still feels like the holidays here with the art galleries and universities not opening ‘til Feb but at some point I’ll have to pull myself together and get on to planning the upcoming year…
@excelsior12309 Not much heating! Does that mean everyone is running up and down the stairs to stay warm? Well done on flat lining!! Way better than going up!!
@stitchincarol Who needs the gym when you can shovel snow! The flavour from gin comes from Juniper berries so combined with salmon it’s a marriage made in heaven!! I’m sure your son would guide you through curing salmon like this!
@northgeorgia I’d sincerely recommend you write this insight in your journal so you can read it sometime in the future.
@brightonbelle I can’t wait to hear your results!
@cocco Hope your FD went well y’day.💪
That’s fantastic @flourbaby!! Don’t forget to start your ski exercises now for your upcoming trip! It’s surely not all about après skiing!! Thank you for the recipe. I know you make it a lot so it must be good!
@jaifaim Welcome back!! How much fun have you been having! I’m so envious!!!
@lilymartin Go you! Shrinking by the day! We’re all rooting for you and the dress looking fab on Friday!
@penz I love those big full bodied Aussie reds!! A lot of my friends are drinking Rosé wines which I find a wee bit namby pamby… I think it’s the colour not the flavour that sends them in their direction… If I want a lighter style wine I would tend to go for a crisper Sauvignon Blanc esp in this weather. Here am I thinking about wine and it’s breakfast time. Since I started doing @at’s icon method on the sheet I realised I was drinking more regularly than I thought. “I’ll have wee glass coz the bottles open or I better finish that opened bottle off before it goes off…” I’m not worried about my liver, it’s the empty calories!!
@at I assume it was you who cleaned up the sheet from the annoying Shrew who parked themselves on it… Thank you!!
Hope those winter walks in your new jacket are working for you. What colour is it? Winter white? Emergency orange? You must be so admirably supple and fit!!
@fastingnurse I hope you haven’t given us up and are awol because of shift work. Just keep posting even if it’s only a couple of words. It takes a wee while to get into the swing of things…
Hi to everyone out there who might be lurking.

Onwards and downwards one and all!!

Day 16 country west Australia FD 800 80.5 kgs
So fasting actually works – who knew ??!!!!
Day 10 – 84.5 kgs
Day 16 80.5 kgs
4 kgs in 6 days 😇😇 is rather more than I have lost before but it is a time limited strict fasting regime dictated by circumstance – an expensive dress bought for a special occasion that I HAVE to fit in to in 2 weeks.
Now that I am not eating a lot and my appetite has reset I actually don’t feel hungry and my mojo is back with vengeance.
It is no longer a problem to swerve sugar, carbs ( well maybe a smidge of difficulty there…) wine, chocolate, cheese, second serves of anything, resorting to black tea, 1 coffee a day.
Oddly enough on 800 calorie days I am eating eggs, salad, sardines etc and the weight is still coming off.
Mind you I did/do have a LOT of fat to lose.😔
So for those who are finding it difficult to keep with the fasting I am just encouraging you to stick with this WOL. 5:2 done as it can be done does work. ( I need to read this to myself and remind myself for the rest of the year !!!!)
Thought : Years ago we had a member Dykask who could do a number of consecutive water fasts (WFs) and I was always in awe.
But now I have experienced the lack of hunger after several days of extremely low calorie intake I wonder if that has reset leptin and ghrelin levels and thus hunger is controlled ?
Or has my body switched to fatburning mode because my metabolic rate has changed? I am exercising like there is no tomorrow – or there is a dress I need to fit in to!! 🤔🤔
Just curious going forward.

second post after getting on to page 4 and reading other posts !
Computer woes like @penz.
If I don’t save everything into a Word document they often whoosh off into the ether.
Wholeheartedly agree with @penz re moving to @funshipfreddie‘s for the fabulous weather .
@stitchincarol I rarely ever use salt. It is my family’s frequent complaint – they are always wanting to know where the salt shaker is !!
@merryapple, that gin infused salmon sounds delicious.
@at well done on the successful FD.
@excelsior12309, not going up is still progress in my book.
@brightonbelle, here’s hoping for a ‘good’ result.
It will be a good result anyway because you have stuck with 800 calories daily for 2 weeks 😇- that is commitment, consistency and perseverance so a win whatever the scales say.
@flourbaby, I’m with you on the spa!! I went skiing in Europe many years ago and my friends loved hitting the slopes all day. I couldn’t see the sense in going down then getting the chairlift up just to go down again!! Much preferred the ‘apres-ski’.
Mind you, the wall sitting exercise to get one’s legs toned and conditioned was good. I’m back doing it now but nowhere near the 2 minutes I used to manage 40 years ago!!

Day 16, London, UK, NFD

Well, it’s been a wee while, but ……………………………. I’ve had a 2lb whoosh!!!💪🏼😇🥳 I’ve been aiming for 2.5L water a day which is nigh on impossible when it’s -3 degrees outside (don’t judge me @stitchincarol, that’s arctic for me!!😂) Feeling full to the brim with mojo right now and confident I can replicate 2018 if I just KEEP THE FAITH!!!

@lilymartin, the motivation of a dress and a ski trip are keeping us on track, I need to replicate that ALL the time, I need to set up a calendar with target events linked to the beautiful (but rather small😩) clothes I’ve had to put into storage. Must try that wall sitting exercise, my legs are going to be jelly after the 1st practice run!!

@funshipfreddie, I wouldn’t be without Bo-Bo, but sometimes his superior attitude drives me crazy, he woke me at 4:30 this morning, no problem, I needed the loo anyway (2.5L water 🚾) but when I got back to the bedroom he was curled up in my spot snoring loudly …………………….. he woke me up for no reason, then took advantage of my absence, then had the audacity to grumble when I deposited him on HIS bed!!!😻😺🐱

I need to get back to work, a deadline awaits!!

Stay strong folks, we’ve got this!!

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”- Buddha

Day 16 – USA/GA – FD!

Weigh-in: 230 lbs. Cursed pizza I was urged to get last night…grrrr. Should be a little less crazy now with no major holidays and no planned time off until the end of February. Got to find better resolve on NFDs.

Pocket List – Day 16 🫐
@lilymartin FD800
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia

Day 16 UK f800

Did a long post ………lost it 😖

Think it’s an important day for @snowflake56 &DH so 🤞

Pocket List – Day 16 🫐
@lilymartin FD800
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia
@stitchincarol LiquidFD
@brightonbelle

Here it is:

Day 17 UK. f800
Weigh in was a bit of a let down – 1 measly lb down , I’m not discouraged though as I can feel and see the difference so onwards ,I’m f800 until Friday then I may have a few slightly relaxed days , we’ll see

Very annoyed after purchasing small coin like batteries to find the scales took good old triple As , it reminded me though a few of us on the forum all got the same scales and I added the app , it’s had my weight from April 21 on it ever since 144 lbs , which is my goal for this year , want to be there for May , 13lbs to lose so perfectly achievable 💪

I think it’s today @snowflake56 and DH are awaiting news so 🤞
I’m with you @flourbaby – this is far too cold for me ❄️❄️

Having been retired for quite some time I still get great enjoyment from waking up and realising I don’t have to get up and go to work @funshipfreddie & @stitchincarol

Right must dash have an appointment with Leslie 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️
Pocket List – Day 16 🫐
@lilymartin FD800
@funshipfreddie
@Day 17 UK. f800
Weigh in was a bit of a let down – 1 measly lb down , I’m not discouraged though as I can feel and see the difference so onwards ,I’m f800 until Friday then I may have a few slightly relaxed days , we’ll see

Very annoyed after purchasing small coin like batteries to find the scales took good old triple As , it reminded me though a few of us on the forum all got the same scales and I added the app , it’s had my weight from April 21 on it ever since 144 lbs , which is my goal for this year , want to be there for May , 13lbs to lose so perfectly achievable 💪

I think it’s today @snowflake56 and DH are awaiting news so 🤞
I’m with you @flourbaby – this is far too cold for me ❄️❄️

Having been retired for quite some time I still get great enjoyment from waking up and realising I don’t have to get up and go to work @funshipfreddie & @stitchincarol

Right must dash have an appointment with Leslie 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️

Pocket List – Day 16 🫐
@lilymartin FD800
@funshipfreddie
@northgeorgia
@stitchincarol LiquidFD
@ brightonbelle