Ha-ha AH, but TTL did say new SWIMSUIT!! Can’t imagine going to Aquafit in a bikini!!! – well perhaps folks do in the Southern Hemisphere but not in Scotland! Good try though re the suggestion of post-purchase picture! …. Creepy Uncle – I love it Chipmunk !

TTL – fab news re your new size 10! I too have been recently having leg muscle cramps but only when doing certain moves at Pilates. Spoke to instructor and she too suggested lack of magnesium due to diet change but also strongly suggested lack of fluids as my Pilates class is a fast day. I thought I drank enough water on fast days (never mind numerous cups of tea) but not the 2+ litres she suggested to make up for lack of fluids not gained from food! I look at my 2 litre bottle of water and just can’t imagine drinking all of that in a day … especially now we are into colder weather … but I shall have to force myself!

AH – My end of week 2 report (a bit late I know) is a zero gain/loss, having gained 3 pounds over a heavy social weekend (mainly fluids I know) and then losing it all after two fast days on Mon & Wed. Got another fast day tomorrow so I am hopeful for good results next week.

May the (forum) force be with us all!!

OMG ACTION, you cheeky monkey!!! Love some of the bikinis, and the bodies are awesome, unfortunately my poor old bod would clear the pool if I turned up in one of these, especially your afterthought!!! Creepy uncle, I love it! I think you will be having a long wait for a post purchase picture, although I did intimate I might post a pic when I reach my 9 stone target, but in a dress!
Had a good fast day today. Pilates was intense as this is our last block before Christmas. I feel as though a herd of elephants have walked over my stomach. Hoping I’m off this horrible plateau tomorrow, and on the way to target.
Found a lovely winter jumper today, size 10/12. Still can’t quite take it in, but very pleased.
UPA-could be I’m not drinking enough either. I do Pilates on an empty stomach too, and just eat one meal at night. Will try actually measuring 2 litres out in a jug in the morning, and work my way through it. Cramps are not funny when they wake you during the night.
Hope everyone has had a good day. TTL

Ok – so I’m not going to get too excited but what was that sound?……. wait for it….. I do believe it was a ‘whoosh!’ After a zero loss week last week, feeling a bit down and then picked up wonderfully by you guys, this week started off bad – felt sorry for myself over the weekend and overindulged, but then I gave myself a good talking to after reading all these lovely posts and planned (yes AH – planned) three fast days – b2b Mon and Tuesday and then again on Thursday. Really good eating day on the Wednesday too. Went to the gym every day and tentatively stood on the scales this morning. I have been feeling buzzing this week, loads of energy, waking up early and I am now under 11 stone, in fact I am 2 pounds under 11 stone, which means I can donate 3 and half pounds this week (4 and half so far this challenge). Now today I am off for a family weekend of celebrations away staying at a hotel, starting at lunch time today as it’s my other half’s 50th birthday so I would expect this lovely loss to revisit BUT I have planned an identical week next week so will be more than happy if the scales record the same weight this time next week. Good luck to anybody else about to weigh in – but also if you have a week like me last week, dont be disheartened – just listen out for the whoosh – it will come! have a greet weekend y’all.

Best news is that I remain determined and also well motivated by you all.

As I have said before, since this challenge started, I have been up 5 pounds and then down 5 pounds. I was down5 pounds by Tuesday of this week, after fasting Monday and Tuesday. I ate normally Wednesday. Thursday, I was up 2 pounds. This morning, after a fast day yesterday, I am down 1 pound. The final result – up 1 pound since starting this on Nov. 1. (I am doing my weeks starting Fridays).

My plan for this week is to fast today, then b2b Monday and Tuesday, then b2b Thursday – total 4 days this coming week.

Waiting for the Whoosh!

All is forgiven Action, I can take a joke, it’s the serious s–t I have a problem with!!
Lifesabeach – the whoosh visited me today, down a pound from last week and off the plateau after three weeks. Yaheeee! Now 9st 4 1/4 lbs. am having a good eating day today and after a more than adequate dinner (and a lunchtime piece of lemon cheesecake – which I didn’t enjoy at all – too sweet, too rich, topped with horrible schooshy cream and neon coloured sprinkles, yuk – what am I doing again!) I am still only totting up 900 calories . Rather than add another fast day to next week, I’m going to reduce my eating day calories to 1000. I am determined to reach 9 stone before Christmas, so this will be my way of getting there.
Hope you are all having success, and if you’re not, don’t give up. Just keep doing the basics a la Action, and you will get rid of the horrible stuff that’s stifling your life, and create a wonderful healthy body that will go on for years……….TTL

MARYW I could not be more in awe of you! I got stuck at 3 mins. Well done ?

Thanks all. On the weight front, down another 1/2 lb after THREE fasts this week. Grrrr. So, total down since challenge started is 2.5 Maybe all that planking has turned me INTO a plateau. 🙂

Chipmunk, the first three minutes are the worst. After that it’s just matter of doing the three minutes every other day until one day you will feel like trying an extra 30 seconds. And so on. Yesterday, I had only ever done 4 before, and I’d done it a few times and it had been hard, but I decided to aim for 4.5. Then when I got to 4.5 I realized I could hang in there for another 30 seconds so I did.

good day 🙂 My week 3 ended up being down another .6 so exactly [and surprisingly… considering feline woes] on track for 3 lb for 3 weeks at 167.2 My poor golden retriever is now looking a little lost without her tabby boss. Thx for kind words AH Coda and TTL. Congrats to those of you keeping on keeping on and some great successes!
I am away next Mon-Mon so will miss the week 4 weigh-in but will report the Fri week 5 on Dec 4 — ‘real time’ meaning the pacific time zone for those of you who like to jump the gun and start your day freakishly early! This also gives me a bit of time to repair any potential backsliding just in case – though will take a handy tip of using my 3 travel days as fasts – will be on 2 planes and 1 ferry in the middle, so anticipating a successful week despite lots of social events! Taking a favourite pair of chocolate [if ya can’t eat it wear it] slim pants — they had been sausage tight, but now flattering!! Cheers all!

I am so on the whoosh…

can now confirm my 2k weight loss this week.. so am now 58 kg…might just carry on til 55kg and reach my pre baby weight after 15 years.

Can some one say well done to me?

I know that’s a bit of a craven request but I am having a nightmare in my normal life and this is the one area where i am succeeding.

In fact, quite frankly..I’d like to climb inside my computer and live on this site.

Good luck to all

Love

Ms Mx

MS MARPLE : A Huge WELL DONE!!!

And a little virtual gift to you.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=images+of+flowers&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=677&tbm=isch&imgil=shRjpTu67m4FZM%253A%253B-0L4qKF1otcBSM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.freshorigins.com%25252Fcategory%25252Fedible-flowers&source=iu&pf=m&fir=shRjpTu67m4FZM%253A%252C-0L4qKF1otcBSM%252C_&usg=__JquDQxEouoCKR5mC2C-AiC-fMZs%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjxva38h6TJAhVI6xoKHTr4DegQyjcIMw&ei=KLlRVvGJI8jWa7rwt8AO#imgrc=DSkK7lp1DBFQoM%3A&usg=__JquDQxEouoCKR5mC2C-AiC-fMZs%3D

I am laughing at a suggestion coming from the YUKON that we get out lemons and tequila! Love those northerners. (Better idea than a “sourtoe cocktail” for sure, RunningNorth. 🙂 )

Three cheers for Ms. Marple. I am jealous. I want a swoosh, too!!! And condolences to you, Phoebe.

Miss Marple:
WELL DONE for sure!!!!!!!!!

Hi all, sorry to report no weight loss this week, but no gain either which is very good as its always hard for me to lose weight after Ive been ill. was doing great till Saturday and my virus must have made me allergic to something as I have hives and am swollen up like Michellan man! so hopefully I should be back to normal this week. Regarding the P problem, nature hates a vacuum and when your body uses up the fat it leaves holes so mother nature in her wisdom uses the fluid released from the fat cells to support the skin until skin shrinks, so I am thankful for it because otherwise my belly button would be rubbing against my knees, too awful to contemplate! My biggest problem is eating enough on nfds, after years of restrictive eating its hard not to feel guilty on occasional indulgences, and if I do overdo it I find a have an enormous food hangover the next day from too much sugar, and apart from that my stomach has shrunk and I dont feel hungry. When I was younger I could eat like a horse, appetisers, soup, entrees mains and sometimes two desserts! Now I struggle with the mains, and if I start with soup i’m done for! thanks to all who picked up my slack and hopefully I can return the favour. Best whooshes to everyone!!

Funnily enough AH it WAS gourmet airline food. I was sitting up the front and the food was amazing. Can you believe soft poached Eggs Benedict for breakfast? Fantastic.

Yes UPAGUM it is the same as turning left, and very nice too!

I think I have been moderately good some of the time, rather than VERY bad any of the time on my fab holiday…… I do know I have walked a gazillion miles over the two weeks (no day fewer than 12,00 steps, and most 15,000+) so I hope you are right! A pleasant surprise would be MOST pleasant.

Fast day today going well too. Keeping on checking this page to bolster my resolve!

Respect CHIPMUNK on all those steps – perhaps a visit to the cobbler is now required?!!

Hi AH, Halfway through the challenge now and pleased to report another pound for Santa – that’s 2 pounds in total of my pledged 6 pounds so looks like I won’t meet my target, but still well pleased to be SLOWLY reducing. Perhaps the following might be of interest:

Last Tues my scales showed the same after a very strict week of 3 fasts (including a b2b) and keeping below TDEE on other days. I was so down I almost threw in the towel and reckoned I should just accept being around my original goal weight of 9 stone. However, with reading everyone’s woes on our little forum and realising I am not alone in “being good but not losing” I decided to “keep on keeping on” and managed 3 fasts last week BUT went way over my TDEE at the weekend. Had first of this week’s 3 fasts yesterday and went over by a fair bit. This morning (official weigh-in) I dragged myself on to the scales expecting a big disappointment and … yahoo … Down to 8st 11 !!!! The enigma of weight loss! – perplexing and certainly unpredictable – seems sometimes you can lose when you least expect … and conversely, gain/remain same when predicting a loss!

Perhaps we are too fixated on our weekly (even daily!) visit to the scales which is really too short a space of time to see a significant change (fluid levels and food in transit can vary widely and can add an extra 2/3 pounds. This short timescale weigh-in is even more unforgiving when near to goal and weight loss is painfully slow. I think those who weigh monthly have the right idea! … but as it’s too near all the Xmas festivities I am not going to try it just yet!!!!

What is going on. After what seems to be lots of fasting or little eating, I am gaining weight too.

I started late in the challenge, lost 5 lbs the first week after two fast days, and after 3 more the second week, I am still stuck at a 5 pound loss (though thankfully no gain!).

I think I am enjoying my off days a bit too much :). Since I am new to 5:2, A friend said overdoing it on the off days is normal but that I should soon settle down and eat sensibly on the off days…. is this what you guys experienced when you first started?

I fasted yesterday, but am adding a day today too – trying back to back fast days to reach my goal. So lets hope the whoosh happens!

I let a few days go by again, but not a whole week!

This will be an extremely challenging few days coming up. My son is flying in from college tomorrow so we will have lots of real food for him, Thanksgiving is Thursday and my daughter’s birthday is Friday and she wants to make dinner here! I’d rather go out!!

I had a fast day yesterday. I was the same this morning BUT we had Thai/sushi on Sunday and that usually adds on at least two pounds so I’m hoping this will kick in and I won’t gain anything over the holiday at least….

I can only plank one minute.

Good luck, everyone!

SDS – AH gave some good advice about this recently – if a fast day is compensation for over-indulging on other days, it is not really a fast day and you need to add another one in during the week – otherwise you can’t really expect to make progress.

I think we all take a bit of time to balance it out, so I’m sure you’ll settle in to a routine – try counting cals on your non-fast days to make sure you stay within your TDEE and you’ll quickly make progress.

Big hug from me Coda, and anyone else who needs one. As Action says, just look back to the starting point and be proud of how far we have all come. All we have to do, is keep doing what Dr M says to make this WOL work. Be honest with yourself about what you are eating, and try and cut out the stuff that is doing your body no good whatsoever. You will get there, just keep doing it! Just remember it took a long time to put the weight on, it won’t go overnight, but it will disappear eventually. Keep the faith! TTL

Hello Everyone

I too love this forum.

Love the motivational videos ACTION HERO, thank you. They help in respect of other aspects of my life. Motivating me to not give up on what I WANT in my life. By thinking of myself and engaging this way of eating and losing weight reveals others aspects of my life that need attention and I’m changing patterns that have not helped me in the past. The videos reminded me of my dreams and that I can achieve them….thank you.

CODA… Well done for sharing and being honest. I can totally relate and have hesitated to post when I have had a blip, but I do and something shifts within me and I’m reminded of my commitment to my goal/intention.

Good luck everyone for Friday!