Lose 2 lb per week – join Jojo in this quest

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Lose 2 lb per week – join Jojo in this quest

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  • Hello all,
    I have been doing 5 : 2 for 16 weeks and have lost 20 3/4 pounds. I am 58 and want to lose a lot of weight before my 60th birthday next September. Actually I lost 14 pounds with Weight Watchers in the two months leading up to Christmas so all in all now down 34 3/4 pounds. Feeling good.

    I do a lot of exercise each week but it is all fairly low key because I am still 5 stone(70 lbs) overweight. When I started this diet I hoped to lose 2 lb per week, this did not happen. So I am seeking others who really want to find out what will succeed in achieving this goal in a healthy way. I know there are lots of you out there who are achieving this weekly goal.

    Firstly I have discovered that you cannot be the sort of person who say’s ” I can’t give up milk in my porridge or sugar in my tea’ I was that person but I have since given up milk in my porridge and only drink fruit or green tea. Basically I believe it can be done if you are determined and focused upon a weekly goal. Yes there will be slip ups along the way, we are human after all.

    If you are impatient like me and happy to try anything, join me here to share ‘what works for you’

    I have just started doing ‘back to back’ fasts B2B and am prepared to do 4 : 3 or even alternate day fasting( for a maximum period of 3 months) if this helps me achieve my goal. I have set my monthly goal at 7 lbs to allow for contingencies.

    One golden rule, fasting is dangerous to your health if you don’t drink enough. I have four pints of water per day plus hot drinks. I personally don’t go below 500 cals per fasting day, eaten at dinner – mostly I have miso soup midday. I mainly eat fresh fish and vegetables. I used to eat a lot of fruit but now only eat low carb fruits e.g. Berries.
    I have just started using zero noodles which are great cooked up with prawns.

    JoJo: was hoping I could find your new thread as I didn’t want to lose contract. Have appreciated your efforts in zeroing in on what works and what doesn’t. Hope this new thread is successful in that end. I have about the same amount of weight to lose as you do and would love to up my weekly loss average, now at about 1 lg a week. I haven’t ever been able to lose more than about 6 lbs a month since menopause though, no matter what I have tried. That seems to have put a big kink in my metabolism. I have been reading some info on nutritional ketosis over the last few days and it suggests that even excess protien in your diet may be converted to glucose (not good) and hinder fat loss. They recommend that you keep protien within certain limits (limits still sound pretty generous) , limit carbs as you are doing, but increase healthy fats.

    I tried a 2 day Fat Fast and did not find that it resulted in more weight loss than a standard fast, but I am going to wait a week or two and try a 3 day Fat Fast and see if that has more of an effect. The book on it that I just bought recommends 5-7 days as ideal. That is a bit extreme for me….will try 3 and see how that goes. But never say never….may be reporting back on my 5 day fast months from now. Bottom line: I will do whatever I need to do. I agree with you…no sacred cows, no favorite foods will be exempt from the chopping board.

    I agree with you that I don’t want to be complacent about this and genuinely want to find a diet that is safe and ultimatley effective. With 75 to lose I know it will not come off in a few months so it has to be something I can sustain. I wish you luck on your new thread.

    Hi LUVTCOOK,
    Very glad to have you here, your determination and energy are exactly what we need. Everyone welcome here. I am certain we can do this if we are prepared to do what it takes. I am working on improving my metabolism and hence began taking kelp today, three tablets per day with meals. I believe I will need to do ‘HIT’ as big losers in these thread all seem to do it. You can do this with kettle bells or on a bike. I plan to do both starting today.
    I had my ovaries removed in my thirties so hormone changes are not the root of my problem, I do believe there is a genetic element as my daughter also has weight control issues. She gas to be very strict to maintain her ten stone but would love to be 9 stone. She actually does very high energy exercising but has a sweet tooth, can’t resist a biscuit or chocolate( she limits but does not exclude).
    Today I had porridge made with water plus 6 prunes
    Lunch bass fillet, green beans, cauliflower, peppers, red onions and tomatoes all cooked in ceramic pan, eliminates need for more than a teaspoonful of oil.
    Dinner will be soup and zero noodles
    Tell me more about your food and exercise plans? Are you managing the water?

    jojo58, I wish you luck and success in your quest, but I would like to point out that this might not be a reasonable goal for people with low TDEEs (whether due to exercise limitations or just being a smaller person).

    So far, I’ve lost 37 pounds at an average of 1 pound per week; I have 10 or 15 more pounds to lose, depending on how I look and feel when I get there. Now, I admit that I would *love* to speed up this process. I *do* get tired of it. So I worked out my own numbers to see if I should try taking up your challenge.

    With multiple medical problems, the highest activity level I can achieve is “moderate”, and that not every week.

    At a moderate activity level my daily caloric requirement (TDEE) is 1727, which is 12,089 calories per week. To lose 2 pounds a week, I would have to cut out 7,000 calories, which is more than half of those; I would get to eat 5,089 calories in a week — 1,000 on the two fasting days, leaving 818 calories for each non-fasting day. It is very difficult to get all your nutrients and not feel hungry on 800 calories per day. Even if I ate 400 calories on each of the two fasting days, that would leave 840 calories for the other days. Doing 4:3 with 400-calorie fasting days, it would leave 972 calories for non-fasting days. Still not very satisfying; still too much like daily calorie restriction rather than intermittent fasting. Probably losing muscle as well as fat. So I don’t really want to go there.

    Now, if your TDEE is higher, because you can exercise vigorously or are just a larger person, losing 2 pounds a week can be more realistic, and I do wish you the best, I just don’t want people who would not be well served by setting themselves this goal to feel badly because they can’t do it.

    Hi Franfit,
    Thank you for your comments and valuable statistical data. I do not plan to starve and am quite prepared for failure but I feel it is important to ‘give it a go’.

    I propose to ‘change foods’ rather than limit them. I want to discover which exercises work for fat burning that do not cause too much stress to the body. I am looking for a plan that works every week and is sustainable. I cannot stress enough that it must be a healthy approach, I do not see the point in making myself ill

    There are people on this diet that make it work for them, many weigh much less than me and are older. I do not wish to raise hopes falsely. Your warning is noted and respected.

    Well done on your weight loss, you must be very happy, I look forward to my future slim self even if I have to accept that this can only be one at one pound per week.

    jojo58, go for it! It sounds like you have enough to lose and the ability to up your exercise intensity to make this a potentially realistic goal for you. I did not wish to try to discourage you, it’s just that losing 1 pound per week is pretty spectacular for me (and many others). And yes, it feels great not to be hauling all that extra weight around and to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I keep having to remind myself that 15 more pounds means 4 more months, and then maintenance. It’s far from over!

    Hi Franfit,
    Trust me I know where you are coming from, I have been dieting and exercising for over 35 years with short term results. I realise what a challenge losing weight and keeping it off is to all women. However I think the results will be worth the commitment. Good Luck, let me know when you reach your goal, I don ‘t think you will be posting when I reach mine, currently planned for next March at the earliest. Off to guzzle another pint of the cool, clear nectar.

    With 37 pounds lost, I can say the results are *totally* worth the commitment, the hard work, the hungry hours, the hours with my calculator and computer and cookbooks figuring out how to feed fasting me and my underweight son at the same meal, the falls while walking home from work through the blizzard (yes, I did that this winter, keeping myself walking through the cold weather months by walking for transportation). At this point I get a lot of compliments on the change 🙂 but it’s how much better I feel that really makes the it worth it.

    That, and I work helping older people with various medical problems, especially dementia. Anything that lowers my risk of having to go through *that* is *totally* worth it, let me tell you. It’s horrible.

    And, jojo58, hopefully I’ll still be posting next March, maintenance is key! Off for my daily walk, might bring my Kindle and sit in the woods by the creek and read for a while after walking — it’s finally getting warm enough here to do that!

    JoJo I will join you on the last week of every month to aim for a 2 lb loss. As my fat attack week, and then weigh in on the goal stats thread for my monthly weigh in.
    I’m enjoying this years 4:3. On 4:3 weekends seem to when I get out away from my own kitchen. So I do 4:3 Monday, Wednesday, Fridays. I exercise on Tuesday, Thursday’s and Saturday’s . If I don’t count calories on weekends my scale doesn’t hardly move.
    Something else I do which difficult for me on weekends so I only do it on my fat attack weeks. I eat all my calories in a 5 hour window similar to 16:8 but it is 4:3 – 19/5 and it is difficult like you said to do strenuous exercise that week , so I walk on fasting days usually In mall. Ok I’ll post on Monday the 28th.

    You’re inspiration JoJo!

    Hi jojo,

    When you said you were leaving and then mentioned starting another thread, I realised you hadn’t gone for good, just moved to another department, as it were. Which is excellent news.

    No doubt I’ll drop by if I ever feel it’s likely that I actually could lose 2lb weekly. for the moment I’m satisfied with having dropped 2.5 -3 kg – 6.6 lbs max since early February – a major achievement when you consider I was stuck on a plateau for 5 months.

    Best of luck. You deserve to succeed, as do you all on this thread.

    Hi jojo, I admire you, I hope you find what you are looking for. I had already decided to stop my rum and cokes which I have when I am not on fast days. My non fast days cals are only 1370 so not much of an allowance for that double R & C. I made my husband take the started bottles of all the alcohol down the garage so I would not be tempted. I also did WW and still go every week like I said on other threads. I am going to have the odd slim fast on my non fast days. I want to lose the last few pounds. I will not give up.
    Good luck. I will keep in touch with your thread to see if you get any good ideas from this thread. JIP

    Hi:

    Worthy goal.

    To lose two pounds a week, you must eat 7000 calories a week less than your TDEE for the week (that is, if your TDEE is 2000, times 7 equals 14000 minus 7000 equals you can eat 7000 calories for the entire week). Plan your meals accordingly.

    Good Luck!

    Hi Franfit,
    Yes I agree it’s great to have lost over 30 lbs it makes climbing stairs so much easier, I used to dread them, now I run up them.

    My mother had dementia for her last ten years, very debilitating. But I enjoyed caring for her right up to the end. It would be wonderful to ensure we don’t fall victim to demensia, it seems there is a lot we can do to prevent the disease.

    SAMM
    Gosh you diet sounds very complicated, please tell me how effective it is. I think mixing it up can work very well. Variety being the spice of life. How much have you lost and in what time? What tips do you recommend?

    Hermajtomomi,
    Great to hear from you on this new thread. How far have you got to go to goal? What are your statistics on loss and time taken please?
    Thanks for your good wishes.

    JIPWGP,
    Great work giving up alcohol, I gave up in January until my goal is reached, facts are
    I would prefer to eat my calories than drink them. Good luck with the last few pounds. Do tell us what you eat, what exercise you do, favourite tip? It’s all research.

    Simcoeluv,
    Thanks for the statistics but I don’t plan to massively reduce calories. I plan to discover which foods burn more efficiently and research exercises which increase the metabolism and burn fat effectively. I think food intolerances are really important for weight loss too. I am not under estimating this challenge, trust me. What foods do you believe work best for you? Any weight loss tips?

    “Thanks for the statistics but I don’t plan to massively reduce calories.”

    Really? You honestly believe you can lose two pounds of fat in a week and, for instance, only cut 3000 calories from your weekly diet? I admit you might lose some water weight at the start that would trick you into thinking you have found a secret weight loss method, but over a couple of months, that all evens out and reality sets in (the ‘plateau’).

    Well, there are no known foods that, by eating a lot of them, materially help with weight loss (unless they have no calories and you do not eat anything else). And exercise does not materially help weight loss, either: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/exercise-is-dangerous-for-your-diet/

    Weight loss is not easy, but it is also not complicated.

    The quickest way to lose weight is to eat nothing. There is no known medical condition that will prevent someone who is not eating anything from losing weight. And there is no food that contains calories and eaten in any quantity at all, that will cause a person to lose more weight than if no food is being eaten. After that, how much you lose in any given time frame is simply a function of how many fewer calories you are eating than your TDEE. While there are a lot of beliefs, opinions, urban legends, hopes, dreams and simple misinformation on weight loss methods and miracles, the fact is you only lose weight by eating less.

    My tip?

    The less you eat, the more you lose.

    Good Luck!

    Hmmm
    if your looking 241’s instead freebies.

    Jump rope!

    Before I go into how Ill talk up on what does.
    It rasies metabolism as much as hit and after some skill building can become hiit.

    it also circultes the lymphatic system. If anyone can tell about any other exercise that does im all ears.

    to recap
    Is in the top 3 of most effectice exercise.
    If done after meals metabolizes food quicker. = less fat in the blood.
    circulates the lymph system

    can be practiced in privacy.there is no age limit for healthy person.

    Its less stress on the knees for 30 minutes than walking for 90 minutes. And helps with coordination abd balance.

    it is my strong opinion that skipping meals and skipping rope are two very big pieces of the good health puzzle when put together.

    Oh sory usong new device for I ternet and is worse than my fifth grade papers. Ughhhh.

    there is a benefit youre missing simcoeluv.
    when exercise rasies metabolism .

    so what you do is simple.
    Exersise two hours before or after eating.
    Recent reading I believe exercising prior to eating is healthier. But just only .

    if your exercise doesnt break a sweat then it hasnt raisef your metabloism to the amount im pointing too. If break a sweat of exervise with everymeal. Theres no guessing at all.! you will have a improved metabolism.

    In “doing the numbers” if in fact one limits oneself to 7000 calories a week, and if 2 days a week you are fasting and eating only 500 calories, that will leave 6000 for the other 5 days.

    That would be 1200 calories a day. However if you excercise the equivalent of 150 – 200 calories (not that much) that would allow you 1350 – 1400 calories a day to eat, which is pretty doable.

    So, dropping 2 lbs a week cutting out 7000 calories by dieting or by excercise (with no excercise required on fast days) seems a reasonable goal. Tight, but doable.

    JoJo I am rooting for you.

    I will let you know how my latest twist goes next week (as long as I don’t go nuts at my dinner/dance event on tomorrow). Have been good today. Hope the willpower carries forward.

    Drinking lots of water….that’s a given.

    luvtcook:

    TDEE includes exercise. So what you mention would have to be exercise over and above the exercise level included in the TDEE.

    I do not imply losing two pounds a week can’t be done. But jojo claims she wants to do it without much caloric restriction. I don’t think that can be done. I believe you have to cut 7000 a week out to do it.

    Ok taking a closer look at JoJo58 Posts.
    Specifically about 2lb goals. WPL

    I think my tendency to want some weeks to be 2lbs and other weeks to be par may close to what I’ve skimmed through your posts.
    5:2 is not meant to be strict regimen. So one week may be 4:3 the next 5:2 the next 6:1. At some point the fasting loses it’s benefit. My understanding of those in the American dust bowl of 1930s was that they were eating what was required just to get their work done. There were not crops , but lakes and rivers were still teaming with life. I know the human can lose 5lb a week, but it’s unhealthy and come with risks. Bottom line is if there isn’t a safe way to lose the amount of fat to reap the benefits of slowly losing fat from calorie restriction. The answer isn’t fat loss as much as exercising and avoiding inflamation.

    That is confusing when I read it back, Im struggling with communication this week too , please forgive.

    There is split between reaping the reward for diet restriction , and the reward for exercise. While the best plan IMO is long term ADF. The short term is HIIT. Keep the fry up foods out , and the carbs below TDEE or nothing has changed no mater what my waist size is. I had to take a step back from 2-3 lb weigh loss and read and understand what might be happening that might not want. I looked very carefully and decide to step across the safety line once a month so I don’t develop chronic problems.
    I’m up to 6 minutes of continous jump rope now. With the understanding of how that is likely effecting my blood fat levels. So it is with satisfaction that my journey has brought me to a confident sence of control. My emotions don’t control what I eat. I eat nourishment , but only just enough. I’m stable on not gaining weight and once a month go on the attack.

    Joining JoJo58 today for next seven days for 2lb goal. Then return to 4:3.
    March 2013 5:2 start 274
    March 2014 4:3 restart 247
    Weigh in 4/26/2014 at 243lbs
    Next weigh in 5 2 2014

    Morning All,
    Good news, first week goal met, weighed in this morning and achieved 1.3/4 lbs off, add that to 1/4 lb Sat,

    Week 1 RESULT 2 lbs off. It can be done!!!

    Now you need to know what I added to yesterday, 50 grams of almonds, very filling snack for in front of the telly last night, took two hours to munch through, very good fats and protein and ensures a good sleep. Also I swapped soup for a high calorie pea and bacon, yummy with noodles. Total calorie count 1085. Didn’t plan it this way yesterday, just how it worked out. My TDEE is 1200 on a non fast day. I need to stay at this level because it is the calorie restrictions I was used to long term with weight watchers. I didn’t do any exercise yesterday apart from housework for two hours.

    Now who else is going to take on the challenge. Remember to be prepared to record and publish your results on here for others who need the ideas and motivation. We can only discover what works if we do.

    Are there any other foods like zero noodles that are very filling, tasty and versatile, let’s find out?

    Today’s plan
    Porridge for breakfast, fish and veg for lunch, ice cream at the theatre( my brother is in a very funny play) dinner after in a restaurant but I will choose something sensible and won’t have pudding. Drink sparkling water of course or green tea.
    I will carry almonds if I get the munchies but if not save them for this evening. Exercise – only bowling practise today maximum 1 hour which includes walk there and back.

    Hi SAMM and LUVTCOOK,
    We are on our way, SAMM is providing great tips on exercise and I know I can rely on LUVTCOOK to provide inspiration on the low cal but tasty meals.

    I will be trying skipping on Monday as I am out today, last time I did it I lasted about two minutes and collapsed in a heap with jelly legs. However I was then 25 lbs heavier. I will need to do it in the garden as I live in an upstairs flat, I don’t think my neighbours would appreciate the noise or the plaster falling off their ceiling. I have a friend from my Yoga group ( in her 80’s ) who still jumps rope for 30 minutes a day at a normal pace. She still walks up five flights of stairs with ease – god bless Dotty – she has also outlived three husbands and now refuses to marry her boyfriend because she thinks it will kill him.

    I hear everything that is being said or warned and will not risk my health for this diet and I hope anyone that joins will be equally health concious.

    I think one of the problem is planning and eating up to our TDEE whether we need it or not, I plan to count retrospectively like yesterday’s food. That way I saved eating calories I did not need or want.

    What are your thoughts?

    As far as jump rope goes my goal is jump for ten minutes continuously. Last time I was successful at ten minutes was 19 years ago.

    Here’s the tips You get approximately 475-575 calorie burn from thirty minutes.
    When learning or beginning set a timer for ten minutes and do your best for the entire ten minutes,
    Big tip. If you get winded stop jumping rope and immediately start doing jumping jacks at pace slow enough to catch your breath.

    The goal for the first two months should be getting to the 3 minute mark of continuous jumping.
    I now use a countdown timer app that stops when I stop so I get the full ten minutes of skipping rope takes about 25 minutes after trying for six months.

    I don’t jump rope on fasting days because I work up a terribible appetite.
    Now that I’m getting much better at the skill I am jumping just before I jump into bed. So that I can sleep through the increased appetite.

    My final plan for jump rope.
    Three sets of ten minutes before every meal. I’ve learned that because it increases my hunger pangs that I can jump, and then deal with hunger pangs while I prepare my food on fasting or non fasting days. Eat and fill up on water . And the appetite issue isn’t as prominent.

    Worse case scenario I’m out with friends celebrating and I eat delicious food that would spoil a typical diet.
    Because the jumprope is so transportable . I’ve started taking my travel rope everywhere. I looked for places. I decided a parking space is perfect. I used to get embarrassed. But I just don’t care anymore, I expect people to come and stare. Most commonly folks drive up near meand cheer me on , very strange but happens a lot. I guess Im sort of shaped like grimace the mc donalds evil lord of obesity, and so if I saw saw grimace jumping rope I would have too stare too. Anyhow This was very enabling to me to use jump rope as my way breaking sweat after every meal. Though now I prefer to jump prior to meals. When out with friends Im usually the last one to leave and go to the far end of the lot turn on the car stero and just do it.

    On fasting days. It’s my plan to Eat meals. Jump rope about ten minutes before eating at noon. And my second meal around 5pm jumping ten minutes prior too. The third set just before jumping in bed.

    Doing the math using jumprope I can equal the number of calories I eat with the number calories I intake.
    By doing that 4:3 I dare to say is a plateau buster. For beginners it’s too much expectation . IMO this makes semi fasting even more difficult. Is why after three months I still haven’t struggled with it. Let me also say I’m out of shape , but I’m doing something about it and I expect as time goes on I’ll be less winded which will make the HIIT using jump rope simple and easy after all meals.

    I mean to say I’d like to take a swimming pool everywhere I go. So. Can work every muscle in my body. But I settle for the one I can do in a parking space that more importantly circulates my lymphatic system and helps metabolize foods by raising body temperature.

    I am joining you, Jojo! I have been doing 5-2, and now 4-3 for 8 weeks, and have maintained an average of over 2 lbs per week. (18 lbs in 8 weeks) My current plan is B2B fast days Monday & Tuesday, then Thursday. I do some cardio intervals 4-5 days per week for 35-45 minutes, and I plan to incorporate more strength training soon. Trying to figure out when I can do so without wearing myself out. I love zero noodles in my miso soup! I have another great fast dinner that I love, which is broccoli slaw (available here in 12 oz bag at the supermarket), sautéed with water until tender, add spice (garlic, onion powder, oregano, crushed red pepper, what have you), and 1 cup of low sodium tomato soup or sauce (I use Amy’s organic low sodium chunky tomato bisque) and 1 Tbl Parmesan cheese. Big bowl of yum for about 250 calories. Another current fave is about 2 cups of steamed or grilled asparagus cut into 1″ pieces, 1 piece of crumbled bacon, 1 sliced hard boiled egg and dressing made with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Tastes delish hot, cold, or room temp. Around 200 cal.

    I will be weighting in on Wednesdays going forward I order to see the benefit of my B2B days, and will report out each week.
    Can’t say it enough: water, water, water!!

    And by the way, have you seen this?
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Beach-Diet-Super-Fast-Programme/dp/1780722249/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397209707&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+beach

    JoJo: another superfood to add to you snack list is olives. Here is a link to a website called the World’s Healthiest Foods. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46

    My favorite are sicilian olives called castelvetrano. Plump and bright green, they are not a sharp tasting as many others. Olives have a fabulous fat profile, low carbs and lots of antioxidents.

    @samm

    “I mean to say I’d like to take a swimming pool everywhere I go. So. Can work every muscle in my body. But I settle for the one I can do in a parking space that more importantly circulates my lymphatic system and helps metabolize foods by raising body temperature.”

    This makes sense to me. I could take my HIIT activity wherever I am. Brilliant and fun, also.

    For me, I will keep this to 4 minutes, since I’m so accustomed to that time and I can coordinate with my timers that I’ve already set for sprints. ‘It’s only 4 minutes’ is my self logic to just do it.

    Would you recommend a particular rope for this?

    âž°

    Hi jojo and co, I have read a couple of the threads and I would like to say if we have been on a diet of any kind and then do another type of diet it should not be just water we lose at the start because the body should have already lost the initial water that dieters lose at the beginning of a diet. Good luck to everyone keep going it is worth all the effort we put in. JIP

    Hi Jojo. Glad to have found your new thread. Good luck with your goal. I will post summary of weight loss and exercise program tomorrow. It’s very late here now.

    Hi Jojo, glad I found your new place.
    It’s a good goal. I managed to lose 17 kilos at about that rate last year so I know I can. I also need to lose about the same amount as you, but I got sidetracked around Christmas and not got back on the horse quite yet. But I know I can with a combination of 5:2 + low carbs.
    I joined a modern gym about 5 weeks ago. I say modern because for the previous 6 months I’ve been in a group aimed at gettingtotally unfit middle aged people back into exercise. We started of very, very slowly in a closed room, bit like a primary school with tiny bits of exercise – because that’s all most of us could do. We progressed onto a physiotherapists gym. That was OK but very small and old fashioned with out of date equipment. Also because it was in a sort of ‘medical environment’ there was, at least in me, a feeling that it was enough to do just a little bit and not really push yourselves. Now I have a good 5 stone to lose, am 55 and am not very fit but I didn’t want to settle for that.
    SoI went along to a real gym and joined. Now it’s not one of those really hipplaces and a lot of people my age go so I felt OK there. I do an hour 3 times a week, get good and sweaty mostly do the bike machine, the walking band thing, strength exercises for my hips, back and stomach area – crunches!!!

    I really like your focus on what works. After years of bad advice about eating carbs not fats, I could do with refining down what really works.

    I know I go on a bit so if I drift off topic, I hope you’ll say!
    🙂

    Jojo, tell Dotty she puts us youngsters LOL to shame, I cannot do even a few skips I would rather walk a mile than pick up a skipping rope. Well done and best wishes to Dotty, my sister is 9 years older than me and she has more go in her than me. I must, I must etc, etc. Well done jojo keep up the good work. I weigh on Tuesday. JIP

    I’ve always used the plastic tubular beads . But they sometimes sting and leave welts. So never jump with it shirtless or pant less. Even the best get whipped by their own rope from time to time. But it’s the best for going from HIT To HIIT. I also suggest that in the long term you move from four to seven minutes. I put two videos in the HIIT area of this forum.
    To get an idea how it can go from gym standard to just being something fun to do.

    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/jumprope-hiit-video-on-you-tube/

    Hi all,
    That was an interesting day. Started by playing three games of 10 pin bowling, won one game scoring 133( my usual average 90) so I am chuffed. In that game I got 4 strikes and a spare, unheard of for me.

    Sadly it was a high calorie day, Sunday always is for me, it’s my day off. 1327 cals but difficult to be precise when eating in a restaurant. Avoided pudding and milky coffee that I love. Had some almonds in the car on the journey which took the edge off my hunger. Long journey in the car 3 hours plus, round trip, two hours watching play, then two hours in restaurant, so fairly inactive day

    My brother was very good in the play ‘Loot’ – a farce (his part,a bereaved husband)but he announced his retirement from the amateur dramatic stage after 40 years of performances, he plans to concentrate on writing.

    Replies
    SAMM
    Thanks for the jump rope advice, I will keep you posted.

    Ply24mp
    You are one of the reasons I am doing this, super hero in the fast method. I am sure it took a lot of hard work and determination to lose 18 lbs in 8 weeks, incredible result. Those recipes sound amazing – I love asparagus, fresh local produce here, not sure we have brocolli slaw but I will check it out. Thanks for link to Beach Super Fast Diet – I will review it. I am on B2B tomorrow and Tuesday and will add a further day Friday if I feel It’s necessary.

    LUVTCOOK,
    Love olives so no problems there.

    Rockyromero,
    I am going to use a ‘boxers’ rope I have but there are all sorts out there now, with counters in the handle. It’s exhausting, be warned.

    JIPWGP
    Not worried about scales showing water loss as I have been on a diet non stop since last August. Thanks for your support. I am seeing Dotty this weekend, she will be very impressed with my weight loss as I haven’t seen her since last October. She will be even more impressed with me skipping, she is very slim and glamourous of course.

    Bayleafoz
    Great to hear from you, looking forward to your statistics.

    Speedy
    You are the other dieter who inspired me to do this, we need your advice. I do use the gym three times per week doing bike, treadmill, Crosstrainer and rowing – 1 hour 10 mins. I should warn you it has not helped with weight loss for me, I have done it for years, maybe 10 now. I also swim 100 lengths at a time. This also does not help my weight loss. It does however tone me up, hourglass if portly figure. I also love the classes, yoga and ballroom fitness. Enjoy it, make some new health conscious friends but don’t have a latte and cake afterwards. Stick to green tea and a few nuts or your exercise will have all been wasted. Sad but true.

    Finally to all,
    I have decided to get medically and physically monitored throughout this challenge and I will report progress and comments. I have friends who will undertake this responsibility because they know how important it is to me to get fit and slim. So we now have a doctor, nutritionalist and fitness coach supporting our efforts.

    This is just to let you all know how serious I am about this undertaking.

    @jojo58

    “I am going to use a ‘boxers’ rope I have but there are all sorts out there now, with counters in the handle. ”

    I took this to heart and I consider jumping rope a brilliant idea, of which I have not done in years.

    Here’s what I thought, that there must be plenty of space required and that the jumping rhythm has to flow continuously, without obstruction. Jumping in a parking lot makes sense, although funny. There’s plenty of space there. I’ve never seen anyone do that. Actually, I can’t ever remember seeing anyone jumping rope in a large city like Chicago.

    No one jumps rope. No one. Maybe in a Gym?

    I used to have a mini trampoline on my balcony to bounce and simulate rope jumping. I received so much anguish from my wife and others over this. I think they pictured me jumping on the trampoline and accidentally falling over the railing of our 25 story apartment. I removed the trampoline. I still miss it.

    So, in researching for a jump rope, I stumbled upon a digital rope.

    You know what that is, don’t you?

    It’s handles that spin around and count the revolutions, with a built in timer. No real rope.

    http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Fitness-Wireless-Cordless-Skipping/dp/B00J727RU8/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1398638426&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Digital+Fitness+Wireless+Cordless+Skipping+Rope+Calorie+Burner+and+Jump+Counter

    So I’m envisioning doing the rope (handle) jumping anywhere. Even before I go to sleep, as SAMM suggests.

    Perfect.

    Just in case, I did order another traditional jump rope.

    âž°

    Oh btw if you can’t do the jump rope for circulating the lymphatic system. Trampoline and jumping jacks also Have similar effect circulating it. If you get shin splints or doms. Use a massage roller over the area toward the heart 🙂 not to a fro.

    Oh, Rocky, the trampoline on the balcony would have made me very nervous!! Glad you moved inside! I picture you jumping rope a la your namesake, Rocky Balboa!

    @ply24mp
    “I picture you jumping rope a la your namesake, Rocky Balboa!”

    Yes, funny.

    I’ll know in a couple of weeks when the ropes arrive.

    It certainly gives me something to look forward to and it’s a bit of a diversion from my other routines.

    âž°

    Goodness @jojo58 I’m very pleased to have inspired you – it’s an unusual feeling for me! 🙂
    I do agree though that, for me, exercise doesn’t have any effect on my weightloss. Well,maybe a few gramms but I don’t notice that when I’m dealing with at least 25 kilos. I thinkit’s probably true that muscle burns more calories than fat so there is probably a small effect.

    But I have taken to the gym to get stronger and increase my fitness and suppleness and balance a bit. I’ve become so weak in these last years when I have gained weight and done very little. For shorthand I’d say it’s been a period of depression, but more accurately widowhood, grief and suddenly having no work.
    But anyway …
    I’m sure that once again Dr. M has it right with his HIIT. I’m doing more than HIIT because it feels good and gives me something to do in my days! Work up a good sweat then a nice bath.

    I saw a GP’s assistant once and she was also fat/overweight and she said she goes to a gym x3 per week and if you go x3 per week, you get addicted to the rush of endorphines. At the time I thought – yeah right! Me! Going to a gym x3 per week – dream on!
    But I now do and do enjoy it.
    It stays a choice I have to make and given the chance I’d rather sit on the couch. But, for me, it’s an easier thing to choose to do than eat less!
    But it’s not to lose weight, just a related activity.

    I also tried a skipping rope. Still have it but physially it’s hard with all sorts of areas jiggling up and down mostly out of sync lol! I can image doing it later when I’m thinner but worry about my knees and ankles at the moment.
    I also tried a weighted ‘sport’ hoola hoop – again my apple shape made it very difficult. For me, I’ll have to lose weight and inches before these suit me. But I’m sure they are both very good things to do.

    Hi Fast Trackers,
    Good news, scales were another pound down today, not a weigh day, just couldn’t resist a check. That takes me into 14 stones – yippee. It also means I made my 7 lb target for April.
    Today was a busy day, starting with walking pooches, then ballroom fitness, then yoga, then a birthday tea (I avoided the pastries and cakes, just salad and a two slices of cold meats and low calorie non alcoholic drinks. Party guests really noticed my weight loss which was very pleasing. Mind you I did wear a very brightly coloured outfit so they couldn’t miss me, all part of the plan.

    Today’s food and exercise

    Breakfast porridge with 6 prunes, lunch miso soup, tea fish fillet on it’s own( cos I was still full of salad)
    Off to badminton soon, two hours thirty mins but actual play usually one hour as we take turns.

    P.s. I couldn’t find my skipping rope to used trampoline elastic, quite effective. I couldn’t do jumping but managed a right foot first jump for three minutes, does that count?
    Did my swinging (kettle bell) for twenty minutes, really sweating but Rock ballards belting it out to encourage me. Feeling good, feeling confident and of course feeling slimmer.

    How was your day ‘fast trackers’?

    Blimey Jojo – you are certainly going for it!

    You have inspired me to try to get started with exercise this week. I used to be a gym goer until a few years ago when my hip started playing up. But as I am now officially better (hip replacement in January a success – woo-hoo!); I need to really start taking care of my joint with both cardio and stretching.

    I have my final physio session tomorrow so I am just going to check what is safe to start with and then try to get to the gym later this week.

    Definitely the way to speed up weight loss methinks…

    Cath x

    Hi FastTrackers,
    I just thought I would tell you about an observation I made tonight at badminton club. All the best players are the heaviest ones. They have the best serves and shots but obviously they don’t move around the court as quickly. I think their slowness on court is the reason that they have honed their game, they do such good shots that they cannot be returned. Hoorah for them. The skinny minis seem to be quite put out that they are being beaten by people who are obviously not fit. Teehee. It’s good to know that fatness can have it ‘s benefits, think how good they would be if they got slim now, must get them on 5:2
    Forgot to report my calories today 529
    Happy fasting – my day today went very well, loads of energy and not hungry. Drank my four pints of water. I am now setting time targets for these. I pint at breakfast, I pint at mid morning, 1 pint before lunch and 1 pint before tea. Still drinking green tea in between. Now taking kelp tablet and odourless garlic daily – good for detox and anti-inflammatory. Also midges don’t like you quite so much apparently.
    Cath – do you swim? I did this last year when recovering from a foot operation. It’s great physio. I switched from crawl to breast stroke using goggles. My friend did this after her hip replacement too, she found it very beneficial because you can set your own pace and it isn’t weight bearing. Good Luck !

    Does anyone know where you can buy brocolli slaw?

    Hooray for you, Jojo!! Nice when the scales cooperate with our efforts. I had a good fast day as well, on my feet all day giving a presentation, but hit the gym early this morning. Scrambled eggs & some berries for breakfast, now enjoying a pepper stuffed with spaghetti squash, roasted mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and a little Parmesan cheese on a bed of zero rice and spinach.
    Nice also that your friends noticed your slimmer self! I have not had the pleasure yet, but I chalk it up to friends with what my Nana used to call “kind eyes.” I figure they don’t really notice when I gain a bit, so they also miss my loss!
    Broccoli slaw looks just like shredded broccoli stalks, with a little carrot and purple cabbage thrown in. I know I should just make it myself by whizzing the stalks through the grater/shredder blade in the food processor, but some nights I just want to tear the bag open. If you can’t find it (the brand here is Mann’s), go for the much cheaper food processor option!
    Keep up the good work! Excited to hear from your expert helpers!

    Let me know if you have a recipe for broccoli slaw?

    I’m unable to fast this week due to 14hr shifts on my feet. I’ll probably do 6:1 Saturday and would like to try broccoli slaw homemade. I’ll weigh in on 5/2.

    Morning SAMM and ply24mp( what does that handle stand for?)

    Brocolli slaw is just as described by ply24mp shredded red cabbage, brocolli stalks and carrots, dress to your own taste, I added spring onion. It is not stocked in my local supermarkets. I don’t have a food processor or shredder but am now putting it on my list to buy because I don’t have time to prepare this with my schedule at the moment. You can find recipes on google both for slaw and things you can make with it. Seeing what ply24mp had for dinner yesterday after a long day at work gives us clues to her diet dedication and skill in the kitchen.

    Roll on retirement when I can indulge myself in cooking. I vow to try a bit harder but lazy now as on my own. I always invite someone to dinner once per week so that I make some effort with cooking, cleaning and tidying. If I didn’t I would live in a pig sty and eat swill..teehee. Life seems too short to be doing housework but it seems it’s a necessary evil and can be a good workout. Choir tonight and book club tomorrow night. What are you up to fast trackers?
    Ply24 mp, I cannot believe no one has noticed you have lost 20 pounds, get the sexy gear on girl, how about a nice patent wide belt, in red, that should show them. You are doing an amazing job, keep it up. More food ideas please! Yum. Hey LUVTCOOK what have you got up your sleeve oh culinary queen?

    Ply24mp, have you read ‘the Plan’ by Lyn-Genet Recitas (food intolerances)and The Low Carb Cookbook by Fran McCulloch( recommended by a thread contributor interested in low carbs). Both excellent and interesting. I really do believe that food intolerances are the cause of many unsuccessful dieters problems. They think they are doing the right thing by eating salmon( farmed variety) but actually this is preventing them for losing weight because of the chemicals the body is trying to process. Vicious circle, if chemicals were not added to clean the water we would be poisoned but in fact the water cleaning chemicals are doing the same thing albeit in minute quantities that the body is filtering. While filtering it is not doing it’s real job, burning calories. What do you think? In the meantime I have switched to organic foods, makes sense to me.
    Jojo x

    Hi All Fasttrackers!

    My handle is just an old e-mail handle that had something to do with a place I used to live. Nothing mysterious or exciting!

    I have read The Plan, Jojo, and followed it for awhile. I had some early success with it, but I found it very difficult to follow, and the results were not always consistent even when I ate “friendly” foods. I think that a lot of things LG talks about have merit, especially the inflammation caused by certain foods. I’m not sure our bodies are quite as unique and sensitive as she says, but the basic ideas seem sound. It makes sense to me that there are other forces at work within our bodies that encourage or inhibit weight loss. I think we have all experienced doing everything right from a calories in/calories out perspective, but have not lost weight in a particular time period. The more research that comes out, the more clear it is to me. I know lots of people on this forum believe that it is just simple math, i.e., create a deficit of 3,500 calories and lose a pound, but that idea is just not supported by the data. I find IF a lot easier to follow than The Plan. Even though I enjoy it, one can only eat so much kale!! The Plan seems an expansion of a book I read a long time ago called Ultrametabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman. Some of his ideas seemed way out when I read it, but most have come into popular belief now. The Plan is where I first heard about taking kelp, which she recommends for thyroid support. She is also an advocate of drinking lots and lots of water! (at least half one’s body weight in pounds + more for exercise and to make up for diuretics like coffee, tea, and wine)

    I completely agree with you about trying to eat “clean” foods and minimize the chemicals we voluntarily put in our bodies!

    Day 2 of B2B for me today, so far, so good! I didn’t make my 2 pounds last week, hoping for better this week.

    Love your idea for “bringing sexy back”, Jojo!

    Happy day, everyone!

    Hi ply,
    Well I would like to say my day 2 of B2B was going well but I ended up having a surprise lunch with an old friend who turned up out of the blue before departing for the North this evening. I really didn’t want to turn her away. So – result 300 cals over the top. Now I am going to need to add an extra day, probably Friday. How annoying but we have to be flexible. The casserole for lunch was delicious, I asked for a child’s portion, they either thought I was mad or a cheapscape. Great that you have read the book and know where I am coming from. I am not tempted to follow the plan but I may do a detox this summer, as I am close to clean eating anyway.

    I know what you mean about the statistics approach. I have no faith in it either.
    I really believe it’s very much a case of the type of foods you eat. I find spicey dishes are very efficient on a diet. I eat a high level of protein and am compensating by cutting carbs but I need to address the situation. Do you limit proteins to 20 % of you daily cals?

    My exercise is also ‘out the window’ (cancelled) today because I need to prepare some reports and assessments for school, so working at home, guzzling water.

    Choir tonight, which I love. Tomorrow I take my children to Forest School, so lots of walking.

    Have you noticed how many cookery programmes are on television, it’s like torture. Switching off, settle for music while I work instead.

    Good luck for this week! Perhaps you will catch up your missing pound.

    We can do it ! I have faith in our positive, intellectual and scientific approach. Do you have a partner to support you? I hope so, it’s tough on your own.

    I have complete faith in our approach as well! I am certainly not going to be content with interminable plateaus without changing things up. I think it is a myth that very slow weight loss is healthier. It may be that it means longer term habits have more time to become routine, but I have never seen any evidence that losing more quickly is harmful!
    One of the best things about his plan is its flexibility! Unexpected lunches with old friends and delicious, if child-sized :), casseroles need to be part of our lives!
    My husband is not exactly sharing, but he is supportive. We have very opposite schedules anyway, so meals together only happen on the weekends when I am not fasting, so it all works out. Interestingly, he has been pretty thin his whole life (though he has gained some belly fat in the last few years), despite a somewhat unhealthy diet, especially the donuts, muffins, and cinnamon rolls he eats every morning along with a healthy dose of cream in his coffee. However, for the rest of the day, he eats very little until dinner, and has always gone long periods between meals. So, he has done some form of fasting without really trying. Since being on 5:2, I have stopped getting after him to eat more often!! Perhaps his natural tendencies, influenced now by his work schedule, are responsible for his relatively steady weight throughout the years.
    I am a big fan of cooking shows, but I agree with you about he torture on fast days! I think in the book someone had given a tip about avoiding Nigella Lawson on fast days! Haha! I stick more to the home improvement and decorating shows for background noise while I work. I used to be part of a women’s choir as well. Can’t really carry a tune, but I am good at tempo and remembering lyrics, so it was great fun. I stopped after we moved to far to make the weekly trek.
    Inspired by you all to pick up my kettlebell soon!

    I peeked too.

    After two 14 hour days I’m down to 241. That’s 6lbs of my 25lb goal for IF this year.
    But I’ll wait till 5:2 for my monthly weigh in , I was just curious.

    Hey if your thyroid is issue don’t eat spinach to lose fat. Trust me.
    ate tomato,lettuce and onion. As my experiment. Sometimes when I plan to have 250 calorie meals on fast days but it doesn’t work out . I experiment a little. I could eat like 8 of those over a hour period for 250
    Add some fat free cheese and mustard . And a few of those green olives and pickle.
    More and more I like returning to what I used to eat , but for for fasting.

    Ok I’m tired and just posting to be posting
    Good night.

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