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.

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.

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!

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.

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, 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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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!
🙂

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/

@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.

➰

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!

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.

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

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.

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.