Lose 2 lb per week – join Jojo in this quest

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ply24mp

12:49 pm
18 Aug 14
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Good morning fasttrackers, old and new! Great start to my day with a HIIT workout at the gym…getting back to my 5:30 am routine in anticipation of school starting in a couple of weeks. To me the biggest benefit of the exercise is that it keeps me more on track with the food, I.e., why work out so hard and then ruin it with treats? Also looking forward to maintenance (end of September?), when I know staying on track we exercise will be a boon.
Keeping busy on a fast day today. Lots of small projects around the house, buying new running shoes, and possibly a new rug for the dining room. I love crossing things off my to-do list!
Grilled fresh swordfish and grilled broccolini on the menu for tonight! Happy day, everyone!

hermajtomomi

3:35 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hi jojo,

We’ve certainly met before. As I recall we are both former teachers, you a Montesorri specialist (??), me a teacher of French and Spanish to off-duty football hooligans. Like you once were, I am an escapee from LOACA, as toys were being thrown out of prams with two or three landing on my head.

I’ll get back to you later at much greater length. Just briefly, after coming up for 19 months I’m about two-thirds of the way to target. After a 5-month plateau I started losing slowly but surely, partly as a result of no longer being able to handle carbs at midday. My lunch on fast and non-fast days alike is lean protein and salad. Today I had lettuce leaves long enough to turn into wraps.

Good to be in touch again.

Hermaj

hermajtomomi

3:44 pm
18 Aug 14
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ply24

thanks for your words of welcome on my ex-thread. Sadly I’m a slow loser, but now after just under 19 months I’m two-thirds of the way to target weight, which for me is nigh on miraculous.

Cheeseplease

4:12 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hi Jojo, is there room in here for me? I am another ex LOACA, I can’t cope with the “atmosphere” on that thread right now. I like a quiet life, don’t want to get pulled into disputes so reluctantly I think it’s best to say goodbye and look for another home.

I started 5:2 at the beginning of June and believe I have lost about a stone, give or take a pound or two. My Scales of Deceit add or subtract up to 4 lb. depending which tile I stand them on in the bathroom! I would like to lose another 12 lb or so. I am finding it difficult to shift these pounds, and hope for encouragement, support and ideas from this thread.

Hermaj, good to “meet up” again. I have always enjoyed your sparky posts – I love the idea of you sending a stamp machine into spontaneous combustion, that must have been some spectacle! I don’t post enough nor am I knowledgeable enough to start a new thread, so won’t put myself forward for that. Hoping I might find a home here?

ply24mp

4:29 pm
18 Aug 14
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Of course you are welcome, Cheeseplease! I have about 10 more pounds to lose, but the last several weeks have been too busy and stressful for me to have made much progress. Excuses, excuses, but hit the gym early this morning, and fasting now. Hope to reach my goal (40 pounds total) by the end of September.
“Scales of deceit”…love it!

hermajtomomi

4:35 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hi jojo,

This lady by the name of Cheeseplease, comes with a reference – from me.

Delighted to see you here, Cheeseplease. You are among the handful I would have missed most. Some of the two or three friends from the early days are no longer posting. Nothing sinister, life took over. You’d have liked them, they were fun.

I’m still in touch with one of them direct, a lovely Scottish woman who makes the most stunning earrings, a weakness of mine. Many use polished rocks found near her home in Central Scotland. They are all very modestly priced.

You and I are in almost exactly the same boat weight-wise. I too would like to lose a stone, although another 12 lbs would do nicely. I’m resigned to the fact it won’t be easy.

I won’t venture near LOACA again. As a result of replying to Smiffy’s post about setting up another thread, a certain person jumped on me. For the first time in my 19 months on 5:2 I’ve complained, in quiet, measured, polite tones, about another poster. I hated doing it, but then I also hate being bullied.

treat89

5:26 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hey everyone!
This is a great thread. I love reading how everyone is getting on! Thank you all for your inspiration!
A bit about me: i turned 25 last week. I started 4:3 in January and lost 3 stone by April. Then gained a sneaky stone through laziness, and whatever excuse I can think of since then. But I’m back at if now, and feeling very positive!
I would love to lose 2lbs a week. I have a fair bit to lose still, so we’ll see. It would be nice!
I have a staff photo at the end of October (I’m a teacher), and I would love to see a real difference in that compared with last year. I can’t wait to get back to school! Fasting is so much easier in term time when I barely have time for lunch!
Anyway, look forward to reading your tips and ideas.
Happy fasting,
Tracey

ply24mp

5:47 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hello, Treat! Lots of teachers, current and former on this thread, so no surprise that it is a great one! Congrats on your loss thus far. Any tricks and tips you care to share?
I completely agree about how much easier it is to fast during the school year. Busy days, and no food available makes for a good combination!

Cheeseplease

6:15 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hi everyone and thank you for the warm welcome (Hermaj you make me blush).

Hermaj I am a sucker for earrings, found a lovely lady in Wales recently making unusual silver jewellery sometimes incorporating beautiful glass – am I allowed to give her website a plug on here? Don’t want to go breaching any rules …..

Fast day for me today – I shall be having fish in a tomato sauce, yum.

treat89

7:03 pm
18 Aug 14
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Ply24mp, thank you!
I don’t know if I’m in any position to give tips, I still feel very new to it, even though I suppose it’s been 8 months since I started. Wow where did the time go?!
I do 4:3 every week (m/w/f), normally I walk to school (3 miles return journey) and swim twice a week. I would like to start running, but honestly, the idea of wobbling and jiggling down the road scares the wotsits out of me! Maybe one day!

Well it’s the end of a fast day. I desperately need to check out some recipes haha! I can’t survive on my terrible cooking!
Cheeseplease, your meal sounds lovely. I’m definitely jealous sat here munching mince, kale, broccoli and chopped tomatoes. Yum…

Happy fasting,

Tracey x

hermajtomomi

7:12 pm
18 Aug 14
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Hi Cheeseplease, I’m not sure what the position would be. I wonder if you could ask someone. The Scottish lady was a 5:2 poster, in fact her profile is on here – I’ve just checked – and her web address is included in her profile. And when my OH bought me some earrings from her for Christmas last year I sang her praises on the forum and no one turned a hair. He was budgeting for single pair of silver and amber that I’d spotted, can’t remember where now. For the same price he got five different and very unusual pairs for the same amount of money. I’m wearing one of them right now.

For want of a better idea you could click on “report post”, like the one top right of your latest post, which will take you to a page with a form, a smaller version of this very one, on which to lodge your “complaint”. Of course, you would make it clear that you were not reporting any naughtiness among posters but asking about forum etiquette.

It could be worth a try. After all, you would only be trying to put some business the way of a skilled craftswoman who makes beautiful things that many fellow posters would probably like for themselves or as gifts, and not one of the weirdos who turn up every couple of weeks trying to sell pills and potions.

Cheeseplease

7:46 pm
18 Aug 14
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Thanks Hermaj, I have done that and will report back. Yes, we do get some oddball posts about miracle pills from time to time which seem to get through. What was the name of your Scottish lady and I will check her out.

Treat89, I can recommend the BBC Good Food website (recommended to me by Hermaj) which has some lovely recipes – fish is usually low calorie.

NickyF

3:20 am
19 Aug 14
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Hi everyone!

Another escapee from the LOACA thread here, I too like a quiet life and became a bit gun shy because it seemed offence could be taken by both posting and not posting.

Lovely to see familiar ‘faces’.

Now a confession – I don’t even have any ambition to lose 2lb (0.91kg) per week as I have averaged just over 1kg/month since I started at the end of January this year. My OH is skinny and fit, I don’t have any health issues I need to address urgently and I intend to live the rest of my life this way; and I love bread and potatoes and have porridge for breakfast.

However, always interested in others’ progress and, having a research biochemistry/molecular biology background, maybe I can occasionally contribute something.

My first (intermediate) target is BMI<30 (currently 30.6), then down to 25 and then down to my target weight from before I turned 50 of 20.7.

Second of my 2 B2B fasts today and so far so good. I work M-W and usually keep some miso soup sachets in my desk drawer but haven’t needed them for a few weeks. Looking forward to mushroom and spring onion omelette with salad for dinner, with only black tea and water since 6.30 this morning, when I had water-only unsweetened porridge made with 25g oats.

Cheers all, Nicky

SAMM

4:29 am
19 Aug 14
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Hi everyone.

I’m on a 2 week break and getting my ducks in a row for a two week. ADF .

I try eat twice on fast days, because I can usually make it to noon , and plan a meal to last until 5pm so I can eat 1 meal with my family on that fast day.

If I wake up hungry though. I may just sip on iced coffee all day with a protein shake with vitamins in with it. Making it bitter with just a teaspoon of instant coffee. It’s not my choice of meals, but has gotten me through many fast days . Kind of like I’m already hungry and used to it, so I sip on liquids keeps the hunger genie in the bottle.

ply24mp

7:41 am
19 Aug 14
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Good morning, fast trackers! A very early morning, just couldn’t get back to sleep. I had a great fast day yesterday, so feeling good! Looking forward to a beach day with a friend/colleague today, and Pilates tonight. May turn into a fast day, or at least a 700-800 calorie day. Asian slaw with Quorn to bring to the beach, and probably soup for dinner, since I always feel like something light after Pilates.
SAMM, sounds like a plan. Water, tea,and coffee get me through fast days as well. Sounds like you are in a good place!
Hi, Nicky! Your omelet sounds yummy! I have not been eating many eggs lately, so thanks for the reminder of an omelet/frittata as a good dinner! There were several good frittata recipes in this month’s Cooking Light.
Jojo, where are you?

Cheeseplease

7:54 am
19 Aug 14
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Hi NickyF, good to meet up again. Had a good FD yesterday and feeling light this morning. Seven year old grandson coming to stay today for the week, so may be difficult avoiding all foody temptation.

Ply24mp I do a Pilates class as well and love it, especially after a FD when I think I can get up a bit higher in those curl ups on an empty stomach!

Hermaj, I have checked with the powers that be and so long as it is part of a conversation and not out and out advertising we can post websites and it seemed ok from what “they” had seen, so it is http://www.gemwaithnia.co.uk, hope you like it. It is mostly the earrings I go for!

Have a good day everyone.

jojo58

7:58 am
19 Aug 14
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Good morning fast trackers,
Lovely to have an influx of new people. I suggest we would all fair better if we don’t discuss issues which led you here. You know our goal but it is just that, anyone is welcome, it is for individuals to decide what is doable for themselves. I agree that a steady pace is often more sucessful in the long run. Hare and Tortoise story taught us that. However some of us were not supplied with the ‘patience’ gene, we just have to go for it. But on here we tend to be a positive and happy bunch, not over sensitive, no hysterionics, we have our share of failure and success.
Saying that I had a very frustrating day yesterday, everyone I had to deal with seemed determined to make life as difficult as possible, red tape bandits I call them, bank clerks and utility companies, even my dogs behaved badly on their walk. Finally I lost 4 games of badminton in a row, mostly my fault not my partners, some days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. I also wrote a lovely long post last night only for it to disappear into cyber space as the system was not available.

We do swap tips that help us succeed, some of these gems have really helped.

Drink 4 pints of water per day between 8 am and 6 pm, usually in pint glass lots with 2-3 hour gap between each one. Great for killing hunger and improves skin.

Go low carb if you can, zero noodles are a great substitute. Using a spiraliser is great for making alternative noodles, corvettes in noodle form are very filling and tasty.

Use a pedometer and increase your goal weekly or monthly, I currently do 15,000. Occasionally I bounce on an exercise ball to complete these if the weather is foul. Surprised I don’t get motion sickness some days- teehee.

Switch from reading paperbacks to listening to audio books, keep moving.

Fish( fresh or frozen) not farmed with veg( lots) or quorn with sauce/gravy seem to work better than other proteins which take longer to digest. Tried and tested.

Use ceramic pans, less fat needed if any and so easy to clean.

Avoid processed food avoid additives, get slim and healthy- detox.

Record food and drink on fitness pal especially on fast days to avoid over eating.

Have freshly made soup always available, fast day lunch, snack on non fast days.

I take supplements vitamins, garlic, kelp – good idea when dieting but not necessary if you are controlling your intake, keeps me well anyway.

I don’t drink alcohol, new year resolution, not been a problem for me.

I have virtually given up bread and pastry, a real acheivement for me as these are my nemesis foods. Also ?I don’t eat farmed fish – salmon – as I discovered it was full of toxins that my body couldn’t get rid of easily.

If you are fit enough do walks, exercise classes, yoga, sports( skipping is very effective but tough). Three times per week seems to work.

If you are stuck in a chair try a foot bike and kettlebells.

On this programme I lose 2 lbs per week( if I don’t go out to restaurants three or four times per week and bugger it all up. Sorry but having fun is in my nature, I love to socialise, in fact I am rarely home. At least now I am not putting on weight with lattes and cake – sticking to tea only.

Ending on a positive note 2.5 lbs ( third and last time I lose these little buggers) down sice Saturday following B2B weekend fast and 1000 cals yesterday. 13 stone is my next barrier and I plan to do it by the end of September when I go on a yoga holiday to Spain. Fasting today just off on an hour walk with my dogs.

Good Luck all.

ply24mp

7:59 am
19 Aug 14
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Have fun with your grandson, Cheeseplease! I am so ready for grandchildren, but my kids are not cooperating!! I am loving Pilates, and I actually am 1 1/4 inches taller since starting!

ply24mp

8:04 am
19 Aug 14
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Hey, Jojo, glad to hear those pounds came right off! Yesterday sounds lie,enough to make one pull up the covers and stay in bed! Hope today is better all around. I wonder whether there is a difference in calories burned between winning or losing at sports??

Smiffy

8:23 am
19 Aug 14
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Hello ladies! Is there room for another refugee? Sorry to highjack your thread JoJo.

I’m so pleased to find Hermaj, Cheeseplease and NickyF all here safe and sound, and look forward to meeting some new 5:2 friends.

Cheeseplease – I read yesterday you were a lawyer involved in family law like me, so I can empathise when you say you want a hassle-free retirement. Actually I went back into residential conveyancing in the late 90s but even that could be contentious at times!

Hermaj – I love the suggested names for a new thread. I particularly like 5:2 The Grown Up Approach. Thanks for the link to starting it up. If you or someone else hasn’t done it by the time I’m back from Wales next week, I would be happy to have a go. In the meantime I hope JoJo doesn’t mind us meeting up here. You asked where I’m going – we have a little house in South Wales between Llanelli and Kidwelly. It’s just a couple of minutes drive from an 8 mile long beach and is just the place for escaping to after the traumas of the last couple of weeks. Apart from what has been going on here, my mother wasn’t again all well and I stayed with her off a few days, during which her fridge/freezer packed in, which caused some problems in itself. Anyway, she is much better now and has a new fridge freezer so I feel I can take a break without worrying.

NickF – great to catch up with you.

I’m on a FD today – too many leftovers from the weekend to do it yesterday. Weighing tomorrow before we leave – not sure if I will have lost anything this week as I did have quite a few glasses of wine over the weekend and went to a charity ‘pudding night’ on Sunday – scrummy but lethal even though I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth!

Keep up the good work ladies

Smiffy x

Cheeseplease

8:51 am
19 Aug 14
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Jojo thank you for the warm welcome, and the advice and information. Do you use the Spiralizer very much? I have read good reviews of it but don’t want another once used gadget cluttering up the cupboard! I am very tempted by it.

Smiffy, great to “see” you here, sorry to hear about your mother but glad she has recovered and now has a new appliance. Ooh charity pudding night, sounds like my kind of giving 🙂

hermajtomomi

9:49 am
19 Aug 14
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Morning ladies – or evening to you ladies in the Southern Hemisphere,

jojo, the issues that brought all us refugees from LOACA here will not be mentioned again, promise. Thanks for all the helpful tips, at least some of which I’ll take on board. Someone should erect a statue to the person who discovered/invented zero noodles. OK, they aren’t exactly Cordon Bleu, but they do make fast days a whole lot easier.

Purple, thank you so much for your lengthy tutorial on things Australian. I shall give it a leisurely read as I tuck into my fast-day wrap, i.e. tuna or maybe chicken and salad wrapped in a lettuce leaf. I see you have posted another fish recipe, which looks delicious. Can you suggest an alternative to kingfish? I can’t ever recall seeing it around here. My swordfish is all gone and I haven’t asked our fish man to call this week, so it can’t be swordfish, at least not this time.

Cheeseplease, excellent news that it’s OK to post links to people like your lovely Welsh jewellery-maker I thought it would be. Thanks for checking it out.I was about to cut and paste the link into this post but I’m afraid that if I do that I shall delete the post and have to start again. It’s in Cheeseplease’s post from earlier today, ladies.
Have a lovely day with your grandson. Being childfree by choice, I’m not a nana, but I am a great aunt to two beautiful boys, aged 15 and 5 respectively, whom I love to bits and who seem to like me too. It’s not that easy to go overboard food-wise when they visit as the teenager hoovers up everything in sight. Fair dues, he also does half of the cooking. He’s very good and we work very well together. Quote: “I like working with Hermaj. She doesn’t boss me about, she doesn’t patronise me, she just guides me.” Praise indeed from a hoody! Lucky boy takes after his mum’s side of the family, all tall and slim, some, including boy and mum, also very good athletes.

Nicky, please can I ask you a “scientific” question that may or may not be within your field. Don’t worry if it’s not, I can always try googling. I’m lactose intolerant but life is much easier since the introduction of lactose-free dairy products. I usually buy UHT lactose-free milk, but this week my OH brought home a carton of the pasteurised version and he noticed that this also had a longish use-by date, i.e. mid-September. The question is this. Is it lactose that makes milk go off?
BTW, the mum of the aforementioned boys is a molecular biologist. I’d ask her but, technoklutz that I am, I’ve already got her working on a Facebook problem – nothing sinister, just that I have to go all around the houses to get to her page.

Smiffy, so glad you’ve caught up with us. It sounds as though you’ve had a bit of a rough ride this week, what with your mum being unwell and her fridge-freezer breathing its last. It’s good that both problems have found a solution, for the time being at least. I love the idea of charity “pudding night”. Would it be wicked to suggest that it sounds like a charity event for bonny ladies like us BEFORE we embarked on 5:2? 🙂
It was only a couple of weeks we were briefly in South Wales. During our weekend in the Forest of Dean, my cousin’s parter, who is Welsh and fiercely proud of her homeland, drove us to Cardiff to visit St Fagans National History Museum and on the way back made a detour via the Heads of the Valleys. I had no idea South Wales was so beautiful. Have a lovely break.

Right, back to work. Have a good day – or evening – everyone.

jojo58

11:45 am
19 Aug 14
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Good news,
I just saw my friend who has suffered chronically with IBS for 25 years (since her Dad died)and she is getting better thanks to my nutritional advice to give up anything that has sugar in it. Can you believe it? She is actually off the anti- spasm tablets too. Previously she has done most dietary things but had not even considered giving up sugar. Gave up dairy, wheat, gluten, chocolate, coffee – none worked.

Anyone else out there that has recovered from IBS for this reason?

She hasn’t had pains in two months and is now able to contemplate doing some exercise because she is feeling so much better. We decided kettlebell swing might be a good start plus yoga. I was in tears when she told me she finally feels she can be part of the normal world again. She is such a lovely person. It’s really made my day.
Now to see if I can help my friend who has chronic Fibromaelga (not sure how it is spelt, sorry) any ideas anyone? Doctors just supply lots of pain killers and anti – inflam.

Hi Ply,
Today is going well- no issues with people or dogs. Feeling energised and fabulous in my bright pink jeans(size 18) but a little baggy – hoorah. A lady on the group walk said I looked such a picture of health and I certainly feel it. Just shows you that even 2.5 lbs can slow you down. Just about to put my dance tape in the machine for a quick Tango before the gardening(so much weeding to do)and car cleaning( wouldn’t bother but need to give a friend a lift tonight and it is truly gross). Still all good exercise.

Thinking about your calori burning point I am voting for more burnt if you lose because it’s very frustrating and I have been known to curse and stamp my feet. At least I can admit to being both competitive and childish. How was the early morning start, I do admire you. I am not usually up until 7 am but I don’t often go to bed until 12 or even 1 am. Night owl.

Welcome Smithy,
Does your nickname come from Gavin and Stacey?
I love that character but not an advert for fasting, just an advert for fat not being a barrier to being sexy and confident.

SAMM, good to hear from you. Dandelion tea was drinkable but not a huge fan, remind me why I am bothering? What does it do?

Hermajtomomi, we need more plant based substitutes for carbs I think. Zero noodles are great stir fried with sweet chilli dressing and prawns, peppers and onions – love it

Cheese please – I use the spiraliser daily, very easy to clean too. Fantastic for preparing onions too, I adore them. Stir fry quite a bit as I am on my own and eat lots of fish and veg. Ply also uses it regularly and has some great recipes. Brocolli slaw is a good veg accompaniment to meat or fish dishes. Most importantly it bulks out small quantities. Also I use it for veg base soups, reduces cooking time considerably. Rather sadly I am forced to admit it is fun too, what can I say still a big kid at 58.

ply24mp

11:51 am
19 Aug 14
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I bet you are looking as fabulous as you feel, Jojo! Rock those pink jeans!
Such great news about your friend and her improvement…food is medicine!

hermajtomomi

2:28 pm
19 Aug 14
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Just an addition to my post this morning. The Scottish jewellery maker, who is also a member of the 5:2 brigade under name of sylvestra, can be reached via her website at http://www.morganajewellery.co.uk/

She and Cheeseplease’s Welsh lady could possibly solve prezzie problems, or you might just want to treat yourself.
http://www.gemwaithnia.co.uk/

Still29

4:53 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi,

May I join your group? I’m looking for a friendly support group to help me achieve my goal of a 24lb weight drop by November 8th. (I have an 80’s fancy dress party invitation and would like to be a similar size to my 1980’s self).

I signed up yesterday after downloading and reading the Fast Bech Diet book, which I stumbled upon whilst looking for 500 calorie recipes – that’s the internet for you.

I need to shift a few pounds fast because I’m running (loose term) in the Great North Run on Sept 7th. When that’s over, I am looking to take control of my weight and drop the rest of the pounds that I get cross about. I have some clothes in need of a good night out but they are all on the small side right now.
Obviously, it’s down to me but it will be good to hear how everyone else is doing; good and less-good days.

In response to CheesePlease’s post last night, I’ll second that.

BBC Good Food website has great low cal recipes and is easy to use.

Fast Day today and using a 93 cal recipe because I used up most of my allowance at lunch.

SAMM

6:53 pm
19 Aug 14
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Welcome Still29

I feel as if I’ve taken control of my weight. But it’s very slow. I feel like I would rather keep at it for life through fast days , than loose it rapidly and gain it back.

JoJo
http://ic.steadyhealth.com/benefits_of_dandelion_root.html

Did you try it with stevia?
It’s healthier than coffee. Or as a stronger than tea , but less strong as coffee.

Mant things offer cancer fighting benefits . Dandelion root tea is geared for liver function which helps absorb the other vitamins and mineral dense foods you may be eating on feed days.

If you’ve moved ahead from simple 5:2 fasting to ADF . You will want to improve your vitamin and mineral up take. Many foods help in this way.

Basically I indulge in beverages for health. My daughter and spen quality time in the evenings. Siping our drinks together. To keep it from getting mundane I offer four choices from our Koureg. (sp). single cup hot beverage maker. Teas, coffee, dark cacaos , and dandelion root. With green tea and dandelion root offering the most proven benefits beyond antioxidants.

So 1 I’m very concerned about cancer and am adjusting to having 1 intake of a cancer fighter in every meal.
2 I’m trying to lose weight , so my beverages are calorie free, BUT OH HOW I ENJOY THEM ANY WAY,!!! Healthy and sweet as a hell.

treat89

7:44 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi everyone!
Cheeseplease and Still29- thanks for the recommendation of the BBC Good Food site, I’ve pinned a few tasty recipes onto my diet board and look forward to trying them. A sesame chicken one got my tummy rumbling late last night!
Jojo, your post earlier reminded me of a few things I could be doing to help get the weight off! Ta very much!

I’ve noticed a couple people talking about different beverages. I avoided and disliked green tea with a passion, but I forced myself to try it again at Haskins today, and went straight to Asda to buy some more! Tasty, and the health benefits are brilliant.

I had a quick look at the 2 jewellery websites – thanks for posting. They are so pretty!! I’m hoping a few of the peridot earring sets will come back in stock. Definitely my sort of thing.

Hermaj- what do you honestly think of zero noodles? I’ve heard different reviews, and would love your perspective as you mentioned them above! They would definitely help out on fast days!

I’ve just got back from the pool, where I swam for an hour! An hour! What?!! I usually swim for half an hour and get bored, but my new MP3 player had me powering through (and singing sometimes – I didn’t realise how loud I was until I got funny looks from other swimmers). I would definitely recommend it to people who like swimming but find it monotonous.

Happy fasting 🙂

Tracey

weemam

9:17 pm
19 Aug 14
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Just came in for a quick catch up . Going to the Lake district for a couple of days at the end of the month so I have been making myself soup to freeze and mince so there are already prepared so I can be strict until then . Jojo I tried the zero noodles and I could not swallow them . I thought they were vile and I can eat everything ( or so I thought) . Some people really enjoy them but I would rather have marigold bullion or bovril on their own .

Wee xx

ply24mp

9:31 pm
19 Aug 14
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Have. Great trip, Weemam! Did you rinse the noodles well? I like the “rice” version, which is like little pasta balls. I thought they were a little weird at first ( never vile), but now I really enjoy them! They definitely need the right vehicle…tasty soup or sauce.

Purple Vegie Eater

9:32 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi jojo and the other fast trackers
I use zero/miracle/Shirataki noodles for most fast day evening meals these days. As it is winter here, they bulk up the food and warm us up.
It is REALLY important to rinse them thoroughly in running water as they do really stink of fish or something. If they are then tossed into a wok of steamed veg (lots of onion, garlic,bok choy, chilli, ginger, fish sauce, splash of soy) and some firm white fish they are great. Pop a few peanuts on top too. Another way is to cook onions, garlic, basil, oregano, grated carrot, chopped snowpeas, perhaps a little lean mince, tomatoes/pasata and toss in the noodles just to heat through. Sprinkle with a little shaved Parmesan. Delicious. Strong flavour, rinsing and not overcooking is the key.

Cheesy, re your famous scales of deceit…. I stepped on the scales this morning and saw the future…56.8kg!! I’m actually 58.2kg, but it was fun for a moment 😉
Happy days gang, Purple

weemam

10:01 pm
19 Aug 14
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I did rinse them over and over . I can’t remember where I got them though , They came in a pouch with water in it and they looked like white spaghetti . It might have been Holland and Barratt yours sounds much nicer xx

Cheeseplease

10:06 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi again Purple
The future’s bright, the future’s …….lighter!! (Apologies to Orange). Time travelling scales, yay!

Purple Vegie Eater

10:14 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi Weemam
There are quite a lot of them. They all come in a watery pouch and look white. I’ve bought them in Chinese providore stores and supermarkets (in Aust) and no matter what price, they seem the same. I believe they are made of yam. LUVT described a different method of preparing them on the Maintenance Chatbox thread yesterday. Maybe try that. I think they are worth persevering for. Cheers, P

Smiffy

10:42 pm
19 Aug 14
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Thanks for the welcome JoJo. My ‘handle’ is, as you might guess, a corruption of my surname. A friend always called my late husband and me ‘The Smiffs’ many years ago. Any Oz friends may have heard if him Down Under. His name is Andrew Winter. He had a programme called “Selling Houses” on Ch4 in the UK 10 or so years ago before he went yo Australia where I believe he still does the odd TV series. He trained as an estate agent under my husband about 25 years ago.
That said – I would be quite happy to have been named after the character in Gavin & Stacey! I love them all.

Thanks for all the tips. I haven’t come across a Spiralizer. It’s obviously some kind of very useful gadget. I also found what you had to say about IBS very interesting. I have only recently discovered (thanks to fellow 5:2ers) that the spasms I sometimes get are from high-sugar foods.

Hi Still29. I began the 5:2 on the Beach Diet. Although it is strict on non-fast days as well as fast days, it certainly worked for me. I lost a stone during the 7 weeks I was on it (I extended the 6 weeks by a week as I was away and couldn’t count the calories). I have since been on the standard 5:2 and have lost 23 lbs altogether, with a weigh day tomorrow. Do you use myfitnesspal or some other calorie counting app? I can highly recommend it. Well done having a couple of goals to aim for, particularly the Great North Run! Good luck!

Treat89 – I’m a big fan of Zero noodles too – they need to be used with something tasty, though. I love them in stirfries on fast days. Very filling and only 3.5 calories in half a pack!

Hello Samm – I do admire you drinking all those different beverages. I used to drink green tea but didn’t really like it – I have had enough difficulty getting used to black tea and coffee on fast days. I quite like it now, though, provided it’s not too strong.

Hermaj – glad you enjoyed exploring our neck of the woods when you were down this way. We’ve already talked about the Forest of Dean. Cardiff is a lovely city and my nephew lives in the re-vamped Cardiff Bay. The Heads of the Valleys is the road we always travel along on our trips to Wales. Hope it’s fairly quiet for our journey tomorrow. The jewellery sites you and Cheeseplease mention sound very interesting. Will take a look when I get a chance.

Off to sleep now, if indeed I can! FD supper tonight was dry fried halloumi cheese with lemon couscous salad from the Woman 5:2 Diet website, which has some great recipes. I often don’t sleep well after a FD, and now after all that cheese……….!

Night all

Smiffy x

NickyF

11:37 pm
19 Aug 14
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Good morning fast(ing) friends and thank you for the welcome Jojo.

Regarding IBS, Ihaveawaist on the Southern Hemisphere thread has had great success with symptom reduction with 5:2. I won’t paraphrase her so please check her most recent post. I developed Crohn’s Disease in my late 20s but undiagnosed for nearly a year, after which I was down to <40kg and was shot into hospital with perforated colon for total colectomy. Wish IF had been around then.

After my 2 fast days, this morning’s weigh-in showed 0.8kg lower than last week and 9kg down since February. BMI now 30.3 so closing in on my first target of being ‘merely’ overweight. 🙂

Life be in it Corporate Cup currently running in Adelaide (South Australia) and I joined our team. Only doing the ‘mini’ of 2.2km because it’s almost that much again to walk to and from the start from my office. This is the first year I have felt like it since having both my dodgy knees replaced with the metal variety. Lovely chilly morning for a walk along what we SA’s laughingly call a river and my Fitbit buzzed my daily target on my wrist on the way back.

Happy day all, Nicky.

NickyF

11:54 pm
19 Aug 14
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Hi hermaj

Fundamentally it’s bacteria and fungi which cause foods to go off. I believe, as opposed to ‘know’ – I’m a scientist after all, 😉 the only difference between lactose-free and ordinary milk is the addition of lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, which digests the lactose into its component sugars galactose and glucose.

According to Wikipedia, UHT (ultra-high temperature) is also known as ultra-pasteurized and involves heating to 135oC for about 2 seconds and then chilling rapidly. Also known as long-life milk.

The heating would inactivate the enzyme after it had done its job but I wouldn’t have thought it would make any difference to the use-by date relative to the other type because there are still sugars there for the bacteria to feed on. Maybe it was just a more recently processed batch of milk?

In Australia ordinary pasteurized milk tends to accumulate the cream at the top but the more commonly available is homogenized, where the milk is passed through a very fine screen under pressure, which breaks up the fat globules so they stay dispersed. I’ve only ever seen UHT homogenized here.

Hope that helps, n.

Smiffy

6:08 am
20 Aug 14
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Just had to do a quick post before breakfast and our trip to Wales – lost another pound despite the wine and the charity puddings! That’s 24 lbs gone, or 1st 10 lbs. It seems to be a steady 1 lb a week, which I’m quite happy with. If I ever get despondent it’s great to look back at the progress on myfitnesspal, especially the diary. If anyone hasn’t got this app, I can highly recommend it. OH has lost the 2 lbs he had gained plus another .5 lbs, He has stopped the nightly can of beer, which he thinks is making the difference and worth the sacrifice. Very proud if him!

Off to hopefully do some long walks on the beach over the next week.

Good luck all

Smiffy x

jojo58

8:14 am
20 Aug 14
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Hello All,
Gosh it has taken me ten minutes to read all the posts since yesterday, lovely way to start the day.

Firstly Weeman – zero noodle are cheapest in bulk (24packs)bought on Amazon – just over £1.00 a pack las time as opposed to £2.40( if I remember correctly) from our local health food store. I have used two different types both great if stir fried or cooked in Thai type sauces or tomato based Italian. I did not like them in soup, tasted slug like. Very, very important to rinse first in a colander to get out smell and residue. I use them every fast day. I also make my own noodles out of courgette, brocolli stalk and cauliflower stalk using a spiraliser but you could use another sort of veg slicer( might take a while by knife but if not in a hurry- fine) you know me- life in the fast lane.
I find all veg tastes better in sauces especially sweet chilli.
On feed days I spiralise potato, add some cheese on top and bake- delicious with a sausage( just one sadly) but plenty of onion gravy too.

Treat89 – I too swim for an hour using an mp3, I sing too, it quite amuses me to watch the expressions of others as I leave, but I am happy and smiling, are they? Maybe they don’t share my 70’s musical taste or my soprano voice?

Smithy – I am a Clark which gets shortened to nickname ‘Nobby’ after a footballer. Not nery attractive! My son gets called Clarky sometimes though. I think ?I might work on a more attractive nickname suited to my nature – any ideas Ply?

Still29 – welcome and good luck. I am aiming towards a fancy dress goal too. I dressed as Supergirl when I was 30 and 10 stone. Next September will be my 60 th and I plan to be 10 stone again. Half way there but 4 stone to go, hopefully it won’t take the whole year. I may look more like super gran at that stage but I am determined to be slim again. I have dropped from size 24 to 16( in generous size shops). My advise is wear a pedometer and keep moving. Saying this I am lazing in bed this morning because I overdid the exercise yesterday. I will never learn my life is full of extremes. Fasting in the first few weeks is very tough, I suffered headaches and intense irritability but I got through it – no friends left mind you(teehee). Keep drinking water – four pints per day. Record calories in myfitness pal, weigh and measure yourself at the start and keep smiling.

hermajtomomi

9:07 am
20 Aug 14
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Hi Smiffy,

Quick message re potential new thread. I’d love you to do it. Twice in the last 48 hours I’ve made the whole FD site fall over, or at least the link allegedly couldn’t be found. It has been suggested by the nice person who oversees the forum that we should choose a “neutral” title for the thread. “The Grown-up Way” might be seen as confrontational. Have a lovely trip to Wales. Congratulations to you and your other half for continuing to lose, puds and wine notwithstanding.

hermajtomomi

9:35 am
20 Aug 14
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Hi Tracey,

You ask for my opinion of Zero noodles, so here goes.

The bad news is that eaten just as they are, after rinsing them and boiling them for 5-10 minutes, they are tasteless and rather unpleasantly slippery. I haven’t found them to taste or smell fishy, but some other posters have. Possibly a different brand.

The good news is that added to a dish with plenty of flavour, e.g. Purple’s delicious chili fish recipe on the LOACA recipe thread or jojo’s stir-fry mentioned on this thread yesterday, or any other well-seasoned dish, they give you a much bigger serving at the cost of only 4 calories. Even if you really pigged out and ate the whole 200g packet it would only amount to 8 cals. BTW do check the calorie count on the packet. This can differ between brands, but I don’t think it ever excedes 20 cal/100 g.

One very good trick. For something like a minestrone – there’s a nice recipe in the Fast Diet Recipe Book and plenty more online – leave out the calorific conventional pasta and add the zero noodles instead. It could save you about 30 cal. Not a huge amount but on a fast day having an extra 30 cal to play with has got to be good. Just one more thing. They are a lot more manageable of you chop into them with kitchen scissors when you rinse them.

jojo, thanks for the info about buying zero noodles on Amazon at a very much cheaper price. I shall definitely follow it up.

jojo58

10:09 am
20 Aug 14
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Hi hermajtomomi ,
Need to get them cheaper because I always pig out and eat the who pack? Most impressed that there are others that have half. I only do that if my daughter comes over. Portion size has always been an issue with me, I like my plate heaped but at least these days it’s mostly veg.
I might try Ply’s rice version though, haven’t seen that!
Enjoy all
P.s. Just watched Michaels video about eating meat, nothing we didn’t know girls and boy, those scientists are way behind us, me thinks, good to have some worthwhile research though. Must make sure my hubby sees it, pork pie mad he is!

Still29

11:02 am
20 Aug 14
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Good Morning and thank you for your welcome,

I’m really interested to try these zero noodles and find out what a spirilizer is – this is the first time I’ve heard of them. FD today. I made some spinach soup with lentils but when I added up the calories (Smiffy: I use Calorie King), it comes out at just under 250 per serving, which is quite a lot for soup but there will be some protein from the lentils. I can then have a protein drink with hot soya (unsweetend) milk, with a tsp of cinnamon and ginger added (appx 225 calls) later to take away any sleep preventing hunger pangs.

My vibro-gym class has been cancelled today so I am left to my own devices. I’m going to do some jumping jacks to add to this week’s total (7000 per week = alb of fat loss, so I’ve been told) – it can’t do any harm.

Smiffy: I am inspired by your 23lb loss. You must feel fantastic. – Enjoy Wales and the Cardiff shopping, if you get a chance.

Jojo: Thank you for the words of encouragement and well done on your progress so far. I’ve had a couple of mild headaches, nothing too distracting. I’ve have been feeling cold though, especially my hands and feet. I know the weather has actually got colder this week but I’ve daydreamed about turning on the heating. I won’t because it’s August and the heating stays off until October. Good motivation to get moving I suppose.

hermajtomomi

11:14 am
20 Aug 14
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Hi jojo,

If you’ve been pigging out on Zero Noodles, isn’t it comforting to know that you’ve only eaten 8 calories-worth if you are using the Zero Noodles brand.

I will definitely try your stir-fry, but with chicken rather than prawns. Sadly, I have a very troubled relationship with shellfish although I love what my New England cookbook calls finfish

I’ve downloaded Michael’s latest programme on to my iPlayer, but I’ve yet to watch it. According some reviews, one of the things he discovered was that bacon is very, very bad for us. Each serving of bacon cuts an hour off your life. So much for bacon butties! However if it’s only a once-a-week or even less frequent treat, I don’t mind losing the odd hour or two.

Like your hubby I love pork pies but genuinely don’t remember when I last ate one. We’re talking years here. Even then it would have been about a quarter of one of M&S’s mini ones which my other half loves but hasn’t eaten for long time, certainly not in the nearly 19 months we’ve both been doing 5:2.

Still29

11:31 am
20 Aug 14
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I have just ordered my spiralizer (some great reviews on Amazon) and signed up to their recipe site. http://www.inspiralized.com

I’m really looking forward to using it – delivery day Saturday. Also ordered a few packs of zero noodles. Can FD’s be any more fun? 🙂

ply24mp

11:47 am
20 Aug 14
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I hope you love the spiralizer, Still29! My favorites so far from that site are:
Shredded chard, apple noodle , and tuna with Dijon lemon vinaigrette
Italian zucchini Pasta salad
Garlic sweet potato noodles with pancetta and Baby spinach
Vegan lemongrass Thai Green curry soup

All delish, and except for the sweet potato with pancetta, easily fit into fast days.

Regarding zero noodles, I love them for the calorie savings and filling up on fast days (I generally eat the whole package too, Jojo!). For recipes, I find it better to take a recipe that includes pasta and just replace it with the noodles, rather than trying to find recipes for the noodles. The calories are easily recalculated for MFP. By the way, my username there is Avery308, if anyone would like to be friends there!

How about Alpha Dame, Jojo?

hermajtomomi

11:48 am
20 Aug 14
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Hi Nicky,

Thank you for your detailed explanation of all things milky. You obviously went to a lot of trouble. I suppose it was a bit naughty of me to ask you without checking first that the question fell within your area of expertise. It may have seemed that I was thinking, “Nicky’s a scientist, she should know”. Rather like when people have genuinely said to me “you’re a translator, aren’t you? How come you don’t do Turkish, Arabic, Swahili? – the list goes on.

Many moons ago, before I went to uni, I worked in a London bank where part of my job was to translate into English incoming documents in foreign languages, which at that point were Spanish and French and occasionally, with the help of a colleague, German. My immediate boss was a lovely older guy, the first senior colleague who ever encouraged me to believe in myself. He also had a great sense of humour and wasn’t above pulling the odd stunt.

One day, I found on my desk a longish text in Japanese, with a memo ostensibly from a senior vice-president – it was an American bank – asking me to translate it. After letting me fume for a minute or two, my colleague “fessed up”. He knew how I loathed getting these daft requests but couldn’t resist winding me up and watching me lose it. It makes me smile every time I think of it.

jojo58

12:21 pm
20 Aug 14
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Hi All,
Well I have just tried to re order zero noodles on Amazon and it seems that my £1.00 a pack deal is not longer a reality. However as I am always the chancer I have contacted them with very effusive language about how wonderful they and the product are to see if I can wangle the same deal. If not I may have to pay £1.71 or more, ouch.
Still29 – you will love your spiraliser, I call mine ‘Twister’ how sad am I. What’s more the dogs adore the off cuts, they get their 5 a day too. You have just reminded me about feeling cold when I started fasting, first and only time in my life, it also lasted about three months. What is vibrio-gym? Sounds fun! Recommend ballroom fitness too. Also I attend three walking groups per week.
Ply- see the link with the nick name e.g. My dog walking services name ( yet to get off the ground by the way)but I think I may be accused of being a bit self important. Thanks for thinking of me though, I am leaning towards something more fun or cheeky.

Good luck to Wednesday fasters, I am just tucking into a bowl of home made soup, uncounted calories but all veg so I don’t care.

Still29

1:39 pm
20 Aug 14
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Vibro-gym is like Power Plate. http://vibrogym.com/en/

There is a personal trainer nearby who holds small classes (max 4). The classes last for about 50 mins including warm-up and cool-down. It sounds easy, just doing a few dynamic exercises for 45 -60 seconds but it is quite full-on. I’ve been doing this since about March and my abs have improved hugely. Even if I can’t actually see them yet! I can now lie on the floor for sit-ups etc without any support in the small of my back for the first time in 20 years. I can also do V sits on the Vibro machine for the full 45 seconds without groaning out loud. Small victories.

Ballroom sounds good. I am the world’s worst dancer so it would be good to have some confidence on the dance floor. I love walking. Where I live, there is a huge network of public footpaths so it is easy to go on some satisfyingly long walks. Good for the soul too.

jojo58

2:42 pm
20 Aug 14
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Still29,
I will check at my gym, always looking to try something new, however it may be cost dependent and I would need to check out if it will cause further harm to an already dodgy hip. Generally though I prefer to be outside of the gym( except yoga and ballroom fitness). I swim in the outdoor pool all year round and play lawn bowls. I like to do gardening too so I am out most of each day. I have just retired from teaching but will need to get a little job to pay the bills and holidays. I am looking for something active hence considering starting my own dog walking, boarding business.
I have tried the recipes that Ply discussed, yummy.
Hermajtomomi, Micheals conclusion is to limit processed meats as his month trial of high meat eating left him with higher blood pressure, higher colesterol and bless him he put on 3 kilos, but I bet he enjoyed his month. His wife is very pleased that the family have all decided to cut back on processed meat, her kids were getting through a lot of bacon as snacks as well as breakfast. I eat bacon once per month now and I have a roast dinner every Sunday but this is often chicken because that doesn’t carry the same risk as red meat. The key is getting high fibre too as this helps digest and deal with some of the issues of eating red meat. Saying all of this my father in law lived to 90 eating high fat, high meat diet almost totally devoid of fruit and veg yet full of biscuits, sweets and chocolates daily. He also remained sane until the end when his poor old heart packed up. Why could he do this – answer – very active until the last 3 years always busy in his workshop. I on the other hand only need to look at a sausage and I put on a pound. Genes is genes! Just as active as he was, probably more so.