Day 1, UK, NFD

Yesterday was a successful FD, just under 500cal, happy with that 🙂 . I weighed myself today and the scales are showing just slightly lower. I’ll take it 🙂

Welcome to all new people, its really good to have you here 😃 . We are a friendly, supportive group so if you need any help just give us a shout 👍 . And we talk here about many other things, not just diet, which makes it a homely place 😀

There are quite a few people missing from here for a while now, I hope you guys are all ok 🙂

@judyjudes I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and about your health struggles. Dealing with grief is hard enough without having health problems, and the last thing you need is uninterested GP with attitude! Unfortunately we can’t change some things and bring our beloved back, but we CAN do some things, like changing our GP. Change him/her! Or if you don’t or can’t do that get a second opinion, you can and are entitled to that. Don’t suffer unnecessarily . Sending you a virtual hug 🤗 xx

Hope everyone is having a good day, lets stick together and do this ❤

Day 1 USA (Illinois) NFD

Greetings from frozen Illinois! Welcome to all the Newbies, and great to see everyone. I’m an oldie (but a goodie?!) having started 5:2 March 2016, joined @coda in May, and haven’t missed a challenge since then.

Began our WOL at 195 pounds (88.4 kg) heading steadily upward at age 67. By the end of 2016, I had lost 35 and have maintainted 160# (+/-3) since then. When I creep up to 165, I go back to 5:2, but generally keep 6:1. I do Silver Sneakers (65+ exercise) 3 times a week and yoga once.

Since retiring from public school music teaching, I’ve continued to stay far too active, wearing many hats. I direct our local Choral Society, do church and private music, president of our P.E.O., and lately worked oh so hard to get a new Children’s Museum open in our community. We announced last night it will open March 22! We’ve renovated and built into 2 units of a dying mall, and fully expect our presence is already giving it new life.

I look forward to being here just as much as possible and supporting everyone. Thank you @snowflake56 for all your efforts!

Onward and downward.

Day 1, Germany, FD
Hey everyone! So nice already to feel the energy in this group!
I’ll try a short summary of my story with 5:2 fasting: started 5:2 in february 2017 after realizing that when you go closer to the age of 40 you can put on weight even if you are eating quite reasonable and disciplined most of the time…
In the beginning it worked really well and for a short time I actually reached my “dream weight” yet I was never able to maintain it. I was active in this forum, in the end of 2017 I think and it helped me in the beginning yet somehow I stopped doing the challenges. Perhaps I was a bit frustrated from my binges that I continued having from time to time and the weight gains due to that. Last year I went on with 5:2 the whole time, except for some weeks of holidays. Yet in November, December and January I had a couple of binge days, too. I haven’t dared to weigh myself since December but can tell from some of my jeans that my weight has gone up.
My goal is to go on with 5:2 – and I must probably try to really stick to the 500 cals. Often I end up rather with 700 – 800 cals I guess. And my goal is to not have those binges anymore that are keeping me from reaching my goal. I will face the scale tomorrow after today’s fast. I know my weight drops very slowly and I will need patience (not one of my best qualities 😜)
Thank you all for being here and sharing your stories honestly!

Day 1 – UK – ?CD/FD

For those peanut butter lovers amongst us – did you know that March 1st is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day 😋

Dear @snowflake56 Thank you for taking up the baton to host this March 2019 – Spring Challenge and I am sure that you will do a wonderful job so please don’t worry or stress about it – “Sometimes we need someone to simply be there. Not to fix anything, or to do anything in particular, But just to let us feel that we are cared for and supported.”

For those new to these challenges – I have been part of them since November 2016 – I am a 60 y.o. female, married, with a grown up daughter. Height = 163cm/5ft 4in and I started this WOL on my own in January 2016 – joined the challenges in November 2016 as I had plateaued for around 3 months and then reached maintenance in early December 2016 and have been in maintenance range of 53-55kg/116.8-121.2lbs and a BMI of just over 20 since then!
I love a range of exercise, currently doing yoga 🙏 which I discovered about 3 years ago and it has just been the best thing for me, both physically and mentally. I also do pilates, aerobics and hiking on the fells in my beloved Lake District ⛰ and also do some volunteering in my local community!

Welcome to these challenges @jdefouchier @aglowworm @aweemanda (you were with us briefly in June 2017! so welcome back) @ann1239 @stephsie @hieiren – hope I have not missed anyone out x

@miraclelou – lovely to have you back – stick with us and we will help you to achieve your goals
@therealwil78 – so glad you decided to join us in the March Challenge too and well done on losing those 6lbs in the 18 days you were part of the February’s challenge 👍
@judyjudes – so sorry to hear about your unsupportive GP and the sudden losses you have had to cope with in the the recent years – I think you need a big one of these 🤗 – have you thought about changing to a different GP???
@ann1239 – it does take a bit of time to get used to eating less than we used to – I find drinking plenty of water during the day very helpful – I drink at least 2L of pure water on top of teas/coffee

Best advice I can give to anyone new to this WOL/WOE is to:-
*Stick to the basic plan for the first couple of months – it works!!
*On NFD eat to the TDEE FOR THE WEIGHT YOU WANT TO BE and NOT your current weight and you will lose weight faster! and find it easier to adjust to smaller portions once you reach your target!
*Don’t overestimate your exercise level!!!
*Don’t add the calories lost due to exercise into your daily calorie allowance as it is already taken into account when you work out your TDEE!
*Try to drink at least 2L of water daily

Remember “If I quit now, I will soon be back to where I started. And when I started, I was desperately wishing to be where I am now”

Day 1: Gloucestershire, UK: NFD
Well, another chance for me to begin again….
Good to see old friends and plenty of new people joining us too.

I am 65, married, with a 26 year old daughter who recently moved to Australia to work for three years. I work as a postie, delivering the mail in all weathers. The good thing is the exercise, the downside is the wear and tear, arthritis, crippled feet etc from doing this job most of my life!
I did once reach maintenance (the holy grail of the forum) in 2016, but then fell back into old ways and am back more or less where I started with about 2 stone (28 pounds) to lose.
Anyway, starting off today at 64.5kg and hoping to get a fast-day in sometime…ultimate goal: return to maintenance in the low 50s kg. and STAY THERE!

Day 1 – USA – FD?

Hello, all newbies and cherished “oldies” (said with much affection)…happy almost-spring! Starting the month off with a low of 144.4, and aiming to tone up, walk more as the weather permits, and continue with you all learning about the benefits of this way of life. I did not start my milk kefir yet, hoping to do that later this week!

Day 1 second post

Yay for an unplanned OMAD CD! I got caught up with Stuff & forgot to eat, extending yesterday’s FD to 44hrs & getting the month off to a solid start.

@debster251 @jaifaim I’m delighted to have shared the baking bug! I’ve been tweaking that for ages but it’s such an easy mix-and-go loaf -and hugely adaptable to increase protein or make sweet or savoury.

@cornish-jane can’t wait to find out how you get on with the almond yogurt- most importantly, what it tastes like! I’ve bought a soya yogurt bc I want to make a savoury loaf & it was the only one without tons of added sugar….why do they add so much sugar to yogurt?! Good luck with the vegan calzone! I’m hoping to learn from your plant-based experience – the food, not the gardening 😀 tho that’s always fascinating too 🙂 What’s your favourite recipe?

@judyjudes so sorry to hear of your losses xx And cross about your GP 🙁 It’s horrible when they have so much power over our health – it seems unreasonable and unhelpful.Is there a reason to stay with this GP, or would it be possible to change?

@miraclelou welcome back – this is definitely the place to hang for support, encouragement and good cheer 🙂

Hello to all newbies – make yourselves at home & we’ll enjoy getting to know you 🙂

@michelinme – absolutely delicious bread! It is very similar to a local bread. In Northern Ireland it is called wheaten bread. Our friends in the Republic call it brown soda. It’s usually made with wheat flour, sometimes mixed with bread flour then baking soda and buttermilk added. Your recipe is definitely is on my ‘make again’ list. Thank you.

USA Day 1 FD

Hi,EDIT! I just saw you are doing keto. I just began this way of eating recently, too. I don’t know if I am in ketosis yet, but I am hoping for good results. Do you make your own salad dressing with the olive oil or just put olive oil directly on? I am considering making my own using olive oil and vinegar but am worried about the calories. Even though I am going low carb, I am still counting calories. I think I am carb sensitive but also nothing works unless I lower my calories.

Hi, Ann1239. Thanks for the advice about the olive oil dressing. I didn’t think to add water, so I will try that. I have been carefully tracking my macros, too, and keep to a little under 1200 calories. I find the macros are easy to keep to. Protein doesn’t have any carbs or fiber and the veggies I eat are so low carb that the combination works well. I am always under but not hungry. I don’t have much weight to lose, so I think this has been a problem for losing with me. I am trying to do all kinds of way to see what progress I make. I am most consistent with the 16:8 protocol but I change my methods if I start gaining or stop losing. I am not sure if I am in ketosis yet but I know the signs. Good luck with your approach.

Day 1 – Iceland – NFD

I feel very ashamed… I fell off the wagon early February, and the poor combination of letting the sugar dragon loose and staying away from the scales as well as the forum has led to almost 5kg gain since I last checked in… 🙈 I obviously still have a lot to learn, for example that previous fasting success is no guarantee for continued easy weight-loss…
So, my aim for March is
1. to be careful and mindful
2. log in to the forum every day, even though it is sometimes just a short/late status update
3. step on the scales every day, which has always worked better for me than turning a blind eye
4. fast 3-4 days/week
5. 26 sugar-free days

Big welcome to all the newbies and many thanks to @snowflake56 for hosting this challenge – I am sure it will be a good one!

Day 2,Germany NFD
Weighed in this morning and it turned out rather what I had feared 🙈
Never mind, now I’m here and here are my goals for March:
Lose 1.5 kg
Weigh myself once/week
Count my calories on fds
Plan my meals every day (thanks @snowflake for your advice, I know you’re right!)
Check in here every day
Clear limits for alcohol and sugar
Running at least 3x/week
If course 2 FDs per week 😉
Have a good Saturday everybody!

Day 2 – Manchester – NFD

Wow! This is such an amazing forum and thanks to all of you for being so wonderful and welcoming!

My NFD yesterday went well. It’s only my first week, but so far, I am genuinely surprised at the different perspective just a short amount of time fasting can give you. Yesterday, I was able to make healthy choices, I left food when I felt satisfied, I wasn’t afraid of my hunger, and thought about having a snack after dinner, but chose not to! Now, I realise it’s only early days and that the problem days will come, but right now, I feel like a new woman!

@judyjudes – I’m sorry to hear you’re having such a difficult time. The last thing you need with everything that’s going on is an unsupportive doc. As others have said, can you transfer or at the very least get a 2nd opinion?
@at – great advice!
@cornish-jane – (in my incredibly brief experience of 2 whole Fast days 😂) I know exactly what you mean about FDs not feeling like diet days! It’s so weird and hard to explain to other people, but they really don’t!
@debster251 – yes, I’m using MyFitnessPal to track and find it pretty good. It seems to be one that lots of people use.
@snowflake56 – I’ve calculated my TDEE for my goal weight – at least the first goal weight that I’ve set. I’d like to lose another 7lbs after my current goal weight, but as I have so far to go, I thought I’d set myself a preliminary goal first. I hope that makes sense!

I’m trying to get to grips with all of the acronyms on here. Please can someone explain what the pocket thing is? I (think I) understand that they’re mini challenges, but how do you find out about them and how do they work? (Thanks)

Another question that I have is re. weighing yourself. I DO want to weigh myself at least initially to see how things are going. How much fluctuation do people who weigh find they have over the week? Today’s scales made me happy, but I realise that by the time I get around to my next FDs, things will have gone back up a bit due to the NFDs. I’d be interested to hear other people’s experience of this.

I hope everyone is having a great Day 2! 😃

Day 2, Melb Aust, NFD

Very happy with a loss this morning of 0.4 kg since Thursday weigh-in, after a FD800 yesterday, but off the wagon today so will avoid the scales for a couple of days. CD tomorrow and FD800 Monday should (???) fix things.

@aglowworm, how often you weigh yourself is a matter for personal preference, though I read somewhere that recent studies now suggest that more frequent weighing makes a person more mindful of their weight, and thus more careful re diet. I personally weigh daily, others prefer once a week, or less often.
One thing I’ve realised – if I indulge in bought Chinese, or potato crisps, the salt will cause an immediate surge in “weight” that is only retained fluid. It adjusts back within a couple of days, so if you decide to weigh daily, don’t let an occasional disappointing number derail your progress.

@ann1239, Dr M. now recommends following the Mediterranean diet on non-fasting days (NFDs), and that means higher fat, adequate protein and much lower carbs. It is the increased fat which will make you feel more satisfied, and too many carbs, even so-called “good” carbs like lots of whole-grain bread, will tend to make you feel hungrier, as most bread and pasta have a fairly high GI (glycaemic index).
By the way, I’m also around 5 foot (154 cms), so my goal weight TDEE is only around 1550 cals, which can be a challenge sometimes. I have a LOT of weight still to lose.

@judyjudes, is it allowed under the NHS in the U.K. to change GPs, because it sure sounds like you need to!!! How arrogant and dismissive of him.

@borealis, you can do it – the past is gone; today is a new day, so onward and downward!

Day 2 USA (Illinois) NFD

Too many sweets yesterday, oh well. Off to judge singers all day today.

Onward and downward.

USA Day 2 FD 800

Quick check in for accountability!

Pocket List

@snowflake56
@chipmunk13
@therealwil78
@dingping
@ccco 800

Day 2 – Ireland 🇮🇪 – NFD

Great night out with the girls at a tapas bar last night. However I slipped and fell, and banged my head of the corner of a table, my knee then took the brunt of the fall, so am sore and bruised today. My friends kept an eye on me to see if I was concussed but I was not….just embarrassing to slip whilst wearing fabulous heels 😳

Anyway, busy morning, visited Dad in hospital then checked in to see how the building work is going on (building an accessible wet room and toilet for him for when he will be discharged), and now I plan to just chill for the rest of the weekend. 🍷 Is part of that plan.

Have a great weekend.

Day 2: Gloucestershire, UK: NFD

DD (in Australia currently for three years) tells me about the serious bush fires raging out of control near her in Victoria. Stay safe you Aussies who may be affected.

POCKET LIST;
@aglowworm: ….and others who may wonder. The pocket list is a list of people who are fasting that day. Copy and paste, add yourself. Maybe keep it in your pocket for motivation. You are not alone.

Day 2- Ohio NFD

Well, the fd went fine food-wise. But, all plans went haywire. Toilet will end up getting fixed tonight… after the oldest gets home from work so we can hit the last place that may have the right lever. I am so looking forward to scrambled tofu. Been telling myself the past few days that would be my reward. Though donuts sound good too. Less work too. But, scrambled sodium bomb. Planning on surprising the kids by making pizza tonight. Then, there will be the old-school LAN minecraft party. Meaning, the kids will be playing in seperate rooms yelling at each other about the game they are on. It makes me laugh even more when you realise they have the microphones and headsets hooked up and turned off. Sends me back to when they were little and we would go to friends of mine to end up doing the same thing (take up a couple rooms and yell back and forth or call on the phone up or down between floors about the game). I’m also moving furniture around tonight, so having them not in my way will help.

@snowflake56 It’s not actually expected, but the majority of the waitresses ask me multiple times until I do order food about getting some. The farmers ask if I’m all right if I just have coffee. It’s different being the youngest of the “old-timers” at my age. The owner remembers when I would order hot chocolate and they would keep an extra can of whipped cream so I could have a second helping when I was little. He still tries to get his daughter to make me a cup when I come in! I wish I could do the fruit cup, but the mix has strawberries and/or kiwi, which I am allergic to. When I try to do the grits, I get overfull halfway through the bowl and feel sick the rest of the day. I just refuse instant oatmeal from constant in childhood. But, I discovered if I go to the other one across town, that owner is happy with me just having coffee (they have better decaf that is brewed before the regular). Yeah, I’m an original with that one too (summer high school band practices getting to town had me going there when they opened and the other one was closed from fire) but they open later, so I am in the cold longer. And what do you plan on putting in the space of the rhododendrons if anything?

@judyjudes I’m in the agreement of changing if you can or getting a specialist. If you can’t change, would you be able to send a complaint to NHS so they know the situation and maybe can have different options for you?

@daffodil2010 Ouch on the slip. Glad your friends were still concerned. Keep some ice and warmth on your knee while relaxing.

Day 2- Wales,UK FD

Hello all

Only started fasting on 21st January, have lost 11.5lb so far.
Have been a yo yo dieter all my life so hoping to get it off and keep it off this time.

Day 2 Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 NFD

@judyjudes have I missed your birthday? Very many happy returns, enjoy those treats 🍰💐

@russetfox congratulations on your successful start on 5:2, from a former yo yo dieter (now in maintenance) stay with us, this is a sustainable way of eating that ends ‘diets’ forever.

@daffodil2010 you fall sounds like me on a night out after a few 🍷😂 hope the bumps and bruises are better.

Have a lovely weekend everyone 🤗

Day 2 – Iceland – NFD

@snowflake56 @betsylee @michelinme thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words💕
After completely uncontrolled month, the first step towards fasting feels just a little heavy … today I ate both bread, cheese and chocolate, no idea how many calories, so unfortunately no fast 🐷 but I know that as soon as I can manage one good FD, I will feel great and it will be easy to keep on fasting. Big reset tomorrow! 🚨
Wonderful quote by Roald Dahl @snowflake56
@miraclelou – I like your goals for March! Good luck!
@judyjudes – really wish for you to find a competent and supportive doctor, you deserve better💕 And a very happy birthday! 💐
@michelinme – I am in a similar situation, It seems that I have been jojoing around 75-80+ for over 8 months! Hopefully March will be the month where we leave this plateau behind once and for all!
@russetfox – welcome to the forum and congratulations on a great start!
@aglowworm – the pocket list is just posted here, for example I could start a pocket list for tomorrow and then everyone who plans to fast can copy/paste and add themselves to the list:


Pocket List Day 3
@borealis 1st of B2B2B

Onwards and downwards!