Day 15 Oxfordshire, UK – CD
Lovely sunny day here. Will head to the garden centre later. Hopefully it won’t be too busy.
Weigh in today saw me back at the start of the month, which is ok ish, I had hoped for more but I think I had seriously derailed. So today I’m aiming for a CD which allows me 1100 cals. Could be lower if I don’t have any wine.
Need to be careful today as we have ordered a meal from a local restaurant for tomorrow.
Off to do a Leslie Sansone walk while DH goes for a run. This will be the most impact I have given my hip over the last week, so I’ll see how it feels.
Enjoy your day, whatever it brings.

Day 15 UK West Yorkshire – NFD watching a programme on Prime called Muscle & Medals, I wonder how many of these guys are on the 5:2? I keep thinking if I should just do a water fast next time. Though the thought of no food and just water is very daunting. But in for a penny in for a pound.

Day 14/15 UK FD

So fasted every day this week till dinner so 5 in a row. Feeling very virtuous but the weekend beckons! Seems there’s a few new “faces” joined the forum.. Welcome all and it’s one of the best things you’ve done! A really helpful and supportive group hauling us back up onto the wagon when falling off threatens!

I’m really hoping to reach my target by the end of May but have recently thought that I might revise that downwards! There’s a fair bit of excess still clinging to these bones. Anyway, need to get there first.

Hoping to keep to my resolve to keep to the plan for the whole month!

Here is the article about healthy carbs – looks like anyone outside the USA could not open it:
4 Best Carbs for Weight Loss
By K. Aleisha Fetters | April 8, 2019
Yes, carbohydrates can help you reach your weight loss goals—as long as you choose them wisely. Add these to your grocery list.

Carbs make you fat.
It must be true. Every story about “how to lose weight fast” says so. And with all the trendy low-carb diets—from Atkins to paleo to keto—they’ve got to be bad, right? Not exactly.
Carbohydrates are incredibly important to your health. In fact, as your body’s main source of energy, they’re an essential part of an overall healthy diet. And when you eat the right kind of carbs (more on that later), they can actually help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“In my experience, many people look, feel, and perform better when they increase their carb intake,” says Caroline Juster, C.P.T., an elite trainer at Fitness Formula Clubs Union Station in Chicago. “My clients often find they have more energy throughout the day, and they can train harder during their workouts.”
Research backs it up. A 2018 study in Nutrients found overweight people who increased their intake of both carbohydrates and fiber from whole, complex sources, lost weight and improved body composition.
“A lot of fad diets focus on making carbs the bad guy, but it’s important to know that all of the macronutrients—carbs, protein, and fat—play an important role in a healthy diet,” says Tara Gidus Collingwood, R.D.N.
The key is knowing how much you’re eating overall and which foods within each macronutrient category will help you reach your goals, she says.
An easy way to make sure you’re getting enough but not too many carbs is to check portions using your hand. One serving of carbohydrates is about one cupped handful, Gidus Collingwood says.
Most women need one serving at each meal, while men need closer to two. Of course, the exact amount of carbs you need every day depends on your body and goals. You can also talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian for guidance, especially if you have a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes.
As for what kind of carbs to eat, the less processed, the better. Limit crave-inducing carbs that are high in sugar and low in fiber, like candy, cookies, crackers, and chips. Instead, turn to these nutrient-rich options for superior weight loss and health.
Healthy Carb #1: Whole Grains
Grains come in two varieties: whole and refined. Whole grains are those that come packaged largely as nature designed. They contain all of their original parts, including the bran, germ, and endosperm.
This means the grain is packed with fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, and even some protein and healthy fats, Gidus Collingwood says.
“All of these nutrients are linked to better health and body composition,” she says.
Refined grains, however, do not contain at least one of these three parts. Generally, the refining process removes the bran and germ—along with the bulk of the grain’s nutrients. Fiber, in particular, helps the digestive system work well.
That may help explain why a 2017 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found your body uses up more calories for basic functions when you consume whole grains in place of refined ones.
To find whole grains, don’t just read the front of the package. Look for the word “whole” on the ingredients label, Gidus Collingwood says. Examples of whole grains include:
Whole wheat bread
Whole grain pasta
Oats
Barley
Brown rice
Quinoa
And remember to always keep portions in check. If you consume more calories than your body needs every day—whether or not carbohydrates are involved—you can gain weight.
Healthy Carb #2: Fruit
Fruit is packed with a type of natural sugar called fructose, which can make anyone who’s heard of high fructose corn syrup cringe. But they’re different: High fructose corn syrup is an added sugar that’s used in sodas and processed foods. It adds calories but doesn’t add any nutrients.
Research actually shows fruit reduces excess weight and promotes healthier body compositions, according to one comprehensive Nutrients review.
This is likely because even if bananas and candy both have sugar, bananas still have a lot less, Gidus Collingwood explains. For example, a medium banana has 14 grams of natural sugar, but a regular bag (2.17 ounces) of Skittles has 46 grams of added sugar.
Plus, the banana comes with vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber that helps stabilize blood sugar, Gidus Collingwood says.
“I recommend everyone get at least a couple servings of fruit every day,” says Juster, who chooses fruit as an energizing pre-workout snack.
If you’re concerned about blood sugar—or just want to stock up on lower-carb fruits—great options include strawberries, peaches, pears, apricots, and kiwi. All are low in carbohydrates and sugar, and they also contain soluble fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream so you avoid spikes.
Healthy Carb #3: Pulses
Beans, peas, and lentils—part of a group of foods called pulses—are not only rich in complex carbohydrates like fiber, but they’re also a great source of protein. Together, fiber and protein help you feel fuller longer to prevent blood sugar crashes and overeating, Gidus Collingwood says.
A 2016 analysis found people who added a single serving of pulses to their daily meal plan lost an average of 0.75 pounds over the course of six weeks—without even trying to change anything else. It’s subtraction by addition!
Stock your pantry with:
Lentils
Beans
Peas
Chickpeas
Plus, check out these delicious pulse-based recipes:
Savory Mashed Chickpea Scramble
Baked Chickpea Cakes Over Sesame Mixed Greens
White Bean and Kale Soup
Healthy Carb #4: Dairy
“A lot of people don’t think of dairy as a carb, but both milk and yogurt are great sources of whole carbohydrates,” Gidus Collingwood says. And, yes, research suggests they can help you lose weight.
Case in point: An International Journal of Obesity review of 12 studies found people who increased their dairy intake while also cutting back on total calories lost about 1.6 more pounds from fat than people who stuck to low-dairy diets. It also found eating or drinking more dairy without scaling back on total calories doesn’t help with weight loss.
What that means: You can’t rely on dairy alone to lose weight—but you also don’t have to cut out dairy when you’re trying to slim down.
And you may not want to. Milk and yogurt are rich in calcium and protein, as well as vitamins B6, B12, and D, Gidus Collingwood says.
If you’re turned off by dairy for any reason, be sure to include nondairy sources of calcium in your diet, such as broccoli, canned sardines with soft bones, or calcium-fortified cereals.

Day 16-Lake District UK- NFD

Good morning everyone

@daffodil2010 – glad to hear you’re getting out and on the wagon again, I can’t manage without my daily fix, even if it’s a quick MOAM walk!

@flourbaby – @beck100 – The ‘demon drink’- most of us like a drink or two, but it really doesn’t help with weight loss. Quite a few on here have started limiting alcohol intake, me being one of them, only one or two evenings a week and even then, not as much! Looking back through my diary notes (unsurprisingly) holidays, where good food and alcohol consumption are not ‘regulated’ the Inner Warthog is out of the cage and the weight gain is incredibly quick! Luckily I’ve found that straight back on the wagon will get rid of it reasonably quickly. But it still takes 3 weeks to ‘recover’ from a 2 week holiday!

@basyjames – Nooooooooo, don’t do it, Jaffa cakes, you won’t stop at one! Easier to avoid altogether, although I quite like @JudyJules way of serving them!?! Well us boys would 😉

We’re very lucky living here, not very far from us is an excellent plant nursery, plants grown ‘on the premises’ top quality stuff and they specialise in hardy herbaceous plants. They’re re opening soon and I’ve dug up a few very old shrubs during lockdown, so I’ve some gaps in the garden need filling.
Funny how I’m looking forward the the nursery opening but not the clothes shops…

Warmer morning today, off for a walk, then BBQ and lazy afternoon in the garden.

Take care all

Day 16 Oxfordshire, UK – FD
Garden centre was very civilised. Everyone keeping their distance etc. bBought some plants which will be planted today.
Leslie Sansone is great. I really enjoyed her 3 mile fat busting walk. I think I’m smiling the whole time, especially when she quacks.
Other than collecting out meal from our local restaurant today will be a quiet day , enjoying our garden and reading. Hay fever seems to have come out of nowhere this morning too.
@songbirdme – thanks for the article.
Enjoy your day

Day 16 UK NFD

Morning all Feeling chilled , had a lovely evening sat in the garden having a few beers yesterday I agree @i-hate-lettuce & @flourbaby Drinking should be avoided when trying to loose weight but I’m fine with a sloooow loss Its all about finding what works for you

@funshipfreddie Love Adriene I’m doing the 30 days during May

Day 16, London, UK, NFD

Not a great start to the weekend, I didn’t sleep at all last night due to a dreadful toothache!! My dentist is closed of course, but I’ve started a round of antibiotics (Luckily, I had these for my mum when her crown fell off in March) and taking anti-inflammatory drugs at will!!

Fasting would probably be a good idea, but I’m feeling too sorry for myself for that level of discipline …………………. I’m currently considering deadening the pain with a bottle of vino!!!

Have a great weekend folks!!!

Day 16 Fleetwood NFD
Hi everyone, quiet day today, trying to stay within calories.
SongBirdMe Thanks for the info on carbs,I couldn’t open the link so it was very interesting, I knew about fruit but not dairy.
@flourbaby Nothing worse than toothache you have my sympathy. Neat whisky held on the tooth helps me.
Louiselou02 welcome to the forum, you’ll find it very supportive.
Stay safe.

Thanks for the welcome. Yes I’ve had to resist opening a bottle of wine tonight after a tiring day with baby. Also know that if I drink wine my eating will be crap tomorrow. G and T doesnt seem to be quite so bad tho 😉

But a zoom party sounds like a good excuse 🙂

Day 17 Melb Aust TDEE
Day 16 TDEE
Day 15 FD800
Day 14 CD

Doing okay this month so far – have lost 2.6 kg already, so may actually make my monthly weight loss goal.

@michelinme, so glad to read that you’ve really turned a corner and are starting to feel better. I now weigh 157.1 lbs, so have I caught up with you yet? Not sure who is snapping at whose heels 🙂 .

@flourbaby, hope the antibiotics have kicked in so the toothache is less. That’s a nasty pain.

Interesting reading of everyone’s comments re others who’ve probably had Covid-19 but not been tested. It’s hard to know now, as the antibody tests are not very reliable. Testing for active infection is very accurate, but not the tests which check if you’ve HAD the virus and recovered.

Here in Australia, testing for active cases is ongoing and prolific, as the various States want to safely begin easing restrictions. I can finally visit friends, yay! Up to 5 people can visit someone’s house now, and 10 people can meet outside, but always maintaining social distancing. Not sure my neighbours got that message though – think they had a party last night, as the music started at 7 p.m. and didn’t stop till 3:30 a.m. (volume lower after midnight, but still audible). I’m somewhat sleep-deprived as a result. Oh well, can only hope that no-one present had the virus.

Okay, back to weight loss – we’re just over halfway through the month, so let’s keep the feet on the accelerator and go for it.

Day 17 – Lake district UK – NFD

Good morning everyone

What a day yesterday, plan was walk, once home BBQ and loaf around in garden.
The walk turned out to be a long one, one we got to the top of the village we were pretty much off road. Mrs IHL suggested a new walk I’d had my eye on for a while, a mixture of woodland, open pastures, an old Pele Tower, moorland and disused quarry. Ended up wandering for just over 4 hours and covering eight and a half miles! The calories burned according to Fitbit ware brilliant, all done on a cup of coffee and a banana!
However when we got home, after a late light lunch, didn’t stir very far and postponed the BBQ until today!

@funshipfreddie – They seem to have been incredibly restrictive in SA, hope it works and they ease things soon!

@brightonbelle – Totally agree, I’ve settled on losing weight slowly, making the 5:2 WOL work for me, I think my one day a week off helps, but how things change. Never been one for ‘sweet’, much prefer savoury, but even on my ‘day off’ I’m no longer ‘face down in the trough and swimming in a vat of wine’…..

Take care all

Day 17 Oxfordshire, UK – NFD Oops, typo, yesterday wasNFD. Sorry to let you all down. But last night we ate our meal from a local restaurant. It was delicious, indulgent and way too much. Will definitely do it again but just not that often.
So today will be NFD but hopefully not over TDEE.
Off to walk the dog then finish the gardening from yesterday. So will catch up with posts later.
Enjoy your Sunday.

Day 17, London, UK, NFD

Another NFD for me, I don’t have the energy for a FD. Maybe tomorrow?

Thanks for the well-wishes regarding my tooth, last night I slept well and pain free having started the antibiotics and after 2 Ibuprofen. I actually thought I had cured it!!! LOL ………………… just wishful thinking, ’cause it’s back with a vengeance this morning, so still popping tablets & hoping they kick in soon.

Stay well everyone!!

Hi Day 6 NFD – approx 2000 cals, Day 7 NFD – treat day but not gone too crazy, now I’m on Day 8 FD 500 cals, stuck too, though can’t wait for the morning – starving!! Will weigh too so fingers crossed!

Day 17 UK NFD

Better day after recent EFS. Somehow I’d forgotten that in the midst of my yuckness I *may* have been shopping in the Hotel Chocolat sale, and it *may* have arrived on Saturday….

Enjoyed pottering in the garden today again – nothing huge bc I’m still easily wiped. But staked the tomatoes I planted out yesterday, and cleared some containers to plant cosmos. Small signs of progress in the jungle of the garden & chaos of my life. Tomorrow – the desk 🙁 I don’t even know what there is to do so that would be a good start!

@betsylee It’s not my usual weighday but this morning I was 158lb – so yes, you’ve nudged ahead!! Well done on your amazing 2.6kg already this month 🙂

@shinything thank you. Lovely to see you here again 🙂

@flourbaby poor you! I hope the anti-inflammatories are working, the antibiotics help & tooth settles down asap. Maybe worth ringing to get some dental advice? xxx

(I was due to have a broken tooth extracted & a bridge fitted in March. Bridge made but extraction delayed bc I had what GP thinks was coronavirus.. and then we went into lockdown. Luckily it doesn’t hurt v much at all)

Early start tomorrow and unexpectedly full day… I’ve finished my antibiotics so aiming for a FD as long as I’m feeling well. There’s still half the month left to use well 🙂

Whatever the day brings, go gently x

Day 18 Australia FD
Hi Everyone, It is Monday morning here in Australia. A very sunny Autumn day , having said that the radio weather forecaster announced today that this is likely to be our last sunny day for a while. I didn’t like that. I’ve been away for a few days at Phillip Island, a beautiful spot that looks as though it is waking from a long sleep with people arriving to take advantage of lighter covid 19 restrictions.

I have managed to stay on the 5:2 but the loss of weight for me is slow and steady to almost stopping even though I am sticking to the diet on FD and mindfully eating on NFDays!

I say to myself…….the great thing is I am not putting on weight, I’m walking regularly and am about to start riding my bike. My neighbour who is 70 learned to ride her bike as part of rehab following a stroke! Can you believe that???
Anyway I’m still on board and want encourage you all to hang in together.

Day 18 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – FD

Here we go into May – Part 2! I’m going to try regular 5:2 this week. Life’s too short to do 4:3 indefinitely, & I’m pretty much at my goal weight anyway. If I can just behave myself on NFDs…. 🤔

@i-hate-lettuce – I had to Google ‘Acer’; my Chromebook is an Acer, & I didn’t know there was another kind. My Acer would look really silly in a rockery 😁

@daffodil2010 – you’re conspicuous by your absence! Come out, come out, wherever you are!!

Happy fasting, fellow 5:2ers!

Pocket List – Day 18 🍏
@dykask
@aussiejill
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie

Day 18, UK, FD

Really looking forward to today! Didn’t have a loss on the scales last week which was a little bit demoralising, considering I’m pretty certain I didn’t overeat on my NFDs. So, I’m picking myself up this week, being kind to myself, sticking out the fast today, and being extra aware on my NFDs. And fingers crossed by the end of the week there’ll be some movement (down!) on the scales.

Good luck to all today’s fasters, we can do it!
x

Day 18 Fleetwood FD
Cold miserable day in Lancashire, walked the dog as usual but not pleasant. Good luck to all other fasters.

Second post day 18

@funshipfreddie – The Acers (now planted) are a Japanese Maple, the variety Orange Dream. They’re just stunning, already have a mature one, really bright in spring and summer, but in Autumn, they really are bright orange.

@suki2 – The garden is not particularly big, but plenty to see, we invested in an elevated decking area a few years ago, it really is the place to sit having a bbq and a glass of two.

Day 18 Canton OH FD
Saturday and Sunday were over indulgent unfortunately. I had made really good progress by Friday and then kaput with 2 giant chocolate chip cookies that my daughter made and at last 3 glasses of sweet red
And here I am on Monday…feeling regretful about my poor choices and determined to do better
@i hate lettuce I love the idea of your garden
@flourbaby feel better! Toothaches are the worst!
@louiselou02 welcome! Everyone has a slower time dropping the weight the second go around. Hang in there, if you are consistent with your efforts, the weight will come off
@michelinme so glad that you are felling better
@saffy420 that is not an insignificant loss! Condolences and virtual hugs
@jaifam and @brightonbelle, I am planking as well with a group pf friends for the next 30 days starting today
Pocket List – Day 18 🍏
@dykask
@aussiejill
@i-hate-lettuce
@funshipfreddie
@suki2
@endellion
@brightonbelle
@songbirdme
@basyjames

Day 18 UK FD

There – I’ve said it now so it much be a FD! Not eaten yet & feeling a bit yuck but planning on plodding on. Overtired and an an overfull day – pacing could be improved as well as fasting.

Going to have a cuppa in the front garden before prepping supper. Don’t want to waste the relative warmth that’s not yet hot – a ocuple of days are going to be 22C which can get a bit toasty out front. (Back garden not as accessible – not least bc neighbour is doing a roof extension!)

Got some lovely cajun-spiced tomato & spinach sauce left over from Saturday to have with red lentil pasta and fresh salad. What’s not to love?

Hold fast, fellow fasters. We’ve got this 🙂

Ahh ok @basyjames good to know thanks!