USA. DAY 19. FD800

Have a great day, everyone! 🌞

Day 19 – Ireland – NFD

Thanks so much all! Better day today although I did take my temp earlier just in case 😬… all grand… tired and a bit wiped but all good. 👌

I’ve just skimmed posts
Happy travels @i-hate-lettuce!!

Onward and downward ⬇️
We rise by lifting others 💕

Day 20 – Ireland 🇮🇪 – FD

Trying again, my FD’s just are not working these past few months, so although I feel great physically and mentally, I still have that stubborn weight that will not move. I will persevere on, because although I am back to being overweight, something must be working well somewhere as I sleep well, skin is good, and my BP and other vitals are all fine.

So, as I do these days, when I cannot point to why things are they are, I blame my hormones and the “change”. I will persevere.

Thanks @stitchincarol, I did have a good day in work and the huge backlog got covered. Now I am on my own for two days as my colleague is off, so I am gearing myself up for busy times BUT I will not stress out.

@ songbirdme great to get a new haircut. I was blow drying mine this morning, and realised that mine has got far too long, it’s almost waist length…..luckily my hair is strawberry blonde and getting blonder with old age so I don’t get it coloured, but it’s a bit too long now for a lady in her mid 50’s! I will get the haircut soon……

Have a great day everyone. ☺️

Day 20 UK FD

I’m with you @daffodil2010 in staying static so I’m trying to do small changes , try and reduce by a 100 cals on NFDs and exercise a little bit harder/longer – we’ll see

Had my 2nd vaccine yesterday 😀

Pocket list day 20

@DVD
@brewster
@snowflake56
@jaifaim
@daffodil2010
@stitchincarol
@at FD800
@brightonbelle

Day 20 – USA/GA – FD

Weigh-in: 224 lbs. Yeah, I violated one of my refrigerator rules: “don’t force it down.” The tacos I ordered on Monday (two of three came home from the restaurant and were in my refrigerator) were really not that good (I think they slightly burnt the bacon, and were devoid of any seasoning other than massive amounts of salt), but somehow I convinced myself since I bought them at a sit-down restaurant, they have value and I just need to season them up myself correctly. Tsk tsk. Just because something is supposed to taste good — if it doesn’t and is loaded with calories, just pass it on to someone else!! Anyway, I’m learning…

Starting the last day of my 4:3 this week. Thinking of taking Monday off and doing one more 4:3 next week. Not my lightest Thursday ever, but seems to be my lightest post-NFD Thursday weigh-in. I haven’t hit 225 yet this week. I was just thinking last night, “what if I hadn’t started 5:2 last year?” I had lost 10 lbs between Feb. and May of last year, but was starting to trend upward, as I had always done. Judging from my past experiences, it would have been the slight dip before resuming old habits and skyrocketing upwards. These were normal patterns of attempts at weight loss, but I would still net 10 to 15 lbs of gain every year.

Based on that, I would think that the “non-5:2 path” me would weigh around 295 lbs today. Fortunately, that wasn’t me and today I weigh 224 lbs (well, 221 lbs yesterday, LOL)! Thanks for all the great support on this forum.

Pocket list day 20
@northgeorgia (ZBC)
@DVD
@brewster
@snowflake56
@jaifaim
@daffodil2010
@stitchincarol
@at FD800
@brightonbelle

Day 20 – Rural Nebraska, USA – FD

Whew! In a marked contrast to my attitude over the past several weeks, I’m so delighted it’s a FD today, and I know exactly what I will—and won’t!—eat. I must learn to tame my NFDs, but at least I’m feeling strong about FDs! 😇

My clothes closet is just outside our bedroom door and is a rectangular space that’s deeper than it is wide. Along the back is the rack to hang things. For years, in all the houses we’ve lived in, I’ve used a tall six-shelf bookshelf, bolted to the wall, to hold my sweaters and pants/jeans. Last night, as DH and I were getting ready for bed, I had just folded my jeans and slid them onto the shelf and returned to our bedroom when I heard an ugly and loud thump. I raced out to see–and the bolts had come out of their holes and the whole shelf had fallen over. Now, “over” isn’t very far because the opposite wall of the closet is there, and the door besides…but it’s definitely no longer attached, and all my clothes on all those shelves are now fallen off the shelves and piled on top of each other.

ugh.

We clearly can’t try to put the screws back into the holes where they were (complete with mollies, so it should have held), but there’s not much room to move the shelf from side to side. Like, only an inch or so. I’ll dig through clothes in that pile in order to get dressed this morning, and then this evening, the only solution is that we’ll have to shift the shelves and put in new mollies to bolt it back to the wall. It’s been there for fifteen years, so it should be fine again…but what a mess!

LOL, it’s always something, huh?

It’s another gloomy day today, and I’m getting very impatient for some sunshine, which is usually very reliable around here. It’s a busy day of work and piano lessons, so no gardening.

Have a grand day, everyone!

Day 20 USA – NFD

Got my 2nd Moderna jab this morning, and so far, feeling fine. The nurse said that side-effects are all over the gamut, so I’ll just wait and see what develops. Had some headache and fatigue from the first one. We were told to take Tylenol (paracetamol) after 5-6 hours then again at bedtime. I do plan to read in a little bit – working on “Eye of the Needle” (Kenneth Follett) that is quite riveting. But if I nap, that’s fine too.

@stitchincarol – on wow, I feel for you and your closet situation! Several years ago, our closet pole brackets came out, and we had quite a time repositioning the bolts to where they would hold without moving the whole thing too much. Good luck to you!

@brewster – sounds like you’re making terrific progress with our WOL. Losing 18 pounds in 2 months or so is great. I’m curious what kind of racing your DH does? Perhaps I missed a post of your about it before, and if so, sorry.

Onward and downward.

Day 21 – USA/GA – NFD

Well, those tacos from Wednesday and the late sodium-laden 400 cal OMAD last night made for a stubborn body weight this morning of barely 222 lbs. I did almost think, “is it even worth having a meal,” since it was already 7:15 pm by the time I got home last night. Anyway, I’m going to be mindful today and hope to start a new 4:3 on Sunday.

Weight matches last Friday’s. Still, the moving past 7-day average is a full 1.25 lbs lighter than the previous 7-day period.

I’ve already brushed my teeth, so I’ll make it a ZBC today.

@stitchincarol Oh no! I hope you resolve your closet disaster over the weekend!

@daffodil2010 Sorry to hear about the ongoing and upcoming stress in your life. Best wishes in the coming days!

@songbirdme I’ve known a few co-workers who came down with a slight fever and body aches the day after the Moderna shot. Hopefully, your side effects will be light and few in number.

Pocket list day 21
@dvw
@snowflake56

ZBC
@northgeorgia (NFD)

Day 21, UK. FD800

I would like people’s thoughts and advice please!!

Does anyone else find FD800 just so much easier than a FD500?

And if so, are they convinced they are just as effective as a FD500?

I can’t believe how easy an FD800 is becoming for me! It is pretty much identical to an OMAD.

Let’s face it, 650 calories for dinner is a pretty big dinner isn’t it?

(I knock off 100 cals for a teeny tiny bit of milk in drinks during day and also I like to come in 50 calories under the total amount, just in case I have mis-weighed or mis-calculated something!)

I am worried that I am finding it so easy! Thinking I must be doing something wrong???!!!

My only theory is that I am now succeeding because I have trained myself well recently:

(1) I now I routinely skip breakfast.

(2) I’ve done loads of OMADs recently. (I have discovered you have to do A LOT of OMADs to lose weight. Like 4+ OMADs per week….)

So whilst the OMADs are not a sustainable way of losing weight for me, I think I have trained myself really well to get to this point where I am finding it easy to do a FD800!

I am now really worried someone is going to tell me that FD800s aren’t all they’re cracked up to be! Or that I am somehow doing it wrong!!!!!!!!!

Would LOVE to hear people’s thoughts, thanks!!

Second post

@songbirdme I hope that malaise goes away quickly, and you’re restored to your normal self. 💖

@fivetwofan5252 I have personally not had success with OMAD (other than to mitigate how many calories I consume in one day), and have only occasionally used FD800 in the past, on Tuesday/Wednesday, between my Monday/Thursday FD500s. That was reasonably successful.

What I CAN tell you is how I pull off a FD500, and perhaps that will seem reasonable to you. I never eat breakfast anyway, so I simply skip lunch and do OMAD in the evening. That meal is sometimes creative, but a “standard” FD meal is a fish or chicken piece that I know the calories of–generally a plain fish filet (not breaded, in other words)–and cooked in a non-stick skillet with dry seasonings. I buy packaged salads that have calorie contents listed on them, and DH and split that; that often reaches as high as 300 or more calories each, but it’s a LOT, and the bulk is important to being satisfied. Then I almost always add in a steamed veggie like broccoli, green beans or summer squash; those are the lowest calorie veggies and add more bulk and variety. As long as the fish filet isn’t too big (and it can’t be salmon, as that’s too high in calories), the meal comes in under 500 calories, and is almost too much to eat.

So if you did something like that, and add in the calories for milk for your drinks, you’d still not be far above 500.

Where is the question coming from; are you not losing weight fast enough to suit you?

Day 21 MN/USA CD?

@stitchincarol – If your book case/ closet shelving unit fell forward, be sure to put shims under the legs in the front of the unit, on both sides, enough to gently distribute the weight towards the back/wall. That will help to keep it from falling forward, regardless of anchoring. Your floors might be uneven if it’s an older home.

I envy you having “random” gray hairs. I no longer color mine because within 3 weeks all roots show, and in the front and sides I am silver/white. I play with the idea of putting light color back in, but since my hair was always very dark brunette, I don’t think I have the skin tone for a blondish color. Anything darker than blonde, and the roots would still be a problem. I get compliments on the color of my hair (strangely, especially from young people who ask if I have dyed it that way, as some of them have been doing), and my DH says he likes it, so it seems I’ll just forget the hassle of coloring and be “au naturelle”.

Wednesday became a NFD. DH and I went out shopping for new clothing for DGD’s High School graduation reception and ceremony this weekend. Such fun! I bought several dresses just in case of different weather scenarios that might occur. LOL. Then we had our first dinner out in over 14 months. How I have missed that! I ate sensibly, but I must admit to a high calorie cocktail.

@songbirdme – DGD is graduating, not getting married, thank goodness! She will be off to Iowa State University this fall, and DH and I are looking forward to following their sports and attending games on the campus there. My DH is an alumni, and Ames is his old stomping grounds, so he is thrilled.
Also, very glad you’re doing well after second jab. My daughter said her second was less uncomfortable than the first…..she had Moderna.

Have a good weekend, everyone, if I don’t get a chance to post again later. Stay mindful, but enjoy!

Day 22, UK, ZBC

@songbirdme
@stitchincarol

Thanks so much for your comments on my FD800 questions! Really appreciated your thoughts.

I « only » have 6 lb to lose in weight but I am finding it really hard to get down the ladder back towards my old weight (pre Long Covid illness of 6 months)
Maybe menopause plays a part here, I don’t know….

I think I am feeling guilty because I am now finding FD800s strangely easy to do… but worried that I won’t see the reward on the scales!!

I think I am worried that an FD 800 regime will not work simply because it feels so easy to do!

I’ve been doing 5:2 (500) very successfully since 2013, and I have never bothered to count calories on my days off as the simple 5:2 regime has always worked for me in the past.

However my 5:2 FD 500 are pretty hairshirted and I just find that by contrast a FD800 actually makes a really nice meal, which is often so big that I can’t finish it and then my DH polishes it off!!

A fd800 also gives me great motivation during the day as I keep reminding myself that at 6pm I can make myself a really nice meal….

So I would love to hear other peoples thoughts as well…

But I’m going to keep experimenting with the FD 800s and see how it goes, it would be great to at last get back to my preCovid weight and still be able to eat treats at the weekend !!!!! 😀😀

Day 22 – Canada – NFD

Just a quick hello to everybody. Didn’t do all that well on my FD yesterday. I had a delicious protein bar late afternoon and it was 200 calories, yikes.

@snowflake56 – rainy overcast day here too. The perfect day to clean and tidy the garage. A chore I’ve been putting off.

@stitchincarol – auburn is lovely, I hope it turns out well.

Take care all.

Day 22 USA/DC FD
Oh my goodness, where have I been? Lost in the land of chaotic house renovations and mindless eating. Last night as I was going to bed I thought – whoa, girl, you better get back in the program and start paying attention to yourself! So I am back, thankfully. And ever so grateful you all are here.

Day 22 – Rural Nebraska, USA – FD500

I’m at least going to TRY for a FD. Saturdays are always a challenge for me, as I tend to want to “celebrate the end of the week” with a lovely meal. I want to do that on Fridays also, and the bulk of my extra NFD calories come from those two days for that reason. I’ve always been astounded by those on this forum who can successfully fast especially on a Friday, LOL! Yesterday was okay; I probably went over my planned 1200 calories (and clearly didn’t count to find out), but I didn’t suddenly decide to bake a pie, and I didn’t add in some high-calorie dish to dinner, and I didn’t have boatloads of nuts, so I’m feeling satisfied with yesterday’s behavior. This morning’s scale number was so attractive (150.0) that I thought, “I should fast today so it’ll be even lower tomorrow!” So, fingers crossed that I can pull it off; I’m working on my mental attitude as I type.

And the shelf is back up! We moved the shelf that’s bolted to the wall
( @northerndawn shims would do zero good as the unit is made of shelves with holes in each corner that four clothes poles fill; little dowels go in little holes in each pole to support the shelves, so shims would simply raise the front poles and make the shelves slant, but wouldn’t add any help not to fall away again. It’s actually a great design, easy to move, easy to build [we built three units when we were first married], but always necessary to bolt to the wall) and I’m slowly getting my clothes put back on it, a project that’s taking longer than if it’d fallen in, say, February, because I’m switching out from winter sweaters and long pants to capris and summer things. This is all probably far more detail than anyone cares about, but I do tend to chatter, LOL!

@fivetwofan5252 I’d say that, if you’re content with what you’re doing, stick to it! I can’t see it doing anything but succeeding given how easy you find it to follow! And whether it’s six pounds in the middle of the process or at the end of the journey, six pounds are hard. Period.

@northerndawn I’m liking my color, although it sure startles me every time I look in the mirror. It’s very subtle, but overall, it appears to be darker somehow. The gal who did it for me, who is BRILLIANT as a hair stylist and even more brilliant as a hair colorist, loved it (and I know she’d be honest with me because we’re friends), so I’m taking it as a good thing. Will I continue to do it is the question. Some of it is permanent and some is a rinse, so we’ll see what changes happen over the next weeks and months and then decide.

@snowflake56 Wow! You have a veritable orchard! Your yard is clearly far larger than I’d ever imagined! All that you’ve listed is roughly what I dream of having when DH retires in three or four years, but I’m assuming I’ll have to plant them myself and then wait for them to mature…unless we’re able to find a place that already has a “veritable orchard.” 👍😁

@nellen Welcome back! Tell us about the renovations…

@northgeorgia You’re clearly doing something right if, after all those leftovers, you’re still at 222; well done.

Pocket list Day 22
@stitchincarol
@nellen

Busy day of tidying the house today (I’ve let it get rather messy) and finishing up shifting winter and summer clothes. It’s overcast right now, but we’re to have some sun, and the wren is singing outside, so life feels quite lovely.

Good luck, everyone, achieving your goals and sticking to whatever eating plan you’ve designated for today!

second post

@songbirdme I’m so glad you’re feeling so much better today

What were all the tips on how to prepare for the first jab so that it has as little impact as possible?

third post

@songbirdme Thanks for those details; they’re all helpful. With organ playing in the morning, and especially since I want to play my best for Pentecost, I was too apprehensive to schedule the appointment for today, so it’s tomorrow afternoon. That gives me Monday to be “sick” but still to garden as much as I can, moving that arm, and then be fine in time to do the blood drive all day on Tuesday. That’s my plan, anyway, LOL!

@songbirdme Thanks for the encouragement. Have you heard that the new Red Cross guidelines say that, as long as you’re fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask when you donate? Looking forward to that at our July drive! I was hoping to have this all done and effective by the time I go to a convention in late June, but I’ll be a few days shy of that because I didn’t start the process quite soon enough…time is flying faster than I’m realizing, LOL!

USA. Day 23. FD

Snowflake56, maybe you are right! Maybe some of it is water weight but I should be losing more weight given how much I have been eating. Looks like celebrating being able to do more things now, since we have opened up more with all those vaccinations, is more than my 5:2 can handle, so I am back to a dry few months! I think I will drink again once I have lost the weight.

NorthGeorgia, I am suffering with clothes that are a bit too tight, too. I had plans to swim with my grandson and now I am considering not wanting to wear a bathing suit. I WILL change that! I am joining you on today’s pocket list.

Pocket list day 23
@northgeorgia (500/600FD+ZBC)
@ccco

Have a geat Sunday, everyone!

Day 24 FD country west Australia
Not exactly the day for a fast with a temp of 11ºC forecast – our lowest in months!! And only 4ºC last night. So I am sitting in front of the heater with a woollen blanket on my knees
Hopefully the shivering will add to calories lost!!
@songbirdme et al, it is interesting to hear of your reactions to the vacc.
I am still waiting for mine as it is only available in one town close to us at present and getting in to see the doc is pretty difficult. 😲
We have been so fortunate in Australia and especially in WA that I think a lot of people have become complacent as I am astonished at the number who say they are not going to bother getting vaccinated!! 😳😳🤔
@stitchincarol I hope the closet revamp goes safely and well.
@fivetwofan5252 I have just started cooking from the Fast800 cookbook again and I too cannot believe how tasty the meals are and how large the servings. But I am still doing FD500 on my 2 FDs a week and using the 800s for my CDs/NFDs.
I do have a LOT of weight to shift but this is working quite well for me ATM.

A young friend who needed to lose some weight last year used the Fast800 method and lost 5-6kgs quite easily. But I guess it depends what they were eating pre800.
With all this blathering I think I am actually concurring with what others have said – do what works for you!😁
@ccco, I think I might have to go dry July through to dry June from now on 😞. I have had a few episodes recently where ONE glass, yes just a single solitary not very big glass of plonk has ended me with a ferocious migraine.
It has happened on the last few occasions sadly so am experimenting with just a mouthful of DH’s wine .Which is less than satisfactory but I simply do not want to be bed ridden as happened last weekend after a glass of bubbles at a work ‘do’.🤯
@snowflake56 I am very envious of your garden. We had a very dry summer last year as were the previous 3 and our house dam went salty resulting in me madly watering everything in the garden – and killing most of it with salty kindness!!
However we have had a beautiful autumn with lots of rain so planning to start over….
Nothing absolutely NOTHING beats the taste of homegrown fruit and vegetables.🍎🍑🍓
Besides which , I don’t know what it is like in the northern hemisphere, our supermarkets seem to get in produce that is picked way too early.
I had to throw out a whole pineapple yesterday. It looked fine on the outside but when cut it was brown all through.
As were the plums I also bought but managed to salvage by stewing up the ‘ not brown’ bits.😟
The pears 🍐I bought 2 weeks ago are still solid as bullets and green waiting to ripen….
(Apologies for the rant.)
@nellen welcome back
Onward and downward😁

Day 23 USA – NFD

Today was pretty quiet, ate fairly normally. I hope to catch up on posts and respond more tomorrow.

Onward and downward.