Mid-60s. Canadian. Monday & Thursday fasting. No excuses.

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MaryWWriter

8:53 pm
3 May 15
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I’m a writer who lives in Canada. I have a lot I want to do with my life every day, and I just turned 65, so the benefits of intermittent fasting are for me. I started 1.5 weeks ago (on a Thursday) and tomorrow will be my 4th fast. I’m down about 5 pounds.

I have been on just about every diet in the universe at one time or another. They all work. You just have to have your head in the right space (and then keep it there ;)) I’ve even written a novel about a woman who can’t stick to a diet until she gets her life together.

I’m not horrifically overweight right now compared to a lot of people (I would benefit a lot if I got rid of 30 lbs, so that’s my goal, but if I lose much more than that I suspect I’ll look about 100. I’m not into major CR) but I want to get the excess off so I can really enjoy the last half (!) of my life. I have places to go and things to do, and I want to reduce the impact of my arthritis and keep my brain sharp. I am fortunate not to have issues with cholesterol or blood pressure at the moment, and I want to keep it that way.

I read an article about Françoise Wilhelmi de Toledo in the Telegraph, and then I read the book called The Fast Diet: Revised and Updated. So here I am. I have looked at the forums and see that everyone is talking about TDEEs and so on. I’ve tracked my current stats, but I’m not worrying about what I eat on my non-fast days for now. When the weight-loss slows, I’ll worry about that. I eat three well balanced meals most of the time anyway, so it’s really just treats I need to cut out if and when that’s necessary.

I also want to get into the workouts but due to some recent (minor) surgery I have to hold off on that for another week.

For now, I’m sticking to 500 calories in two meals (200 at 8 a.m., 300 at 8 p.m.) Monday and Thursday, and I’m not going to vary that routine (unless it’s to move one of those days to a Tuesday or a Friday, due to some event I can’t avoid) until I’m at my goal weight. The biggest and most important part for me is not varying the fast-day routine: two days a week. No excuses.

My third fast day, last Thursday, was the hardest so far, but I survived. I get a lot more work done (more writing and editing) on fast days because it helps me to distract myself. I know I’m fortunate not to have a family I have to feed: my partner comes home from work about 7 p.m. so we still have supper together even on the fast days.

So here I am. Just thought I’d say hello from Canada. 🙂 I know from reading your posts and the book that soon fasting will become a welcome habit. Hoping to hear from others who are being bloody-minded about sticking to the routine until that happens.

Kathcan

1:31 am
4 May 15
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Hi MaryWWriter. I am also in Canada, but the similarity doesn’t end there. I am almost 63 and started the 5:2 the same day as you, same fasting days, Monday and Thursday. I have been following the forum and found it to be very positive and supportive. In the past I have been very fit and kept a healthy diet for many years, but since I started working from home and not going to the gym, I have put on weight that I never had before. Since I began the 5:2 diet, I haven’t seen great results but I will keep trying. Now that Spring is finally here, I will be “eating less and moving more” as I like to garden. What part of Canada are you in? I am in S. Ontario near Kingston. I would like to hear from you and also the others on this great forum.

Sandi-Ann

5:05 am
4 May 15
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Hello MW, I live in regional Australia, have just turned 65 and commenced the 5:2 diet last week as I have been diagnosed with late onset asthma and have been prescribed corticosteroid medication. I am uncertain if the drugs will impact my weight but have decided to try the diet. I am overweight in any case and hope to lose 10kgs initially.
I have a friend who has been extolling the virtues of the 5:2 diet for 12 months, he also does Fast Exercise and feels it has been very effective. Certainly he has shed all excess weight. When I bought the book last week, I found that the diet has a positive effect on asthma, so here is hoping.
My experience thus far, I have not found the fast days difficult, now on my 3rd day today. Having said that, am feeling rather teary and shaky today, ever onwards. For me, the biggest problem has been with insomnia. I retired from a very stressful job in 2014 and was an insomniac for a number of years. I had only just restored a reasonable sleeping pattern so I am checking out options to overcome the current issue, do not wish to slip back into that.
On the other 5 days, I have tried to limit my calorie intake, the problem once again, my sleep pattern. I have decided it is best to not limit so much on the 5 days, hoping that helps. It may be that my body goes into ‘flight’ mode and pumps out too much adrenaline with too much calorie limitation.
I actually responded to your post this morning from my iPad but it has not been listed, so it is somewhere in the ether.
Best wishes MW for your efforts, I do hope you can achieve your goals. SC

MaryWWriter

1:22 pm
4 May 15
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Hi, Kathcan (great username!)

I’m in Toronto, so I can imagine how eager you are to get into your garden! It’s been quite a winter. I grew up in London (ON) but lived in Alberta from the time I was 14 until I was 60. I decided to move back after both my sons grew up and left home (and left Edmonton). Now one lives in TO and the other moved back to Edmonton after living in Calgary for quite a while. So I have two granddaughters in Edmonton and three grandkids here: including fraternal twins, age 6 months!

Working at home is hard on the figure — I’ve done it for many years, off and on. I feel like it’s now or never to get this weight off and keep it off, because so many people my age are starting to feel the irreversible effects of various diseases and I feel like I’m just getting started on all the things I want to do. So I’m sticking to 5:2 for a lot of the side-benefits and the weight loss isn’t front and centre, which makes it easier I think.

I guess you’re on a low-cal day today. I just had 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 tbsp walnuts and 1/2 cup strawberries, which was pretty much of a feast. I know things will get difficult mid-afternoon, but I’m ready to tackle them one minute at a time.

Great to have some buddies here! Thank you so much for the welcome.

(I’ll respond to Sand-Ann separately.)

MaryWWriter

1:38 pm
4 May 15
Permalink

Hi, Sandi-Ann

I have not yet visited your massive country but I really want to! Where are you? My elder son is a biologist and he’s been to your west coast, and I have friends who have lived in AU for extended periods of time. One of the best parts of the Internet is meeting people from all over the world. (I saw some here from Wales the other day: My father was born in Abertillery, but that’s another story…)

I am also an insomniac but I gave up on trying to do anything about it about two decades ago and have been on zopiclone (a small dose that I never change) ever since. They say that if you stay on it too long, you become dependent. My feeling is, if I am getting a good sleep and am able to do my work the next day and not worry about sleeping, then who cares if I am hooked? But I know that many people do not agree with this approach to pharmaceuticals.

I found the third fast the hardest so far: not sure why. I also felt weepy and wobbly that day, but I hung in there. Two days later I came down with a cold (probably caught it from my grandkids). So maybe that explains why I was feeling lousy.

I’m not sure whether your fast day is over yet (that’s one fun thing about being on the Internet — figuring out the time differences). I guess that depends on where in AU you are. I’m at UTC-4 so it’s 9:35 a.m. now. Better get to work!

I have to follow your example and eat moderately on my non-fast days. I have been eating whatever I wanted to and I guess I’ve just been lucky to have lost a few pounds. Must be the “newbie” effect. 🙂

How great to have met some buddies of about my age on here! I love woman-power! We can do this together.

Till soon.

Warm wishes,

Mary

prairiegrass1

3:51 pm
4 May 15
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Hi there. I am 64, live in Missouri in the United States and am just starting this diet today. I would love to communicate with women in my general age group. It would be so encouraging to have fellow women to inspire each other. I have 40 pounds, at least, to lose. I’ve never weighed this much before and it’s affecting my health and my emotional well being. I feel so much shame I don’t even want to visit my doctor! Can I join up with you?

MaryWWriter

4:13 pm
4 May 15
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Absolutely, Prairie Grass1! No restrictions here (except for the food restrictions, of course!) We’re all in this together. Welcome!

prairiegrass1

4:15 pm
4 May 15
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Thank you!

Kathcan

4:25 pm
4 May 15
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Hi MW, nice to hear back from you. Yes, I’m fasting today. My breakfast was half a grapefruit. I won’t eat until dinner, which will be chicken soup made with my own stock so not sure what the calories are exactly. Very frustrated this morning to find my weight back up again but will keep going. Apart from spending so much time at the computer, part of my problem is likely my fondness for wine.

Hello also to Sandi-Ann and Prairiegrass. Prairiegrass, don’t feel ashamed, you are doing something positive now.

prairiegrass1

4:57 pm
4 May 15
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Kathcan, sure understand the fondness for
wine.

MaryWW

8:48 pm
4 May 15
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(I wonder why my name has been changed by the forum gods. This is me: marywwriter.)

It’s 3:40 p.m. on my 4th fast day and I am hanging in here without major problems. I’m not feeling that great because of my cold. I’m not sure whether that helps or hurts with the fasting. 🙂

My grandmother had a saying, “Feed a cold, starve a fever,” but I don’t have a fever, so that isn’t going to happen today. I don’t know whether my grandmother’s saying is one she brought from the UK to Canada or learned it here (did you grow up hearing that saying, Kathcan?) And I’m wondering if people say the same thing in Australia or the US. Sandi-Ann? Prairiegrass1?

Hope your days are going well too.

Mary

PJBR

9:07 pm
4 May 15
Permalink

Mary WW,
Hi !
I live in BC. I have been reading and studying everything I can get hold of on the topic of fasting and LCHF eating.
My mother used to say that same saying but recently I read that if you fast when you have a cold, the recovery time is shorter. This is because of the growth/repair hormone which is increased with fasting. Drinking bone broth when fasting is beneficial, and we all know about Jewish penicillin (chicken bone broth) which has been cherished as a cure for flu and colds.

prairiegrass1

9:22 pm
4 May 15
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Heard that all my life too in the US, but no idea if it’s true. Chicken soup has actually helped in research trials. Hope your cold goes away soon!

MaryWW

9:32 pm
4 May 15
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Chicken soup sounds fantastic about now… but I’ll hold off until tomorrow. 🙂

PJBR in BC — I’m hoping what you read about the fast making the cold go away more quickly is true. I’ll keep you posted.

PrairieGrass1, how’s your first day going?

prairiegrass1

9:52 pm
4 May 15
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My first fast is tomorrow. Today, I have been moderate, which is often not in my vocabulary 🙂 Thank you for asking. Glad you hear how all of you are faring. Thanks for including me!

Kathcan

10:11 pm
4 May 15
Permalink

Hi MaryWW (strange that your name was changed!) I have heard that saying too, don’t know where it originated.

Meant to say how nice to have all those grandchildren. I will become a grandmother in September, pretty exciting!

Time for my chicken soup, finally.

Good luck tomorrow Prairiegrass.

Sandi-Ann

10:23 pm
4 May 15
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Good morning Mary, Kathcan, priariegrass1 and PJBR, at least from sunny Queensland Eastern Australia which is some 14 hours ahead of Canada.
It is good to connect with you all, and it seems we are of a similar age and have similar goals, YEAH!
I had my 3rd fast day yesterday, felt quite vulnerable but survived. I save my cals for my evening meal and have a miso soup at around 1pm. I am holding weigh-in until Friday which was my first weigh so here is hoping. Initially my scales read one thing which made me feel pretty good and then I hopped on them later and they were 2.5kgs heavier. I will use the heavier stat which I believe to be the accurate reading DRAT.
I guess in essence I feel pretty lucky, I live in a country where I can arrive at a space of needing to shed kilos rather than the opposite of seeking nourishment for survival, I can connect with this forum without barriers and am able to access help to achieve it all. I have found it so easy to pile on the kilos since menopause. I guess I was always so busy when I was working that dieting was one more thing I couldn’t take on. I have never been a slim person, must own that I always thought I was overweight. I recently went through old photos, my husband turned 70 and I was putting together a collage of his life to celebrate. Naturally I featured in many of the photos and when I saw them, I realised that I was completely normal and healthy, not overweight at all!! Dear me, the perceptions I have garnered up over a lifetime, it is good to be where I am at.
So, good luck with your efforts today, I do hope it all comes together for you, it is good to connect on our individual journeys.
Best, Sandra (my daughter calls me Sandi-Ann, a nickname, Sandra and Sandy were both taken so I thought, why not)

MaryWW

11:07 pm
4 May 15
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I think the fault in the name is my own — I must have signed up twice, and when it said “that email address is taken” I used one of my other ones. Duh. I wasn’t getting email notifications when I asked for them, so I figured I hadn’t signed up properly. I’ll try to sort it out — and I’ll have to figure out which name I want to keep. 🙂 maryww is more personal, I guess

Grandchildren are THE BEST. Very exciting for you, Kathcan. Is it your son or your daughter? Both of my kids are male, and I’ve thought how much more worrisome pregnancy must be when it’s your daughter who is going through it! My daughters-in-law are great women and survived it all very well — twice each, so far.

I think it’s best to weigh in once a week at about the same time — I find that I can go up and down like a yo-yo — but it’s so tempting to just see (and so discouraging when you’re up!) That’s another thing that confuses me. Even though we’re on metric in Canada, we still talk about our weight in pounds, so I have to multiply to figure out what 2.5 kgs is. And I am flummoxed when peoples start talking about “stone.”

Time to prepare my evening meal. Yeah! I’ve almost made it through fast 4.

PS. Sandi-Ann — I had the SAME experience exactly earlier this week with old photos. WHAT WAS I THINKING? I was nice and slim.

Till soon.

Sandi-Ann

1:40 am
5 May 15
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I don’t know about anyone else, but I sometimes feel like a dinosaur with technology, stuff happens and I wonder ‘what have I done now’. What appears to be that the simplest technological thing can take on a life of its own for me, consequently taking me much longer to get to where I want to be with it. Ever onwards!
Grandchildren are the greatest gift. I have seven – 2 boys and 5 girls, ranging from 17 down to 6. At the moment, since leaving work and refurbishing the house, I am coming to terms with ‘what do I do now’. My children, their spouses and children are all engaged in busy lifestyles and my husband is still working, hopefully finishing at the end of this year. Our children whilst living fairly closely have their own lives and are getting on with that. I am often feeling somewhat marginalised, but when I chat to friends it seems that it is a common feeling. I recently commenced life drawing classes, not having tried before, my efforts reflect my inexperience, so I think I will concentrate on that for a bit. It is a challenge to change to a slower pace I am finding, but I guess a good one for my health.
I slept last night after my fast. My doctor had previously prescribed melatonin tabs (not habit forming) for insomnia and then I added a magnesium tablet to relax my muscles, it worked. Like you Mary, at times I have been so desperate for a good night’s sleep I would take something believing it was more important to actually sleep than worry about dependency. I am very grateful that I am (I hope) over that particular challenge. It has been a long held wisdom that adequate sleep, proper nourishment and some exercise are the basis for good health. I am hopeful of achieving that at this late stage.
Cheers, Sandra

MaryWWriter

1:17 pm
5 May 15
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My goal today is to end up with only one name on this forum!

Sandi-Ann, I am so glad you got a good night’s sleep. I also slept really well last night and my cold seems to be retreating, so maybe the fast is responsible for both.

I weighed myself this a.m. and I’ve entered a new “decade” — not courageous enough to say which one, but the number of pounds I weigh ends in a 9, and I haven’t seen this decade for a couple of years, so I’m happy. It’ll probably go up again as I weighed after the fast but before my breakfast, but it’s motivating.

I know what you mean about being at loose ends as many of my friends are feeling the same way. I have my writing, as I always have, but have been plagued by fear recently that I won’t have time to do everything I want to do with my life before I start wearing out. So I started an online group called Success After Sixty with the idea that it could become a support network for people (particularly women) in our age group. I’ve posted a few videos on YouTube and set up a web page and a blog, but for the past few weeks I’ve been too busy earning a living to update it. I’m planning to do something about that this week. I’d be interested to know what you think. The first video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZftvT4YPuY

This is a non-fast day for me, which means that I have to be careful not to overdo it. I’m not restricting myself too much on non-fast days, however: two days of fasting is enough dedication!

Best,

Mary

Kathcan

3:20 pm
5 May 15
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Well, at least my weight didn’t go up this morning. My “official” weigh day is Saturday, but I do check it every morning. Once I see some real changes, I might be less obsessed. On fast days, I go to bed hungry and weary but wake up feeling good.

Wow, Sandi-Ann, 7 grandchildren! It’s my daughter, my youngest, who’s expecting the baby. I was a late-ish mother and so is she. My husband has 6 kids in the family and now all of their children are getting married and having babies.

I was always skinny when I was younger but my weight gradually started to creep up over the years. A couple of times I lost a lot, was going to aerobic classes and working out hard and eating little. Every time I put it on again it went even higher! My doctor told me that jogging or walking won’t help me lose weight. He told me I have to do extreme upper body strengthening. He told me about this diet.

I hope your cold is getting better MaryWW.

MaryWWriter

10:31 pm
5 May 15
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Thanks, Kathcan! Yes. I feel so much better today than I did yesterday that I am wondering if the fast really did help!

CarolB

1:15 pm
6 May 15
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Not mid 60’s im mid 50’s and live in Canada and work in the family business from home. I started intermittent fasting last April and have lost 30lbs most of it before July 2014. I then coasted until this spring and have been fasting again since end of April. I would like to lose at least 5lbs more but 10 would bring me to the weight i had in my 30’s. I do a brisk walk twice a week with a cousin and i also do extra walks and biking on my own. Fasting is the only way ive been able to lose weight and keep it off. It makes me much more observant of what i eat and i do not binge now. I am fasting from 6pm to noon on my off days as i read that the body has to go a certain amount of hours without food before it starts burning fat. I have 7 grandkids and two on the way. Nice to read all these posts!

MaryWWriter

2:17 pm
6 May 15
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Wow, Carol! You are a total inspiration to me!! It is so great to hear about people who are putting a plan to work and achieving their goals!

So far I’m not doing so well on the off days — it’s too much like a kid in a candy store — but I do notice that I’m thinking about what I am doing already so my behaviour will probably modify when I realize that this is not the last day in the universe that I will ever get to eat cake (or whatever it happens to be).

Today is not a fast day for me: tomorrow is the next one. I am still aware that I have a cold, but it’s not bad, so I am going to High Park in Toronto to look at the cherry blossoms, which are apparently at their peak today. One nice thing about working from home as a writer/editor is that I can occasionally play hookey. 🙂

My partner and I have six grandkids between us (five of them are my grandkids, one his, but they all feel like ours), with one on the way. I’m sooo glad I’m not the parent of young children any more, but I’m loving being a grandparent.

Have a great day, everyone!

MaryWWriter

2:19 pm
6 May 15
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P.S. I have got myself down to one name: I figured out what I did wrong, but then I eliminated the name I intended to keep. So just FYI to those reading earlier posts — MaryWW and MaryWWriter are both me.

prairiegrass1

5:32 pm
6 May 15
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Welcome Carol! You really are an inspiration. Good for all of us to hear. I pretty much failed my first fast day…did fine until about 5:30, when I found out my husband will be gone for 3 months to Germany on a consulting assignment! But, I will have 3 months with “no excuses”:) Have a good day, everybody. Anne

MaryWWriter

9:35 pm
6 May 15
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Tomorrow is a fast day PLUS I am helping out with my 3-year-old grandson and 8-month-old grandtwins (I think I said they were 6 months old earlier. I just counted. Time flies.) Until now, I’ve been pretty quiet on my fast days. I hope I can cope with all the activity and hunger too. Has anyone else found it makes a difference if you’re busy or quiet as to how the fast days go?

Yikes, Anne! That is not “failing.” That is dealing with a shock. Will you be able to go over there and see him at all? I have always wanted to visit Germany. (And a lot of other places) If my partner suddenly got a 3-month gig overseas, I don’t know whether I’d be more sad because I’d miss him, or furious enough to kill him.

The cherry blossoms in High Park were fantastic.

Kathcan

2:10 am
7 May 15
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Hi everyone. Mary, I find it better to be busy on fast days, like going for groceries, errands, etc., because it’s a distraction and the time goes faster. But what a handful with such young grandchildren! I hope it goes well. And, to answer an earlier question, yes,it is hard having your daughter being the mother, she has been very sick and ended up in the hospital dehydrated at one point. But it seems to be getting better gradually. BTW, I checked out your video, it’s great, very inspiring. I will look for your books.

Anne, I agree, that must be a disappointment for you; will he be away all summer? Maybe you can focus on the diet and give him a real surprise when he comes home – a transformed prairiegrass!

Carol, nice to hear from you, what part of Canada are you in? Do you find it hard to stop working when you’re working at home?

Sandi-Ann and PJBR, it’s good to hear from you too, this forum is growing. How is your 5:2 going? What do you like to eat on your fast days?

I’m working on a big meeting coming up, lots of arrangements, reports, etc. but will try to check in with everyone, it’s nice to hear from you. Tomorrow is another fast day and I do find it hard to concentrate on work on those days. Some good news though – my weight this morning was better finally, which is definitely encouraging. Do all of you have gardens? I find it very therapeutic working outside. The time just goes and I forget about eating.

MaryWWriter

12:45 pm
7 May 15
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Hi, Kathcan, and hi to everyone else!

I’ll let you know tonight how it goes with the childcare today. I try to do a day a week, and my son and his wife have got other people coming in one or two other days a week. I really only help — I don’t think I’ll be ready to manage all three for another year! (When the 3-year-old will be almost 5, and a little less work himself.) I don’t know how their parents do it. And the babes are just about to crawl.

I usually go over and play with my grandson during the afternoon. Sometimes we go out for hot chocolate (although that season is over now!) to a little coffee shop on the Danforth, and we find a spot on a sofa and he glugs down his hot chocolate and I sip coffee and we read books that I have brought. It’s a special time for the two of us. Maybe this afternoon I’ll take him to the park or the library — it’s a lovely day. It’s around 4 p.m. that things start to get nuts, when all three kids are tired and hungry. (I usually bring dinner, but they’re insisting that they’ll feed me today.) At that point, as I’m holding a fussy baby or supervising Sam’s bath, I feel like I’m really helping out. By the time the babes are asleep and my son gets home from work and puts Sam to bed, I’m about ready to collapse. The babies are both teething and have had colds, so their parents have had several sleepless nights. I admire them — especially since they still refuse to use “screens” as babysitters unless they are really really stuck. (Sorry. TMI about all the grandbabes. I hope that you skimmed it. 😉 )

I think I am down 5 lbs which makes me happy. I am always second guessing good weights (“I probably had more clothes on last time,” “It was later in the day last time…” etc.) but it’s good for my spirits. I’ll know I’m actually losing when my clothes start to feel a bit looser.

My partner and I are in a townhouse with a very small garden out front, most of which he takes care of. I have had big gardens with vegetables and everything in the past, but I’m happy to have less responsibility in that area now. I think my favourite part of gardening (believe it or not) is pulling weeds and pruning things (must be the editor in me), and I have enough of those here to keep me happy.

Have a great day, all! I hope things are going well for you, whether it’s a fast day or one of those other ones. (!)

CarolB

1:26 pm
7 May 15
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Thanks for the greetings! I am from Manitoba. Leaves are just starting to come out. Went on a 6km walk with my cousin. Just before i left my daughter-in-law called if i could watch my grandson for an hour while she roller bladed so i pushed the stroller down the trails taking turns with my cousin – a little more of a workout but it went well. Those new style strollers with big wheels are amazing! I would highly recommend searching for an exercise buddy – without one i always seem to find excuses. I also need one who likes to chat as much as me as that makes the time go by so quickly and pleasantly! I try to do a fast twice a week with saving my calories for supper at 5:30 and not eating afterwards. Some weeks its really hard when there are special occassions or social obligations and then i still do semi fasts by not eating between 6pm and 12 noon the next day. I use to be a breakfast person but am never hungry at that time now. Once in awhile we will do breakfast type foods for lunch or supper if we are craving bacon and eggs etc. i find if i eat before bed then i am hungry for breakfast. I tend to use decaf tea or coffee to “cut” the hunger – without cream or sugar. If i am going to go on a hike i will take a black decaf with a tablespoon of coconut oil. The coconut oil makes it that i do not get the shakes and feel weak when exercising but it apparently does not spike insulin.

CarolB

1:32 pm
7 May 15
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Kathcan – i find that i have a hard time juggling family and work. People think i am home so i am available for babysitting or visiting. At first this troubled me as i like helping and visiting. So now i will work in the evening to catch up. I’ve learnt over the years that life goes by so quickly and some of my loved ones have passed on and I wished i had spent more time with them. So now whenever possible and reasonable I try to put family and friends before work or house cleaning etc.

prairiegrass1

2:19 pm
7 May 15
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Hi everybody. I’m going to be gone for the day, so thought I’d check in first. Hope you all do well with the child care (gasp-I’m tired just hearing about it) and meeting prep and work from home and all the other busy lives you are leading. What a nice group of which to be part!
I must have made it sound like my hubby sprung this news about Germany on me, but I was full part of the decision.I can’t go with him-financially, but also I would be staying in a hotel room 5 days a week without a car and not speaking any German while he works…not a good plan. I live in a little house deep in the beautiful country. I have a garden and a cat and several projects lined up to complete this summer. And try to work on a new, improved me:) I think this forum of women will really help.
Have a good day everyone.

MaryWWriter

12:35 am
8 May 15
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Great to hear from you Prairiegrass1 aka Anne, and CarolB. Hi to everyone!

I made it through the day! I am worn out, but that is partly because it turned out that my grandson wanted some mommy time so I ended up playing with the babies and trying to keep them from having meltdowns. We all survived, and fortunately my son got home from work early tonight so I was able to come back and eat at home. Now I’m putting my feet up (an icepack on my lower back) and reading the end of a Colm Toibin novel, Nora Webster, which is simply wonderful.

So that’s another fast day successfully completed, and I am looking forward without guilt (!) to going out for dinner tomorrow night.

CarolB

1:15 pm
8 May 15
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Yesterday got a little mixed up and i ate about 1000 calories rather than the 500. I had been so good the last two weeks not eating after 6 but after my meeting last night i ate salted peanuts which are heavy on calories! I will try to get back on track with a full fast all day until 5:30 and then doing 500 calorie supper. The nice thing with this way of reducing calories is that if it did not work one day you can do it the next day. My weight is barely moving down now that i am within 5 lbs of my goal that i set last April. I’m thinking i need to start lifting weights as ive heard it helps with the last bit of weight. Its has taken more than a year mostly because i have taken breaks from the fasting and just counted calories. I yoyoed up and down 5lbs all winter until i got serious again end of april 2015.
Have a good day everyone!

ET64

4:25 pm
8 May 15
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Hi everyone, So nice to find a thread with women my age and some fellow Canadians! I am turning 65 this month, and like many of you I echo the phrase” weight I never had before”! I am 5’3″ and weighed 112 lbs most of my life. In my fifties my weight started climbing bit by bit, and when I got over 130 lbs I truly panicked. ( I use to panic at 116!!)
I too have been on every diet known to woman, always losing a little but then losing interest quickly. The FD interested me because being petite, I eat close to what diet books say to eat anyway, when I am not dieting! So diets, cutting out bits of food here and there, are too hard to manage. So I started the FD three weeks ago tomorrow, (at 133.6 lbs) and I have lost 5 lbs! I am thrilled, as this is becoming very manageable.
My second week was the hardest too- seems like a bump you have to get over. My routine: I generally wait until I am hungry, which is usually 11 AM or so, today is a FD, so I had half cup of Greek yogurt, with half cup blueberries and 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds- measured out! Tonight I will have chicken and a small salad. Water, water, water all day helps.
I had trouble sleeping at first too- found out I was getting cold. Food warms us, literally, so see if throwing an extra blanket on helps on Fast Days.
I am determined to stick with this until I weigh 119- no need to weigh what I did when I was 18- that might be asking the Diet Gods for too much!
Cheers and good luck to everyone.
xo ET

prairiegrass1

6:31 pm
8 May 15
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Hi to everyone. Hope your day is going well-fast or not. Anne

MaryWWriter

6:34 pm
8 May 15
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Welcome aboard, ET! Where in Canada are you?

I’m happy to report that according to the BMI charts, I went from “obese” to just plan “fat” (aka overweight) this week. Makes me happy. I’ll be happier still when I reach “normal weight.” But it feels do-able and I am so grateful for the support on this forum (and others that I’ve been peeking into, where I have found several inspiring success stories).

On to the weekend — and an attempt to keep the un-fast days reasonable, despite its being Mother’s Day. (I’ve told my sons to attend to the mothers of their children, who are the ones who are really in the midst of it right now. Last year they made me a wonderful video which will be one of my cherished possessions for as long as I am able to find it on my computer. 😉 Which I hope will be longer now that I have found out about fasting.)

(Hi, Anne. I think we posted at the same time!)

Sandi-Ann

1:26 am
9 May 15
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Hi Everyone, and welcome to those who have joined in the last few days. I have been off air, away from home and whilst I have been able to receive the posts via email, I have not been able to engage. I had my weigh-in this morning, after arriving home late yesterday afternoon, and have lost a kilo, so 2.2lbs. I guess that is pretty good in a week, so ever onwards 🙂 I do maintain the diet, on the 5 days, I eat under the calorie allowance, I am hopeful! I do not wish to extend the fast days, nor do I wish to limit my calories too much on the non-fast days. I am finding however, that my appetite has changed, I don’t know if this is a mental aberration, or an outcome of the fasting. Certainly I have no problem with not eating between meals, and portion control is not an issue, YEAH!!.
We had a family challenge during the week, my response – to have a couple of pre-dinner drinks and then two glasses of wine with dinner. The drinks were great, but I was having them as a stress breaker rather than for pleasure and my physical reaction was pretty awful, yuk! I am assuming less is best whilst on this protocol.
I did wonder if other nations celebrated Mother’s Day as we do in Australia. My daughter and grand-daughters are coming for a visit, and then lunch with one of our sons tomorrow,now there is the test!!
Best to everyone, Sandra

CarolB

1:57 am
9 May 15
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I usually have our 4 married sons and families every Sunday for lunch and my husband and i are raising four more kids ages 15-19 so we have a full house every Sunday. With it being Mothers Day i wanted to take it a bit easier and so we are having Pizza….not a good food choice when watching the calories i’m afraid…..i think i’ll make a simple salad to go with it and just take a tiny piece of pizza. Im having a hard time getting back into the fasting all day and 500 cals at night…didnt work yesterday nor today. It seems once i get in the groove again i can keep it up – got to keep trying. Have a good weekend all of you.

prairiegrass1

3:13 pm
9 May 15
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Congrats on the successes! And hope for those like me that haven’t yet found the rhythm. I am just coasting til my husband leaves for Germany–didn’t want to set myself up to fail.

Mother’s Day is a big deal in the U.S., but I’m not a mother and my own mother has been gone for years. Have fun, all of you who are going to celebrate with family. Have a great day! Anne

prairiegrass1

8:54 pm
9 May 15
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Sandi-Ann, be kind to yourself about the stress drinks. I know we’re all supposed to develop better coping techniques, but sometimes we’re just plain ole human.

MaryWWriter

3:13 pm
11 May 15
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Hi, All

I like your attitude, Anne. Being “plain ole human” is half of the problem: especially when we are always thinking we should be perfect or give up.

Mother’s Day is big here in Canada. You can’t get a seat at a restaurant for lunch or brunch or dinner, and everywhere you go you see families or couples with an elderly person or couple in tow. We know a woman in her 90s who is living independently and is very “with it” and healthy but is very lonely. She is afraid to move into an assisted-care complex (where she’d have more company) because she only has enough money to live in that kind of complex for five years and she fears that she’ll live longer. Her son comes to visit her for an hour or so once a month (he lives in the same city). I’m sure he took her out for dinner yesterday and feels he’s done his duty for the year. I know it’s hard to have an elderly relative sometimes, but I do get aggravated on Mother’s Day because I imagine how many of those families should be doing more than they are for their elders all year round.

I had a good Mother’s Day, but I had a second helping of dinner that I didn’t need and then ice cream for dessert. In fact, I ate too much all weekend and and felt guilty, and sure enough I’m up a couple of pounds today. I’m going to have to be a little more stricter with myself on the non-fast days because there’s no point in being so good about keeping to 500 cals. on fast-days if I’m just going to undo half the good on the other days. Maybe I just shouldn’t have weighed myself today.

Today is a fast day and I don’t think I’ll have a problem with that. I hope that by the end of the week I’m back to where I was on Friday.

MaryWWriter

3:17 pm
11 May 15
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CarolB — Wow! How many mouths do you feed every Sunday? We have only two adult children who are both married and have four children all together here in town at the moment, and already having just them seems like a lot!! I am so impressed. Even a usual day for you with six mouths must mean a lot of grocery shopping and cooking. I don’t blame you for doing pizza on Mother’s Day.

prairiegrass1

3:30 pm
11 May 15
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Mary, I really enjoyed your video!

MaryWWriter

9:45 pm
11 May 15
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Thank you! I really want to get back to doing more videos and posting more items on my blog, but I’ve been tied up with editing other people’s writing (which is what I do for a living, so it’s good, but it does interfere with the things I want to do!) Comments like yours motivate me to make more effort to find time for that project (and my own writing).

prairiegrass1

10:09 pm
11 May 15
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My sister (very thin, super fit) just sent me this and I thought I’d share it:
“EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE OVER 60

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.
Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags. Then try 50-lb potato bags and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I’m at this level).

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

ET64

12:21 am
12 May 15
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Hi MaryWW, Prairiegrass1,CarolB, Kathcan, Sandi-Ann, PJBR, Have read all your posts and find them all interesting and helpful. MaryWW, I am am expat, a Canadian living in the south in the US. And y’all, I think so far I have the most grandchildren-ten! Ranging in age from 1 to 16, three belong to my husband’s daughter, and my two sons have had seven kids! Most live nearby, and I help out regularly, driving to games and practices, etc. I helped raise the first three.
This past weekend was a huge challenge, three days of food-centered events- such a big part of socializing for me, as for most of us, includes food and drink. I tried to be good, but did not want to get on the scale this morning. I think I will weigh only once a week, to avoid the ups and downs. That last minute strategy avoided weighing today, anyway!
Thanks for the joke, Pg1-(Anne)- I needed that.
Doing a FD tomorrow. Was too tired today, as I was the organizer of some of the weekend events. A me day today:)Trying to focus on the long term!
Cheers, ET

MaryWWriter

1:40 am
12 May 15
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Hi, all,

Just a quick check-in before I go to bed. I am so happy that it is now late enough that I can take a book upstairs and just stretch out and eventually fall asleep. This has been the longest, hungriest fast-day I’ve had yet, probably because I was doing work for a client that took longer than I wanted it to, and left me no time for myself.

I loved that joke, Anne. I was really falling for it — I thought your sister was astounding until I got to the 50-lb stage, at which point I was beginning to wonder. Made me laugh. Thank you.

ET, ten grandchildren! Wow. Yes. You win! How wonderful! Tomorrow is my day with my grandson and the twins and as usual I am both looking forward to it and feeling exhausted just thinking about it. I guess I really need to start lifting potatoes. 🙂

Kathcan

7:02 pm
12 May 15
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Hi everyone, I meant to write before going to my daughter’s for the weekend but ran out of time. Before we left on Saturday, my weekly weighing day, I was pleased to find my weight was down again, meaning that I had lost 5 lbs since starting this diet.

We had a good visit and my son and his girlfriend joined us for dinner. I had one chicken burger with no bun but couldn’t resist Caesar salad and apple crumble! The next day we went for a nice walk in a park and had ice cream cones. So of course I did put some back on but it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected and I’m feeling confident that I can do this. Yesterday was a FD for me and it didn’t bother me. I am eating less on my non-diet days too.

But it’s summer and easy to get motivated. Sandi-Ann, if you’ve never been to Canada or Northern US in the winter, it’s hard to describe how long and depressing the winter can be for us and how hard to be motivated. So I’ll have to be extra careful next winter so as not to slip back into bad habits.

Prairiegrass, you had me too until the 50 lb bag! I do that with 10 lb weights and it is not easy. Thanks, that was a good one!

CarolB

12:50 pm
13 May 15
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Marywriter i feed 21 every Sunday and about once every 5 weeks my parents and in-laws come too. I usually make huge pots of soup and serve buns with toppings. 7 of those 21 have to eat gluten free which complicates it a bit. Yes shopping and cooking is an going chore but am use to cooking large quantities and will probably have trouble adjusting to a smaller family. I love the kids that are still at home but am really looking forward to the next stage of life so i’m trying to train them to be ready to move out at 20 years of age or so. Thanks for the posts – good to realize that im not the only one that had a hard time this weekend. My son bought me a small box of laura secord frosted mints which i ate almost by myself already! It seemed i needed to get them out of the way and they kept “calling” to me from where i had hidden them! Getting back on track so i do not waste last weeks hard work. Have a good day.