Mid Fifties – Just starting and hoping to lose weight (yet again)?!

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Mid Fifties – Just starting and hoping to lose weight (yet again)?!

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  • Hi everyone, I have been reading all your posts with interest. Not so good at posting but I wish you all well with your struggles and health issues. Felt very despondent last week because I had a couple of what I can only describe as feeding frenzies. I could not eat enough to satisfy me and it was all rubbish. I was not so concerned about whether or not I had put weight on what worried me was my mind set and will I ever be able to control my eating and eat like a normal person. I am all or nothing. I am pretty good on fast days and have still done those except when I have been on a week’s holiday.
    I think I have mentioned before I do not weigh. I just go by changes in my clothes. I too have most weight around my belly. It’s so annoying it’s the last to go.
    I am pleased with what I have done – five dress sizes now. It’s just the craving to eat cake and other rubbish food choices that concerns me.
    Fast day tomorrow and then away for the weekend which will involve lots of eating. Not seen most of the people for a year so am sure I will get lots of comments. Will let you know.
    Thanks for allowing me to dip in and out and to express my worries.
    Looking forward to hearing all your stories.

    Well done TopsyT,
    Five dress sizes is a fantastic achievement. You must be thrilled.
    I always wondered how I was supposed to eat normally on non fast days when I clearly wasn’t eating normally or I wouldn’t be overweight in the first place. It isn’t food that makes us fat, it is our habits. Changing those habits is more of a challenge and as someone who has been overweight for more than 2 decades it is something that interests and challenges me too.
    For me a danger time is a trip to the shops in the evening if we have run out of milk. I gravitate towards the chocolate and sweets, those special offers of a bag of something for Β£1 is always attractive to me. My new approach though is to check the weight and look at the calories per 100g.The thought of 500 calories ‘spent’ by the bar of chocolate or sweets is enough for me to put the item down and just leave with the milk. I like to bake and love an Almond Croissant, but the questions that I pose to myself include ‘do i want to spend 600 calories on the croissant?’ ‘what am i not going to have,if i have that croissant?’For me this is a recent development but I find it very helpful. I stay in control but make an informed decision and it is working for me most of the time. Not fool proof, I am very much a work in progress, but the change in attitude on a daily basis is very helpful.
    Have a wonderful time at the weekend and enjoy the positive comments.

    Hi Topsy T.. so good about the 5 dress sizes.. so impressive!
    I know exactly what you are saying. Someone gave me a box of liquor chocolates recently and they have been sitting in my fridge and I have been dipping my hand in that box continually.
    Thank goodness tomorrow is a fasting day.. I have eaten terribly this week.. less in terms of quantity, more in terms of quality.. mostly rubbish. It makes me feel awful.
    Tomorrow early morning is my first gym session in months.. I hope this will change the recent trend. Not happy at all with myself πŸ™

    Do pop in here as often as you like.. we all whine sometimes .. it helps to get it off our collective chests.

    Salma

    Hi ladies! Checking in after a week of camping in the mountains with no internet access. May I join “Rubbish Eaters Anonymous”? Because I too ate lots of rubbish while gone and due to lack of interest on the part of the friends we traveled with, didn’t get much hiking in to compensate! They were more interested in taking trips into town to go to dinner or the bakery! Will be trying to “fast it off” tomorrow & Sunday. I can soooo relate Topsy! I am also very much an all or nothing sort of gal! Ok! Just admitting this and now moving on feels very cleansing! Onward & downward friends πŸ˜‰

    MN Miss, I may need a week of good behavior before visiting our friend, the scary scale again πŸ™

    Hi Topsy

    Many congratulations what an achievement. That must be a wonderful feeling. I too am hoping to cure myself of the old bad habits they have gone for now but I know that they are still lurking there. It is one thing to lose weight but will it always be a battle to keep it off. I hope not bur realistically I think so. Nothing could be that easy.

    I know that even now I make bad food choices and when there are too many of these I need to go back on 4:3 for a while. I am hoping that one day (and I find this thought impossible) that I will reach target and then go onto 6:1, with a bit of 5:2 occasionally…..well I can dream!! πŸ™‚

    Hi Annette

    Strangely for me it is a good time to shop when I am on a fast day. I limit myself to the treats I buy. I hope that one day you may be the same.

    How is weight loss going and how is your foot?

    Hi Salma

    The best of luck to you at the gym, as you know I shall be joining soon as well. I am hoping it is like 5:2 once you start you realise that it isn’t so bad after all.

    You will be fine once you get into the habit and remember at least this is a good habit.

    Hi Sherryann

    I think we all go through the eating rubbish phase once in a while, you will get back on track and feel much better for it.

    Well the end of another fast day for me, a meal out tomorrow and then Friday another fast day.

    Ginette

    Hi ladies
    Thank you for all your comments and congratulations. It certainly helps to share experiences with you all. I am on a fast day today. I am out for a meal tomorrow night but am going to try and not have a dessert. Sat coked breakfast but again am going to try and not have anything other than that, no toast or cereal to start. It’s trying to be mindful of what I am eating rather than “that will do” attitude. Can’t promise it will work but I will try. My mantra at the moment is “I am not a dustbin” as well as “tomorrow is another day”.
    Hope everyone has a good day whatever they are doing.

    Or you could simply find out what your TDEE is and then write down what you eat with the calories consumed…then see what calories you have left over to ‘spend’ each day. You only need do it for a week to be able to make informed decisions.

    It certainly has helped alter my mindset to limiting treats. I am aware that when I am tired in the evening, that is a dangerous time for me, but one that I am learning to conquer when I look at 500 calories for that bar of chocolate.I don’t have those calories left over to spend and if I do….then I am not going to get any smaller.I walk away empty handed most of the time now.

    It is habits that make us fat. Those habits have to change and become, like the 5:2, part of our way of life.

    Onwards and downwards Fast Friends…..

    Hey All,

    LoriPA, I’m happy to look out for you in case you need someone out here in case I get in β€œtrouble” with TMJ. You’re most welcome!

    TopsyT craving to eat cake and other rubbish food choices would concern me as well. If you’re interested, have a look at the penultimate post here:
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/first-dayweek/ This is how I did 5:2 until I reached my goal–gradually introducing one food on the list at a time. I think it helped, though it is rather extreme and might not work for you. However, if reading this gives you other ideas that might work then hopefully it will help.

    Salma, good luck with your training session! Please let us know how it goes.

    Ginette, regarding your comment, “I am hoping that one day (and I find this thought impossible) that I will reach target and then go onto 6:1, with a bit of 5:2 occasionally” I have this to say: “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right.” I urge you to please not defeat yourself before you’ve made headway. Just a thought.

    I also agree with Annette52 regarding TDEE. After the first day I started 5:2 I realized I hadn’t figured out my TDEE and did so immediately on day two. A day or two later I read someone’s post on another forum suggesting using the TDEE of your target weight rather than your current weight. Once I discovered that I used the target weight TDEE, never looked back, and made quick progress to maintenance. If I could do you so can you. Just a thought. I hope this helps.

    Have a great impending weekend one and all!

    Jayney

    Good Morning All!

    Such inspirational stories here! Wonderful!

    August 1st is looming and along with it my first weigh in for a month. Gulp! I’m steeling myself for what I’m going to see, but have no one to blame but myself. I really have not been strict AT ALL with myself for the whole month of July. I’m formulating a plan for August which will be eating window 5 days a week with 2 of them being 500 calorie days. I will still keep my weekends “open” as I have so many social events all summer long. I will still try to eat mindfully, but not worry about the timing or content quite as much.

    The only saving grace is that I have been faithful to my boot camp workouts. After nearly 400 sessions, they are really a part of me!

    Have a lovely day my friends!

    Hey lovely ladies..

    I have to share this: I DID go to the gym. Hurrah!!
    It wasn’t half as bad as I expected.. The trainer was very sweet to me although I did try to get out of it when he mentioned he was going to be a few minutes late. It was not a tough session as we agreed on “easing” me into getting back to exercising.

    The one great thing to happen was this girl who is a regular and who has not seen me in the gym for 4 months or so said how much slimmer I looked and commented that exercise must have paid off (!!!) I was chuffed that someone noticed.. and please remember, I do not feel my most confident in figure hugging gym clothes. I try to get the baggiest trousers and the longest tops, but somehow, everything sticks and the ‘look’ is not the most flattering

    It is also a fast day today so am beginning to feel a bit woozy.. but will stick it out. I am still at work, preparing to wrap up for the day and to go home. A bowl of soup awaits and maybe a cup of hot milk towards bed time.

    The gym, actually, is not too bad. It felt great to do 30 minutes on the treadmill and I started wondering why I have not gone for so long. I will start taking my audio books with me to get double benefits while walking I am getting all excited about this activity now. I agreed with him to do Tuesdays and Thursdays (both FDs unfortunately) before work, so will need to be at the gym at 7:30 a.m.; not a time at which I am human. Still…

    I hope all fellow fasters are doing okay and thanks for all the support gals.
    Salma

    YAY Salma!! Glad to hear your gym experience was not too daunting! How nice to have a compliment from a fellow gym goer who has not seen you lately! Gives you twice the motivation, right?

    You need to be at the gym at 7:30AM? No problem! I’m at the boot camp studio at 5:30AM 3 days a week! It sure feels good when your workout is complete for the day!

    Well done Topsy T 5 dress sizes is a fantastic achievement.
    Salma well done for going to the Gym, I bet your glad you did now if someone noticed your weight loss, it’s always a boost when someone notices.
    Keep up the good work everyone.
    I’m on a partial fast day tomorrow as I’m going out in the evening so will fast till then but probably have more than 500 cals.
    Take care. X

    Hi All

    Salma, well done on the gym, I am sure the first time is daunting.

    Hi Janey

    No I am not really feeling negative, I will just keep worrying about the next half stone and I want to lose two more stones before the year is out. That to me will be a real achievement. That is only 4 more 7lb targets to reach. I just think that it seems unbelievable that I have lost so much weight as well.

    I saw people today that I hadn’t seen in a year and she said that she did a double take. She commented with shock that I had lost so much weight. I know this was meant as a compliment, but the shock was funny to see. It did make me realise that I obviously must look much slimmer, not slim by any means. I have known her for years so it was also nice to catch up.

    Overdid things a bit today, I had a meal and then I couldn’t stop eating, thankfully it is a fast day today and maybe even another on Saturday!! This will put me right back on track.

    You see I really am human and not good all of the time.

    Ginette

    Hello Everyone,

    Have successfully fasted today, so hoping this puts me officially back on track. I will do another before week’s end. Getting my exercise chasing around these awful pantry moths that have invaded our food cupboard while we were gone (I must have brought them home in some flour, etc. πŸ™ . I dumped everything that looked infested and set some of those hormone sticky traps to capture them…praying it works! Anyone have any other ideas on how to eradicate them?

    Ginette and Salma, so encouraging to hear the positive responses you’ve received from people who haven’t seen you in a while! I can’t wait to get to that point! Salma, you should bounce back quickly at the gym as muscles have “memory” I’m told so it shouldn’t take you long to get back to where you were a few months ago!

    Topsy, great job on your part…it’s a major accomplishment dropping 5 dress sizes :)!

    Here’s to all finish STRONG this week!

    Sherry

    Hi Salma,

    Congratulations on getting to the gym–and that complement! This is a major accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself indeed! As long as your workout doesn’t involve strength training (i.e. weights, etc.) working out on fast days should be fine. However, fasting when you strength train is a great way to wreck your muscles. Also, studies have been done showing that losing sleep so you can work out is counter productive. It can actually be more beneficial to sleep longer if you can work out after work. Other studies have shown that watching tele, etc. while working out is also counter productive because you’re less focused on your workout and risk not working out to the same level as if you were more focused. Just FYI. Please feel free to use or ignore this info as you see fit. I only mean to be helpful.

    Hey Ginette, how great to hear that one of your friends noticed your weight loss. Doesn’t that feel great?

    Have a great weekend one and all! I’ll be fasting on Friday (mad I know, but Saturday I’m at my ex’s for an event where I’m sure he’ll be barbequing again, so I want to prepare).

    Best to all!

    Jayney

    Good Morning!

    Sherry…I had those moths once, years ago. They are horrible! I used the traps you are talking about and they worked quite well, but it does take time. Doesn’t it make you queasy to know that the eggs for the buggers are in the flour that we bring home? Ugh. Good luck getting rid of them.

    I’m determined to stick to my eating window today as yesterday was a total blow out and I’m feeling quite “blah” this morning. I will go to boot camp and work off some of this bad feeling.

    Weigh in tomorrow and then to get to business. Eating in a window 5 days a week with 2 500 calorie days in there. Probably Monday & Thursday. Also going to work on eating more salads and veggies. I’ve been really bad at that lately. We’re getting a new market close to where I work that is supposed to have a really nice organic section. Fresh veggies for me! It’s not that I don’t like them, but it is just easier to grab some cheese, pretzels & hummus. Protein & veggies have got to take the place of those “junk” foods.

    Off to the golf course tomorrow morning for a tournament & then playing again on Sunday with some friends. Weather is looking nice! My husband will be home from his little vacation to the beach on Saturday afternoon and then we’re off for dinner with some friends. This place has an awesome seafood menu, so I should be able to make a good choice. Dessert will be a shared affair…if I have any at all.

    Have a good Friday & a wonderful weekend!

    Hey Lori,

    Sounds like a plan! I have the protein and veggies before my treats generally, and usually only limit treats to dinner–just FYI. I was pretty much doing that before I started 5:2, but continued throughout and found it really helpful. Glad to hear you’re making good progress with your eating window. You have a great weekend too!

    Jayney

    Hi everyone,

    Janey, thanks for the info about weight training on a fast day. I will have to rearrange my FDs or my training days. I had not thought about that. I do want the best results with the training and I am doing a bit of cardio (about 30 min) and a bit of weights each time. In particular, I want to tighten up legs and butt, so whatever works.

    Lori, nice to know that your window eating is working. It worked really well for me last month and I might go back to doing that in September after I come back from a trip planned for end of Aug.

    Ginette, the gym was far less painful than I expected, but the trainer was kind. I am going again next Tuesday, but as Janey says, I have to be careful about arranging my FDs and gym days.

    Everyone else.. hang in there.. we are on the way (I am half way there Ginette.. but haven’t we done well?))

    Milena, you have disappeared. I hope all is well.

    Salma

    Hey Salma,

    If you’re working with weights at the gym I highly recommend avoiding fasting on those days, though since you’re working with a trainer, you might want to ask him/her before you rearrange things. However, I personally don’t ever fast on days when I strength train and a couple of my trainers agreed that was a bad idea, just FYI. If you do ask your trainer about this please let us know what he/she says. I’d be interested to know.

    I was wondering where Milena was as well. I hope you’re OK.

    Jayney

    Dear all,

    Nice to read your posts as usual πŸ™‚ some great insights and motivation.
    So am relaxing with a glass of wine, today was NFD, but earlier I did some strength training * Jayneyw I’ll come back to that, and then I went for the perfect seafront run, long shadows, gentlest of wind, waves lapping and people really enjoying the little sunshine we get!

    Did FD’s Mon/Tue and Thurs, Ok, but tough, yesterday ate a Freddo chocolate in mid fast, and then walked 3 miles, a bit mad really but all was not lost, at least. I find the 4:3 is a challenge (for the those of us who are 9-5pm) and as I work in a school, I sometimes wonder if I’m not as focused and “shiny” as I could be on FD’s but that’s the price to pay, not sure how much easier it would be at home. Anette I agree, I’m also better at choosing food now, and would think twice about a croissant, in terms of the impact it could have on the rest of my food choice, i.e rob me of any decent calories. I also try to think of veg as my carb portions, so courgettes and mushrooms, instead of bread etc..Total weight loss this week 1 Ib, will weigh again to double check. Have to be “swimsuit ready” by 23 August.

    Jayneyw, when you say strength does that also include wall sits, lunges, planks? I don’t always do these on FD’s but have done, why do the wreck your muscles? thanks for the tip about get more sleep rather than getting up early to do exercise, lately I’m running in the evenings, and my Zumba is in the evening.

    Salma, i might add some windows in a few weeks, they seem to be good a thing..Lori am with you on the hummus and cheese, so easy (and tasty ;-))

    Ginette, it’s so nice when someone notices, you must feel pleased, a bloke at work said to me “you look different, what have you done? men don’t seem to notice the weight loss, but can see something has changed!
    hope it’s going ok Topsy and Sherryann

    great weekends to you’ll, I’m about to watch Chef, on Netflix, the movie, couldn’t watch it all week due to hunger pangs! lol

    Hey Beldyboop, when I think of strength training, I primarily think of using weights, but planks might qualify depending on how you do them (there are lots of different ways apparently). I’m pretty sure lunges wouldn’t qualify, but again, it might depend on how you do them. The same applies to the wall sits as well. Sorry to be so vague, but if you have a trainer or just someone who works at the gym (if you use a gym) you might ask around.

    My understanding is that strength training on FDs wrecks muscles because you’re really working your body–and muscles need fuel (i.e. food) to perform. By fasting instead, it’s like running on empty if that makes sense. There’s nothing to say you wouldn’t get by with it once or twice, but it would be counter productive to make a habit of it, if that makes sense. Sounds like working out in the evening works for you. I try late afternoon/early evening, and that generally works for me.

    Regarding what you said about being noticed, I think within the first month or so after I reached my goal weight I attended an Audio Engineering Society, and one of the guys there asked if I’d lost weight! Talk about gobsmacked! Who would have thought?!? Oh well, as you’ve said, it’s great when it happens.

    Have a great weekend one and all!
    Jayney

    Hi all, am away for the weekend in Cheshire. Had a few things I shouldn’t yesterday but had an omelette for breakfast this morning rather than a fry up. Feeling very virtuous because a full English is my absolute favourite. May have one tomorrow but feel good at the moment.
    Had lots of good comments about my loss Although one asked my husband if I was ill. I suppose they don’t want to say anything before they know which is fine. I am with you in that the men don’t notice but perhaps they are too embarrassed to say anything or don’t want to make personal comments.
    By the way has anyone seen these five things you shouldn’t eat. It is concentrated orange juice, margarine, wheat bread, corn and things made from corn and whoops can’t remember the fifth thing. Interesting though.
    Have a good day everyone.

    Hi girls,

    So, yesterday was my book club evening. Cheese, wine, snacks and chocolates!
    I thought that I would go easy today, perhaps even fast, but my son asking for a nice breakfast and mom wanting to indulge her offspring, resulted in eating too much. So, I thought, just notch it up as brunch and don’t eat for the rest of the day. Nest, I get a lunch invitation that I can’t really get out of. Why is life so hard? πŸ™‚ You try to lose weight and life gets in the way!

    I usually never fast on Sunday, but I might just have to in order to repair the damage!
    Is it possible that my one day of gym has bulked my muscles up by 1.5 Kgs? It’s a comforting thought.

    Salma

    August 1st has arrived! Stepped on the scale this morning to see that I’ve gained 1.5 lbs in the month of July. I was really expecting to see that I’d gained more. Whew! Now to get the silly scale moving in a downward direction. I’m going to weigh Mon, Wed & Fri for a while and see how it goes.

    I do my boot camp workouts in a fasted state and then don’t eat for about 6 hours after. My theory is that I’m forcing my body to use the stored fat(fuel) to keep itself going. I may be doing myself a disservice, but so far I’ve had no problem doing it. Boot camp kills my appetite for quite a while, so waiting to eat is not a problem.

    Doing a bit of laundry before heading to the golf course for the tournament. Hoping I can play well today. You never know! Just when you think you have it figured out, the next time you play it’s like you’ve never touched a club before!

    My husband is coming home from the beach today. I do miss him. I was looking forward to some alone time, but now I’m ready for him to be home.

    Have a lovely weekend all!

    Hi All Have been stupidly busy and haven’t been posting much. I’ve just read through all the posts and it is nice to catch up with everyone.

    Salma, on your struggling day, you were wondering if the heat was the cause. There is no science behind my theory but it is well known that we eat more when we are tired. Heat is such an energy sapper, so I am betting it is related. Glad the resignation was smother than expected. Did you make it to your training appointment in the end. If so, how did it go.

    Janey, I want to try the psyllium tablets that you have mentioned before. What I am finding in the stores are psyllium husks. Is this the same thing?

    Ginette: As you know from elsewhere, I will be trying 4:3 next week. Good to know that I will be in good company with you and several others from this thread.

    Lori, sorry to hear that you are a headache sufferer. I think your TMJ theory is probably correct, from the sounds of how they resolved. Good luck in seeking treatment and I hope you can get rid of them for good.

    LL123. Welcome! Looking forward to hearing about your progress and cheering you on.

    BB. I think buying a swimsuit a size too small is the perfect motivator and I have every confidence that you will be wearing it with pride on your holiday.

    I keep moaning on and on about whether I should just throw in the towel and say I am on maintenance or give it all one last kick at the can. I have decided to kick the can and give it one more month with real determination. These last few lbs have taken me way longer to lose than the original 22 lbs that I lost. That was gone within 3 to 3.5 months (cant remember the exact time frame). I think it is going to be an enforced FD for me today. Off to volunteer at a local music festival. They were really desperate for some extra volunteers so I signed up at the last minute – I used to volunteer every year before I moved in 2012. Right now it is thunder and lightning with bucketing rain. Not a very auspicious start, but it isn’t quite 7:00 am yet – things get rolling around noon.

    Hi Everyone,

    Well, after a good FD on Thursday, I had a bad NFD yesterday…ugh! Summer is so hard for me with the vacations and the kids out of school. Having to feed them/give them snacks constantly as opposed to when they’re in school is difficult. I try to buy healthy prepackaged foods whenever possible so I won’t eat them but not all foods come that way so often I find that I’m throwing a “random” πŸ˜‰ cracker or other treat in my mouth…ok, it’s more than one cracker usually! If I let them get the treats themselves, they usually overdo it. Also, all their fighting and “I’m bored” stresses me out (which can also lead to random easting episodes)! Do any of you still have kids at home and have any advice to offer? Salma, I know you have your son (though I’m guessing he’s older?) at home and can probably relate?

    Salma, I know what you mean about “why is life so hard, you try to lose weight and life gets in the way”. I just need a couple of weeks of no vacations, parties, dinners out, etc. so I can make some headway and then I think I’ll be Ok for the most part!

    Topsy, how wonderful to have people notice your weight loss! Being in the U.S., I’m curious as to what the “full English breakfast” actually consists of? So, why are you not supposed to eat the things you mentioned? I know corn is heavily genetically modified (at least in the U.S. unless you buy organic), and margarine is never good.

    DJ, how great that you are so close to maintenance! We all know that the last 5-10 lbs. are always the hardest to lose! Maybe shake up the types of food you’re eating? I’ve heard that helps sometimes.

    Lori, I’ve heard both theories that working out before you eat does cause you to burn the fat better and also have heard as Jayney has stated that you need fuel prior to build muscle…it is so confusing! I guess like you said, whatever works for you is the best course! It’s great your scale experience wasn’t as scary as anticipated!

    Beldy, at least you got out there and walked off that dessert! Bravo! So it sounds like a fair amount of you are doing the 4:3? Are you finding much better results doing that as opposed to 5:2?

    Jayney, I know you’ve posted the general plan your naturopath prescribed but I’m a bit confused. Can you summarize it (sorry, I’m a tad ADD!)…do you take the olive oil and supplements daily (and how much again?) or just on the FD’s? Also, when figuring out your caloric intake on NFD’s, you suggested using your goal weight as the one you input into the formula, correct? If I walk an hour 6-7 days a week and do some moderate weight training twice a week, what do you suggest should I enter as my activity level? Thanks in advance for your assistance…you are always so helpful in giving advice to us πŸ™‚ !

    Well, school starts in a few weeks and then I’m back to a more normal, hopefully less stressful schedule where I have time to start seeing a trainer again to hopefully rehab my SI joint issue and get to the chiropractor more often.

    Have a wonderful and successful weekend, all!

    Sherry

    salma Re: “Is it possible that my one day of gym has bulked my muscles up by 1.5 Kgs?” Dream on!

    LoriPA: I’m not sure what type of exercise is involted in boot camp, so can’t tell if fasting is detrmental to it or not. Have you mentioned fasting while in class to the instructor? It might be interesting to get the instructor’s take on whether it’s ok to fast or not through a class. However, I sometimes fast on days when I have Tabata (HIIT) class, if that helps.

    DJ757575: Just for the record, I’ve never used psyllium tablets, so can’t advise you on that. I use psyllium powder–specifically this psyllium powder:

    http://www.supersup.com/now-foods-psyllium-apple-12-oz-powder-340-g-733739059208

    I have no idea how psyllium tablets compare to psyllium husks as I’ve never used either. I’ve only used psyllium powder. Sorry.

    BTW, I’m curious to know which music festival you volunteered at lately. I record at many festivals.

    Sherryann: Regarding, “Do you take the olive oil and supplements daily (and how much again?) or just on the FD’s?” I take 6 Tablespoons of olive oil daily EXCEPT on fast days. I take supplements every day. “Also, when figuring out your caloric intake on NFD’s, you suggested using your goal weight as the one you input into the formula, correct?” Yes. I used my goal weight in the TDEE calculator. “If I walk an hour 6-7 days a week and do some moderate weight training twice a week, what do you suggest should I enter as my activity level?” I’m not sure. You might try using a TDEE calculator that gives examples for each activity level. This is the TDEE calculator recommended by someone on another forum, and is also the one I’ve been using: http://www.mayoclinic.org/calorie-calculator/ITT-20084939. If you need more info please let me know. I’m glad you find my experience helpful.

    Hi all

    Sherryann, a full English is sausage, bacon, fried egg, tomatoes, mushrooms, black pudding, hash browns and toast. I love it. Did succumb today but didn’t have too big a portion.
    The five things you should never eat included soy and products from soy. The concentrated orange juice was because there is no fibre and basically it’s just sugared water. The margarine was because it contains trans fats and the corn because it produces a chemical which then makes the body store fat (allegedly). With all these things you never know the truth of it. It’s like nuts are fattening but they are good for you and now they are saying because they are harder to digest they may not be so fattening after all. You have to take it all with a pinch of salt (which is also bad for you). Ha,ha.
    I have eaten far too much this weekend but back fasting tomorrow and strangely I am looking forward to it.
    Have a good Sunday everyone.

    Good Morning Friends!

    A fun, & busy day yesterday! I played golf quite well(for me) yesterday and ended up tied for 2nd place in the tournament. Came home and rested a bit and then we went out to dinner with friends. It was very nice, but I was SO tired. We came back to our house and sat on our front porch for over an hour and it was after 9 until they left. That is past my bed time! πŸ˜‰

    My husband made it home from the beach, so I had all his stuff to put away. He used my car, so I had to clean that out and then put everything back to it’s place. He likes to just walk in the door and drop things and that drives me nuts! I have to have everything put away, thrown in the laundry or whatever.

    Jayne…my boot camp is considered HIIT, so I think the fasting is ok. We do use some weights, but nothing heavy. The workout is a combo of cardio and strength training.

    Off to the golf course again in a little while. I’m feeling quite tired and achey this morning, but I’ll loosen up eventually. Looking forward to a fun day and then home to a mountain of laundry! :-O

    Have a good day!

    Hey Lori, your boot camp sounds similar to my Tabata class (that I take once weekly), and I sometimes fast on class days, so you should be fine with that. If it’s like my Tabata class we generally don’t use anything over five pounds, and it’s really considered more cardio than anything else to boost metabolism. I’ve never had a problem fasting on those days, but generally don’t make a habit of it. Just FYI.

    I’ll be doing laundry later myself–after my workout, aerials, and following group meditation.

    Have a great day one and all, and a great week ahead!

    Jayney

    Hi Jayney,

    Thanks for the info! The calculator you referred me to was much better than the others I’d looked up- it tells me I can have 1750 calories a day, so I guess that’s what I’m eating today on my NFD (fasted yesterday and did well). So, I’m assuming you take all the calories into account each NFD from the 6 Tablespoons of olive oil? If so, that doesn’t leave much room for solid foods, right? It would seem that you’d be eating almost half of your day’s calories in olive oil? Curious as to why the naturopath suggested this. Why does it help you lose weight? Does the intake of so much good oil tell your body it’s getting enough fats so it can go ahead and “release” some of the fat you’re holding on to? And the psyllium you take daily, correct and how much? Is there any worry that your body gets so used to having assistance from the psyllium to “perform” it’s functions that it can’t do it without? Sorry I have so many questions, but health topics really interest me! Also, maybe I missed it in a previous entry, but what is it exactly that you do professionally as a performer? πŸ™‚

    Topsy, that full English breakfast sounds very “filling”! Hope to try it some day πŸ˜‰ .

    Milena and Minnesota Miss: Where are you two? I MISS YOU!

    Happy Sunday all!

    Sherry

    Hi Sherry,

    You’re most welcome! Is the number you mentioned for your target weight or your current weight? Also, for what activity level? A lot of people on this forum use the lowest number while reducing, but due to my aerial work I couldn’t do that or it’d probably kill me ;-).

    Yes, I take all the calories from the olive oil into account on the NFDs. You’re right that it doesn’t leave much room for solid foods (isn’t protein powder wonderful? πŸ˜‰ Yes, you’re right about eating almost half (actually, when I was trimming down, it was more like 2/3 of my day’s calories) in olive oil. The naturopath suggested this because there are studies and research that apparently show that people consistently drop weight by consuming this much olive oil–or more–per day. He was as astounded as I was. However, I attribute the olive oil as one of the reasons why I was able to drop ~30 pounds/13.6 kilos/2.14 stone in 3 1/2 months. As to why the olive oil helps with weight loss, I believe that is still under research. At this point, I’m not sure if they know WHY it works, they only know THAT it works. You bring up an interesting point regarding in essence replacing bad fats with good. I’m not sure if that’s how it works, but it’s an interesting thought.

    Regarding the psyllium powder I take daily, I take the dosage recommended on the package (in this case one tablespoon) twice daily now that I’m on maintenance, but three times daily when I was trimming down. If I understand your next question properly, it sounds like you’re wondering whether the body can get dependent on psyllium to eliminate. That hasn’t been my experience. There have been times when I’ve missed a serving and still been able to eliminate. Besides, it isn’t a laxative, it’s fibre that most people don’t get enough of (which is the main reason for taking it).

    All questions are welcome–from you and everyone else! Professionally I’m an instructional designer. However, I enjoy doing aerial dance, so do it three times weekly (on trapeze, rope, and sling).

    I miss Milena and Minnesota Miss as well! I hope to hear from both of you soon! Then again, it is summer, and things can get quite busy. BTW, starting this week things will once again be busy for me as well, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to post again before Saturday. Just FYI.

    Have a great week one and all,

    Jayney

    Thank you Jayney! Such a quick and thorough response! Have a great week if we don’t hear from you for a while :)!

    Sherry

    Jayney, Oh, and yes, that calorie level is calculated at my goal weight of 120 and I believe it was the “active” (second to the last which was extremely active?) category that I used since I walk daily, 1 hour and do upper body weights 2x/wk. Sherry

    Thanks Sherry,

    As long as you have a good TDEE calculator you’re happy with and the numbers you use get you the results you want, that’s the main thing. Happy walking and week!

    Jayney

    Hi all!

    Topsy, wow, 5 dress sizes! You and, actually all of you ladies, are really inspiring. I seem to struggle with each half pound. DJ, I think there is something to the fact that when we aren’t all that far from target the body really wants to hang onto those last 5-10 lbs. Jayney, I know you did the last bit with 4:3, but I just can’t seem to fit that into my life right now.

    Salma, I’m with you that “life gets in the way.” My plans were for a FD yesterday and one next Tuesday. Yesterday a friend came over to help with my garden, which of course meant pasta and a bottle of wine, though I did make a garden pasta and put in only half the pasta and twice the veggies. It was good that way. It’s the bottle of wine that put me over the top. And now another friend says Tuesday is the only day her husband can babysit and we could go cycling and then have dinner. Monday, lunch with a colleague, Wednesday dinner with my boyfriend. So when to fast? I’m hoping if I fast all day and order carefully on Tuesday(maybe only one glass of proseco??) I can stay close to the 500 limit on at least that one day.

    Sherry, I’m staying off the scary scale as well this week, waiting till this unusual spate of social events passes and I can have a total fast day. That might be hard to do until the end of the month when school starts again. I don’t have kids around the house, but as a teacher, I find it hard to fast when I’m home all day, and now we’re in the round of “oh my gosh, summer’s also over and we haven’t partied yet.”

    Jayney, I’m curious about the olive oil. I love the stuff and buy it by the tin at a local middle eastern deli (for me the stronger the better). It’s the only oil I use other than butter on occasion. Consuming a lot of olive oil has definitely raised my good cholesterol, though not lowered the bad. Looking on the web I see recommendations for anywhere from 1.5 to 6 Tbs. a day for losing weight. You’re definitely at the high end. I do think I may try adding olive oil to my lunches on non-fast days. Did you take your oil with meals or between them?

    Lori, I’m trying the eating window approach this week. Too many social events in the evening have made complete fast days hard to fit in but I’m hoping that eating only in the mid afternoon and evening on three or four days of the week at least gives my body a fast of 16-19 hours. Do you do the window every single day?

    Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend. I’ll get on that old scale on Wednesday and let you all know how it’s going.

    MM

    MM…I do the eating window 5 days a week. This week I’m doing 2-500 calories days along with the eating windows. On the weekends I run in to too many social events to make the eating window doable. Between playing golf and going out with friends, weekends are just free days for me. If it means my losses are slower, I just have to live with my choices. Good luck with giving it a go this week.

    I’ll be weighing Mon, Wed & Fri this week and hope to see a downward trend.

    Thanks, Lori. I think five days this week is doable. I’ll let you know how it goes at the end of the week.

    MM,

    Good to hear from you again. We can be weigh in buddies ;). I will pledge to get on the scale with you on Wednesday & report back. I’m going to try to do 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil a day and see how that goes as well!

    Sherry

    Awful awful awful weekend.. nutritionally speaking.
    I was in one of those funks when you vacuum everything edible in sight.
    My normal weigh in is Monday morning, but I am truly scared of getting on the scales tomorrow.
    I had wanted to have lost another 2 Kgs by my birthday at the end of August, but this is looking less and less likely.. I feel really frustrated.. I think I have gained at least 1.5 kgs

    It is as if it is two steps in front, one step back. sigh!
    I want to think that I will do 3 fasting days this week (including Lori’s window for 5 days).. but at the rate I am going, I will have put on another 3 Kgs by the end of August.

    Not a good day.. not a good weekend πŸ™‚

    Oh Salma! I’m giving you a BIG hug from miles away across the pond! I know those types of setbacks can make one crazy! You just have to jump right back on the horse on Monday, and getting one good fast day under your belt helps so much to get the momentum going again and make you feel better. We ALL have those types of days/weekends! Focusing on how truly far you’ve come should help…remember the compliment you received at the gym a few short days ago?! You’ve done awesome. Monday is the start of a new week…you WILL do better! Wait and weigh in with MM and me on Wednesday so you have time to get the weekend’s overindulgences off! Best of luck :)!

    XO Sherry

    Thanks Sherry..
    I think I WILL follow your suggestion to weigh in on Wednesday instead of Monday. If the scales are truly harsh (as I expect they might be on Monday) that would drive me into a worse funk.
    So Wed it is.
    Thanks of for the words of encouragement.
    Truly appreciated!
    Salma

    Hi Salma

    bad weekend – I had a bad month! Put on 4 lbs at the beginning of the month, took two weeks to get those off, Willow had a week of almost back to normal, walking well with her tail in the air, putting on weight and even jumping on the furniture – then a week declining quickly, and finally a coma, so at least the visit to the vet was ok, for her if not for me – even the vet was close to tears, he had first checked her the day she was born.

    Well the water loss would have been huge, cried a river. A lot of emotional eating, and sleepless nights.

    Eventually pulled myself up by the boot straps, decided I was ‘maintaining’ and was good to myself for a couple of days and abandoned the FB diet – though stayed teetotal!

    Then managed three fasts days including one at the weekend and down 3 lbs.

    So good advice – hi Sherry – delay the weigh in – this is not sado masochism you know, its a new way of living and a new way of eating. Good to see you are at the gym, so all is not lost – I’ve managed to hurt my knee so not even walking at the moment – never rains eh?

    And remember, we weigh a fair bit less than when we started back in January – so it IS working!!!!

    And, remember the rules – what did you have?????

    Hi all

    reading backwards, didn’t realise I was missed, been lurking.

    Hope August is a great month, cause July was craps! Seems the gods are with me, definitely not going on holiday to France this month – don’t really fancy driving to Dover from Edinburgh and being held up!

    So we have decided to do some cat sitting instead, away next week to look after 3 kits in Oban. Must be mad! But need to find something to do to keep me away from food! Of course taking all our work but a change is as good as a rest – looks like we may have a sit of a burmese cattery in October. If anyone is south of London, let me know!

    Still hoping to go on holiday in September, waiting to hear about son’s op – so 4:3 for the next few weeks – just in case we do get away! Is anyone else doing three at the mo?

    Hi Milena,

    I am so sorry to hear about Willow.. that must be devastating!
    I was wondering why we haven’t been seeing you here. I am truly sorry.

    Yes, good advice from Sherry. I will try to do that.
    The rules? ah yes.. ate rubbish.. tons of chocolate (liquor ones from Madagascar! So quite fancy and exotic). I think I had two bars of Lindt chocolate as well today (only the good stuff, as you say). Carrot cake (complete with icing) – I usually never touch the icing and only have a bit of the cake. Wine by the gallon (two bottles over two days in reality), bread, cheese.. and had brunch then was invited to lunch yesterday.. THEN had supper. I feel like the cookie monster..what went wrong with my brain..?

    Truth be told, I am anxious about several things and can’t really think straight. This might be the trigger, but I have to get a grip, at least on the binge eating.

    Tomorrow… I promise.. I promise.. I promise myself.

    Salma

    Hi Minnesota Miss,

    Regarding when I take my olive oil, generally 2 Tbsp with breakfast, 2 Tbsp with lunch, and 2 Tbsp with dinner. I’m not sure why I’d take it between meals when I can have it on a salad, in a protein drink, etc.

    Sherry, with all due respect, I’m not sure if 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil will make any difference. Before I started 5:2 my nutritionist suggested 3 Tbsp of coconut oil. I first tried 2 Tbsp. Neither made any difference. It wasn’t until I started 6 Tbsp of olive oil per day that the weight loss started getting steady and noticeable. Of course, that’s just my experience, your mileage may vary, but I’m concerned that you might not notice any effects with that low of a dose. Just FYI.

    Salma, big hugs from me too. I’m sorry you’re having such a frustrating time. Just FYI, I put on nearly 2 kilos after yesterday’s event, so I feel your pain.

    Milena, so glad to see you back! Sorry to hear about Willow. How is she now? Do they know what to expect, so they can let you know, or is it all a crap shoot at this point? I hope things return to normal (if not better!) with you and your family soon!

    Have a great week one and all,

    Jayney

    Hi everyone!

    Back on track for 4:3 this week, and it’s today/Tues and Thurs, it seems a good combo, albeit a tough one. I’ve found the back 2 back starting Mon, means I’m on the right track most of the week. I did go a bit mad this weekend ;-0 but as someone mentioned in an earlier thread a lot of it is just habit. On Friday got a bottle of white wine,need to be more mindful about what I really want/need, and often it’s not food-related.

    Have bought one of those vegetable peelers to make carrot and courgette pasta. It seems obvious as a non-meat eater to eat loads of veg? wrong, so am piling on the veg now, in “stir-frys” without the oil, just a couple of sprays, the rest is water and seasoning. Mushrooms have more protein than other veg, so am including those, and great with Vit C veg.

    Have had to ditch bread again, as can’t have it around, even in freezer without rounds of toast (butter/raspberry jam) that will have to be revisited at another stage.

    Having a few dates and figs, with nuts and greek yoghurt, to starve of any cravings, seems to work.

    Milena, great you’re here, sorry about Willow, πŸ™
    Salma, you know you can do it, life goes on and hopefully we can remain on track 80% of the time? you can only do your best when you’re worried about other stuff, but there are also times when one feels very determined πŸ˜‰

    Jayney here’s a question, doesn’t the olive oil add significant calories? how do you calculate that for 6 tbsp? does sound interesting

    Hi to MM, Lori, Sherryann, Hi DJ nice to see you again! xx stay strong people!

    Good Morning!

    Milena…glad to see you back here, but so sorry about Willow. I know how hard it is…hugs.

    Salma..hang in there. I’ve put on over 1/2 a lb after a weekend of eating and drinking WAY too much while at the golf course. I’m feeling like quite the toad this morning. I’m hoping to see the number on the scale go down by Friday.

    This olive oil thing is so interesting. Jayne..sorry if I missed it, but how do you take the oil? Just on salads or by the spoon or what? Did you ease into the 6 TBS? I think starting with 6 right off the bat would cause some intestinal distress? I’m going to try to up my coconut oil intake on non-fast days. I’m not sure how to get that many TBS in. I like it in my coffee, but I usually only drink coffee in the morning and my eating window doesn’t open until afternoon. Hmmm…this is going to take some planning.

    I’m going to take my bulbous self to boot camp this morning. The shirt I have on is WAY too tight and I feel uncomfortable. I think I have to go look for a different one. πŸ™

    Have a good start to your week everyone!

    Just a quickie. Had a compliment t from a man today. Said I looked great and added not that I didn’t before. Oh yes – heis gay. Funny how he noticed and ost other blokes just ignore it. Lol
    On a fast day today so trying to get rid of the excesses of the weekend. I am with you those who have the occasional bi be or two. Only thing Siam amazed I get back on a fast day. That has to be good – right?
    Back to work now.

    Hello all. I’m off an a stat day today, so have the leisure of really getting to read everyone’s posts and absorb.

    Yay Salma for getting back to the gym. Sending cyber consolation hugs for your binge day and how down it has gotten you, but you took the huge step of going back to the gym. Be proud girl, you’ve done something really great for yourself and your body.

    TT – 5 dress sizes, what an achievement. Did you have a whole old wardrobe waiting for you or did you get to splurge on some new things? I did have a complete winter and summer old wardrobe that I can now fit back into. For work I tend to buy classics and for play I wear a mix of vintage and some random funky pieces that are one of a kind things I have built up over the years so there is no real style for them to go out of style :). If you got to go shopping please share, so I can have a vicarious shopping trip.

    Sherryann my boys have been out of the house for 7 years now, so no advice unfortunately, but lots of cyber encouragement going your way.

    Janey thanks for the clarification and the link. I don’t know why I had it in my head that you were taking tablets of some type, but there you go. The music festival I volunteer for is out in Hudson, Quebec. Blair Mackay who was the drummer for April Wine and his wife Lynda are the founders. We are lucky in Hudson in that it draws all sorts very well known and accomplished musicians as well as artists, artisans of all types and we have our own internationally renowned author – Louise Penny – of the Inspector Gamache series (for those of you who are murder mystery lovers). I miss being part of that community but at least it isn’t too far for commuting. On a week it is just under an hour’s drive each way.

    BB, Ginette, Topsy and Janey, isn’t nice when people notice. This weekend I ran into tons of people who haven’t seen me in a while. They were full of complements, which was really nice. Receiving all those compliments has really helped steel my resolve for these last few lbs!

    Strength and resolve to all fasters today – I am one of them – and a big hello to anyone I may have missed. I have the attention span of a gnat, so if it was too many posts back, I can’t retain it!

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