Norlandlass,
FYI, I tried to click on your fruit salad and got the message that it “could not be displayed” 🙁

Milena…good luck with the deflating! This too shall pass! 😉 I know it’s a miserable feeling. Definitely let the boys take care of you! Enjoy it while you can!

Norlandlass..tiling round the bathtub sounds brutal! I admire you for doing it yourself. I wouldn’t know where to begin.

Fasting here today. Not really feeling it, but will try to stay strong. Nothing planned for dinner for the husband. I’ll probably have my typical FD dinner of an omelet with a fresh tomato on the side. I’ll have to calculate my calories and see how many I’ll have left for a bite of lunch.

Have a great day everyone!

Hi all, weighed in yesterday- my scale doesn’t register half lbs so it flickered then settled at same weight as last week, think that suggests I am probably down a half which might show up next week if I persevere!
This w/e is a holiday w/e so Monday is an off day not a work one so will have to do FD on tues and weds to get both in- that will be tough but necessary before my hols.
Does Applepie still come here- or has she dropped off posting now she has got to goal? I have a very long way to go, so will be around a long time.

Sherry, no detective work required for Milena’s bloating- I knew that one! I am a nurse.
Susie

Hi girls! Everyone is MIA. Must be a busy weekend! I had kids’ soccer games and soccer pictures all day. The heat was unbearable and I was so exhausted when I got home that I fell asleep like a rock for over an hour.

I had a home-made nut protein/chia seed bar for breakfast and with the heat, didn’t feel like eating until dinner (quinoa/black bean/pineapple & mango salsa dish with grilled chicken-YUM!). As a result, I consider today a semi-fast day (I already had 2 fast days earlier in the week), which hopefully will result in a loss tomorrow!

Had a wonderful Thai massage yesterday where they stretch and massage you and the ‘ol back felt pretty good afterwards! Going to try it weekly for a while to see if it will fix my long-standing pinched nerve/SI joint issue.

Hoping everyone is having a great weekend and that you are all successful with your eating plans!

Sherry

Hi all, welcome Krysta, sure you will like this thread- everyone is very friendly. I have only been lurking a few weeks but like the supportive comments here.
Sherry- I like the sound of a chia protein bar- would you be able to,post the recipe please? Have you worked out the cals etc?
Holiday w/e here- am overnight in a hotel and have to confess have eaten and drunk more than I should, oh well, try to claw it back next week, before I head off on hols when all bets are off anyway!
Hospitals are bad for having sweets and biscuits around all the time, last week one girl brought in some home grown tomatoes and greengages- I was thrilled 🙂 usually chocs or KrispyKremes. I can walk away from cake generally but chocs are more difficult for me.
Happy w/e, Susie

Hi Sherry and Janey, I am interested in this 2 v’s 3 days fasting thing. Over the past 18 months I have tried both. Sometimes 2 days is not enough, or I loose at a snails pace. Thats ok most of the time since Im not in a big hurry, but occasionally it can be frustrating so I revert to 3 days. I do watch calories on non fast days too , trying to stick to 1500 cals on average. So the results? Well with 5 2 I was loosing about .2 or .3 of a kg every 2 or 3 weeks. I didnt weigh every week. A few weeks ago I came home from travelling and took my eye off the ball a bit on non fast days. This went on for 2 weeks but I still did fast 2 days pw. I put on 2 kgs. So I reverted to 5 3 and 1500 on NFDs, and now I am loosing at a really nice pace. I lost 1.3kgs last week and .3 kg this week. I am really pleased with this. If it continues at .3kgs pw its double what I lost on 2 days fasting. Remember this is pw whilst it was .3kg loss every 2 weeks with the 5 2. So it does make a big difference for me anyway, but no I wont do it long term , just for a few weeks and I am very very near my goal weight now anyway. So yes, do try 3 days fasting at least occasionally!!

Hello ladies. I have just finished reading through this post. I am inspired by your dedication and kindness to each other. I would like to join in if I may. I have been overweight since pregnancy 25 years ago and like some of you, appear to have just come to terms with it, dieting on and off over the years but just getting heavier. I like food. It is my downfall. The fact that the menopause is discussed here really grabbed my attention. I had a total hysterectomy 8 weeks ago and have no females in my circle to whom I can discuss this with. In short I went to the doc feeling ok but bleeding a little between periods. He sent me for tests and within 6 weeks found I had pre cancerous cells. I had no signs of menopause that I knew of except weight gain for no apparent reason. I had no idea that following a hysterectomy I would be plunged straight into it, full on! I have put on another stone since, lost most of my hair and am thoroughly depressed. I found the 5:2 book I had bought some time ago, again a few days ago and decided to try it. On line I found your thread and you have inspired me. I am starting today. A day of cutting down on my depression filled days of stuffing my face by watching what I eat. Tomorrow I fast. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Only 6 stones (84 pounds) to go! Thank you ladies. Nb. I notice you are based all over. I am from just outside of London, UK.

Oh my goodness! First everyone’s MIA and then we have four new ladies! Welcome Krysta, Kindle, Restorehope, and Bea56! Thank you for recognizing us as a kind, supportive thread. I really think we do try to help and encourage each other!

Kindle and Bea, I know there’s got to be stuff if you surf the web on peri-menopause, menopause and weight gain, as we all know it to be fact from experience! Maybe Susie, our resident nurse can pipe in here and give you more info. Do know though, that you are not alone in that! As you may have read from past posts, I went into early menopause at about 45 due to having gone through numerous IVF procedures in my late 30’s and early 40’s so had all the eggs sucked out of me a tad early! Weight has always been an issue for me (up & down 5-20 lbs) since I was a teen, but especially so after menopause.

Bea, I can’t believe your doc didn’t tell you that having a hysterectomy would throw you into menopause! That also is well known! Have they discussed the possibility of you taking bio-identical hormones to offset the symptoms or is any hormone therapy too dangerous given you had pre-cancerous cells? Just curious! Again, maybe Susie can help here?

Also Bea, Getting your eating under control should help immensely with the depression, but I am just starting on a probiotic formula a friend of mine said helped her with her depression a lot. It’s called “Mood +” by Garden of Life. It says on the box that it “promotes emotional well-being & relaxation & digestive balance. If you’ve been hearing anything in the media lately, they say that almost everything that goes wrong in our bodies can be attributed to the health of our guts!

For those who were wondering as far as what I eat on fast days, I usually try to eat a small, very light late breakfast/early lunch (check out the protein packed Vanilla Java Swappuccino on hungrygirl.com- only 85 cal!) and then a light dinner with the family-usually a protein and salad with light dressing.

Kindle, I’m still a tad new at this WOE so can’t really say how much more I’m losing on 2 vs 3 fast days. Plus I’ve had too many get-aways, dinners out etc. to have shown a great loss in the last 6 wks. or so. I do like to play around with 2-3 days fasting depending on my mood and ability on certain weeks. Mostly I like to do it when I’ve really blown it with pigging out! I don’t want to do it every week, because I feel my body will get used to it and then I will always have to do 3 days to lose! Like Jayney said, she only really used the 3 days when she was nearer the end of her weight loss and really wanted to kick it into high gear.

Whew! I hope I’ve answered everyone’s questions!? Oh, and Susie, here’s the recipe you asked for (super yummy and portable to take to work or on the run- but keep them cool!) 🙂

Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars

1 cup peanut butter (preferably chunky)
1/2 cup no sugar natural sweetener (like Xylitol, erythritol, or maybe those erythritol/stevia blends…I wouldn’t use straight stevia unless you just use a little to fit your taste)
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips (I like Lily’s brand dark chocolate chips sweetened with stevia- I get them at health food stores or on Amazon.com)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup each chopped cashews and almonds or any other nut you choose
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

Preheat oven to 350 and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a little extra on the sides to use as handles to remove bars when finished.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined.

Pour mixture into the pan and press it down to that it is flattened.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Cut into 12 bars and serve, keeping remaining bars refrigerated.

Per one bar: Calories: 305, protein: 11.10g, carbs: 16.2g, fiber: 5.5

P.S. Just my opinion, but I try whenever possible to use organic ingredients!

ENJOY! 🙂

Ps restore hope is a nurse too 🙂

Wow… you ladies sure are on the ball. Thank you for your advice. I shall most definitely be trying some of the suggestions and I love sugar free jelly! I decided after joining up that today would be my fast day. I always put things off and then don’t do it. I did have company today and kept busy and its only now that I am starting to think about having something to eat. I will check the book and find something good and low calorie to have. I have had plenty to drink and am ok so far. Now I’ve started, I can deal with looking at this from a different angle and actually, with a holiday on the horizon in mid November, have something other than my health issues to look forward to. Just off to check out the Mood + and that swappuccino sounds promising. Happy Bank Holiday to you all.

Hi ladies, Good Monday morning to you all! Welcome Cinque.

So weird, I don’t think I get all the postings sometimes here in the US because I received 3 emails from this thread this morning (which usually indicates there were 3 new postings) but only Cinque’s comments were new? Sometimes I hear people reference others on THIS thread that I’ve never heard of? Any of you other American girls have this problem? Oh well!

Today is my usual fast day, so going to give it a go. The usual protein Frappuccino for breakfast, maybe a light salad at lunch and yummy Chinese bbq in lettuce wraps for dinner.

I really do need to get a bit more structured on my non-fast days because I’m getting tired of one step forward, two back with regard to the weight loss! My TDEE is not practical. Depending on the site you calculate it on, which all vary, the average is around 1700 calories, and that is calculated at me being 5’1″ and my goal weigh of 120 and moderate activity (I walk 1 hour daily and do weights 2x/wk). I think 1200-1500 calories per day is more realistic and may end up going with that.

The super hot weather is finally cooling off here as the Aussie’s end their coldest winter! I’m sure there’s more heat in store for us as Fall time hits- it’s always that way…an then we usually have Santa Ana winds and those terrible fires occur in California that you may have heard about in the past. It is an “El Nino” year they say with a lot of rain expected. Maybe that explains all the weather extremes!

Wishing you all success today, fasting or not!

Sherry

Hi Ladies! Sorry to have been away for the week but I was off at a conference in Vienna. I did manage to avoid the rich cakes and desserts, actually found they didn’t look that good to me. But I still had a week of restaurant meals including Wiener schnitzel and lots of Austrian wine.

I’m not going to get on the scale this week. I can tell from my waistbands that things are not what they should be, though I’m hoping some of it is water since I know there’s much more salt in restaurant food than I ever cook with. I’ll get my fast days in this week, get back to eating lots of fresh produce from the CSA, and see how things look next week. But, Sherry, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to push things back till the official end of summer (the 21st) to get under 130 now.

I read some articles on the plane that were pretty down on counting calories. They suggested that simply cutting back on sugar and other refined carbs–eating a high fat Mediterranean diet, was the best way to go. One of the things that attracted me to 5:2 was not needing to count calories on the other days, but many of you are doing so, aren’t you?

Welcome to the new ones on the list, blessings for your continued healing, Milena, and good luck to everyone who is fasting today.

MM

Well done Bea56 and to all the other newbies since I last posted on here, it seams like we have a lot of new Fast Friends.

I’ve not really posted much lately as been on school summer holidays and also my holidays so really just been maintaining for the last 6 weeks.

Nice to see you back Milena and hope your feeling ok now.

I’m ready to start afresh now though and get back to 5:2 and have a FD tomorrow.
Good luck to everyone else on FD tomorrow.

Debbie x

Hello ladies, and thanks for your kind welcomes.
It is the first day of Spring here in Oz…yes Cinque sounds like a very similar morning here, it’s glorious. Spring is the best!
It sounds like everyone is on track..well done.
I am halfway through my 2nd FD..feeling a little hungry but it is bearable. Wednesday is now my favourite day (besides Fridays) as I look forward to being able to eat again 🙂
I too suffer from hot flushes but only a couple a day. I take herbal medicine to manage them.
Lunch time now..tinned tuna and salad.
Have a great day.
Kx

Hi Everyone,

Sorry to have been away so long. I would normally have posted on the last two weekends. However, a) a while ago I finally got a job, and b) last Wednesday I was informed I’d be heading off to Winnipeg the following Monday (a week ago now). What a whirlwind! Is anyone from the list in Winnipeg? Just curious. Welcome to all the new folks! What a grand group this is turning out to be!

At any rate, Lori, regarding calories and exercise, definitely do what seems right, but I do a really hard HIT workout once weekly and have fasted on it successfully (even water/psyllium/supplements only for quite some time). I only mean to say that if your body will allow, it’s perfectly fine to exercise on fast days, though I wouldn’t fast on boot camp days more than once a week personally, and I certainly never fast on days when I strength train. Just FYI. My experience has been that if you can tolerate it, the weight can really come off on those days, but that’s just my experience. BTW, I look forward to seeing you later this month!

Salma, I’m so glad to hear you’re making the gym a regular part of things. Have you noticed positive results?

Sheri: Regarding “Jayney, are you out there? If so, can you help on the TDEE issue? Mine states I should be 1666-1750 calories a day when I calculate it for being 5’1″, goal weight of 120 lbs and light to moderate activity (walking 1 hour daily/ weights 2x/wk). I feel like that’s too much?” Which TDEE calculator are you using? I’ve successfully used this one: http://www.mayoclinic.org/calorie-calculator/ITT-20084939, though others don’t like it. Also, a lot of folks on forums here use the lowest number regardless of activity level. You might try that. What do you think?

Susiewoosy: Regarding, “What does everyone do about weighing? Weekly? Daily?” I’m in the daily camp myself. The naturopath who recommended I start 5:2 actually recommended daily weighing. I was surprised, but once the weight starts moving in the right direction, I actually find myself looking forward to weighing. I even bought a scale for my trip. I accredit that as one of the main reasons I weighed less when I returned than I did before leaving–and still UNDER goal! I now know how to maintain my weight while traveling (remember, this was a business trip–not a vacation–I differentiate)!

kindle: Regarding, “Janey, I am interested in this 2 v’s 3 days fasting thing.” Just to remind you, the naturopath I see isn’t a fan of three fast days per week. In fact, he really looks down on it–which is why I stress using it sparingly. I had great results with it, but I really think it works best with a lot of forethought and planning so it can be used sparingly at the most effective times. What has your experience been like?

I’ll do my best to post on weekends going forward. It’s great to be back!

Jayney

It is evening in Australia and my dinner (chicken, vegetables, millet) is cooking. I’ve just read through all today’s posts, what an interesting group of people here! Thanks so much for the kind welcomes!

I’m so new to it all, but there are some things I am pretty sure I have fixed. I don’t want to buy scales! I am very happy to use my clothes and mirror to notice I am losing weight. I don’t want to count calories on my non Fast days. I will concentrate on eating moderately, and, so far, the Fast days are making that even easier. (I have already cut out sugar and I know I have a good diet).

I tried subscribing to one topic, but didn’t like it all in my email inbox. It is a bit laborious going through Recent Posts, choosing the thread, and then finding where I was up to last time, but I think it will work best for me!

It was such a lovely Spring day here, wasn’t it Krys! But for those of you who are saying goodbye to Summer, I must say that Autumn is my favourite season of all. (I wouldn’t be looking forward to a cold, cold, Winter though).

Congratulations on your new job Jayne!

Congratulations to those who are getting a fast free day tomorrow! Enjoy! I think I will fast as I won’t be able to on Thursday (original plan).(But I have been busy in between writing this, and now I am sitting and enjoying my yummy meal, so it has been a lovely Fast Free Day for me!)

Cheers to you all!

Hi girls,

Took a walk this morning and then spent a good part of the day on food prep: chili in the crockpot for dinner later and I made blueberry muffins and egg/ham/cheese muffins for the kids for easy, freezable breakfasts to make the mornings a little more hassle free.

MM, glad to see you’re back and were able to avoid all those sweets…you’re a better woman than me! Sweets are my downfall! I’m sure you’re right and the weight you feel is mainly water retention that will go bye bye within the week. I’m good with pushing our goal to the 21st of Sept. I really want to be below 130 (I’m actually aiming for 128) by the time I take my mom to Hawaii October 9th. In answer to your question about the calorie counting, you’ve probably read my post about thinking I need to buckle down on doing that on my NFD’s because I’m really just maintaining at this point, down one lb., up 1 lb.! It’s getting super frustrating. I really feel I don’t overdo it on NFD’s but without counting my calories, I guess I can’t be sure…and the weight is not moving! I DO know how to maintain my weight now though if I want to look on the bright side of things! 😉

Regarding those hot flashes or flushes, I do notice when I eat cleaner and exercise, I have less of them. Don’t know if that helps, but that’s been my experience!

Jayney, Glad to see you back and congrats on the new job! Yes, the Mayo Clinic was the one you referred me to prior and it states I need around 1700 calories. I am going to play with the 1500 cal level on NFD’s and see what happens.

Lori, how fun that you and Jayney get to meet! I’d love to meet any of you on this thread if you decide to make your way out to the San Diego area! I’m interested to hear how your 1500 calories a day goes!

Susie, Cinque, Krys, Bea, and Norlandlass, good to hear from you all and that the fasts are going well for most of you!

Well, off to pick up my 9 year old son from school auditions for “The Lion King”. There are only 20 spots in the cast and he wants to make it sooo bad! Wish him luck!

Toodles,

Sherry

Hi all. Finishing up a fast day today. I’m doing three this week since I didn’t get in any last week, what with travel and all. And next week is my birthday, so I expect there will be at least one real “feast.” Jayney, I don’t think I could keep up 4:3 for very long, but it does seem like a good way to kick off a new start. And congratulations on your new job.

Sherry, let’s both try for 128 by October 9th (129.9 by the 21st!). I’m going to our North Shore (Lake Superior–the closest thing we have to an ocean) that weekend, so it’s a good incentive to be at 128 by then. Hope your son gets a part in the play!

Milena, hope the tum is settling down. Welcome, Cinque, KrisK, and Bea and anyone else whose posts I might have missed.

MM

We’re having horrible hot and humid weather right now. A good time for fasting, as I do find that I am cooler when I don’t eat much.

MM

Hi MM and all

still bloated, but less so, thought I would be back to normal now, been out a couple of times, but was knackered just getting dressed.

Don’t think my weekend helped – on Thursday finally decided to sent a pic of a beatles signed promo card to a dealer – got an offer of three thousand pounds for it, and they put the money in the bank on Friday! Without even seeing it – I did ask what happens if it isn’t real, they said they never get it wrong, they can tell from the pic. We were amazed.

Sent the card yesterday, got an email saying it was a copy, could they have their money back, including the postage which they paid for! Told them I had already spent it on a cruise.

Then said I was only kidding, though if I HAD gone on a cruise as I might have jumped overboard.

Good job I didn’t spend the money then! Very good job I got them to put it into OH’s bank! Very very good job I didn’t feel up to celebrating – cos i certainly don’t now.

On the bright side (is there a bright side??????), it was in a chanel box given to me by an old lady for a doing her a kindness about 5 years ago. Also in the box was some chanel ribbons, a gorgeous chanel eye make up compact and a chanel scarf. All put in the loft and forgotten about – all found the the card a few months ago!

Of course, now that we have promised my son a car engine and a crash helmet with the some of the three thousand, working VERY HARD listing stuff on ebay – I might even list the chanell items. Almost being lucky can focus the mind! And even more of a bright side – completely lost my appetite! Oh well!

Hi!

Such a bummer Milena to get your hopes up only to be dashed! I can’t believe they told you from the beginning that they were sure it was the real deal without ever having seen it in person! Oh well, live and learn! Hoping the Chanel items make up for it at least a little!

Susie, Glad to hear you appreciated the recipes! 🙂 If you can’t find chocolate almond milk, I’m sure you could use any other chocolate flavored milk replacement like rice, soy, cashew…They have so many out there now. The key is that it be sugar free and you’d obviously have to adjust the calories depending on what you use. I don’t know if adding the extra cocoa powder would work, but you can try!

Well, up 0.2 this morning after NFD. That’s ok, I’ll take it, as long as it doesn’t continue to creep up this week!

Off on my morning walk with a friend. It is blessedly cooler here with overcast morning skies that I hope will remain the duration of my walk!

Have a good one girls!

Sherry

Milena, excuse my bumping in, but please make sure the check they sent you is valid before you do anything. Scammers use cashier’s checks and other types of negotiable instruments that look so real that your bank approves it, but it later unravels in the bank collection process.

It’s their mistake, so make them wait a few weeks. Talk to your bank before doing anything. And get your property back, too, before you send them a dime. What they did was inconsiderate if not worse.
Cheers – jade

hi beldy, getting there, hugs back Lori, just reading what you have done got my heart racing, so thanks for the exercise.

Hi Susie, Sherry, Cinque, Mm and anyone else, my life is such a roller coaster eh?

Hi JadeLark. They put money in the bank on Friday, asked me to send the card after after the bank holiday, when I asked how they could be so certain, they said they just were! Good job Ingliston Antiques fair is a week on Saturday rather than last week, and good job Im still under the weather, would perhaps have bought some stock. VERY good job there wasn’t much on ebay. OH always says money flows through my hands, unfair as Im generally buyingvstock, but at least he can see its just not true. Truth to tell, we didn’t even check of it had been put it in – they made the offer, I accepted, and in it went. Mad.

Cant miss what you never had, BUT my woman’s intuition is in overdrive. They offered without stating it had to be genuine or to hold onto the money – I got the money without anything to say they could have it back, and more research last night showed it is very very rare, and one sold recently for $11,000, a good profit margin for them. And they want the money back before returning the card. I’ve decided to ask them to return it first, they trusted me with money and card last week, they can trust me this week. I would be in the claggy stuff if I had spent it.

On the bright side – yet again – the scarf and makeup is worth around £3-400, and Ive been up all night, listing like a loony, that surely uses more calories than sleeping. Though had breakfast at 7, only 200 cals of muesli and milk and afternoon snack of two digestive biscuits with a cuppa. Heinz tomato soup and a wee bit of potato and thyme loaf from M&S – definitely not worth £2.15 but at least the slices are small. Will be at about 800 cals. A bit over but just 1600 over three days. Sounds better than it is, not absolutely sure Ive expended many more calories than that.

Have a great evening/morning.

Travel hopefully ……….

End of my first week and have lost 4lbs without any exercise. Delighted but very surprised. Determined to keep it up this time around. Didn’t find my fast days too bad stuck to the same foods for both fast days, was slightly over my 500 calories by about 77 calories and stayed under 1772 calories on my non fast days. Will do an hours walking each day this week and hopefully I’ll get a good result on the scales next week.

I agree Jade and Sherry, even stranger though, not a cheque, a bank transfer, its been sitting in hubby’s account for days!!! They have my worthless card and I have their money. But there is a rabbit away, maybe?

Actually wasn’t totally gobsmacked as a testimonial on site thanks them for sending the money first!

Then again, must dig out my testimonials, the one from Branson saying I’m a financial genius is there somewhere, perhaps next to the one from Marcus Waring saying my cooking is amazing and under the one from Brad saying he only married Angelina on the rebound from me!!!

Though not unknown to me – I’ve been given diamond rings to check, worth thousands, , I am regularly sent packets of jewellery worth thousands, first I know is when they pop through the door. The lady who gave me the card was a complete stranger, we have never met. She sold me a silver dish, had asked for two hundred and fifty pounds, I gave her four hundred and fifty – next week she posted about four thousand pounds of jewellery to me – and I posted the cash for it back to her!

I could write a book!!!!

Milena, better than writing a book, you should have a one-woman comedy show! As I’ve said, you always make me laugh! 😉