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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  • oh and Milena, do you run a jewelry store or pawn shop? I’m confused?

    I’m not the least bit amusing, though organising my comedy script writing, or book perhaps, next year – hoping to have a couple of months in France – except we can’t afford to live anywhere nice, so second house sit in Uk in a couple of weeks, including a german shepherd, in the village where my best friend lives in Warwickshire yay!!! Then doing three separate weeks sitting for a cat breeder, including some babies – bigger yay!!! I need the references.

    I buy and sell jewellery at fairs, an antique centre and on ebay – love it!

    Sorry Milena, but you are quite funny 🙂

    Hi everyone, just joined and hoping to join you in the quest of being healthier and loosing weight too. Very new to all this and hopefully you’ll forgive me any newbie questions…

    Hello all. Hope you are all doing well on your new ways of life. I did my second fast day today. Struggled a bit and could have eaten my arm by the time I had my low cal dinner. I find it easier to go without all day and sit and eat with hubby when he eats. I feel less deprived if I join in, even if the quantity on my plate looks as if it is for a 2 year old! Oddly, the hot flushes (I’m glad you put me right – I had thought it was flushes but kept reading ‘flashes’ everywhere) were not as bad again. That’s twice now, each time I have been on my fasting days. Again, I did drink lots today. I am going to keep my eye on this and if it appears to be the same each time I fast, I am going to spread the info.
    Anyway, today I ate sugar free jelly after my dinner because I was desperate for something sweet (its my downfall). It really helped. Also, because I start my fast in the evenings, an hour after eating an apple at about 8pm, although only twice, this too seems to help. I guess it is each to their own and we all do what we find easiest. I am disabled so cant exercise, so losing weight is reliant on not eating only. It’s been very difficult to shift anything so far on other diets. Still, onwards and upwards as they say.
    Hi Sherryann, you mentioned you have a swappuccino on fast days. I looked on the hungry girl website and its great. I have to say though that I was unable to find any of the ingredients for the drink when I shopped today. I think you ladies in the States are very lucky in that you have a wider variety of foods than here in the UK but I am going to follow your receipe for hot cocoa. Thanks for sharing that. Congrats to your son on getting a part too. Some kids just love being on the stage don’t they. I know my daughter did when she was younger.
    Milena, Hi. I am an antique dealer with a shop in an antique centre. I have to say, I have never done anything by post and I have never sent funds to anyone without seeing anything with my own eyes, first. Do please be careful. Not everyone you deal with is always as trustworthy as you seem.
    Everyone. Its been very enjoyable reading all the posts. You are all a busy and interesting bunch. Thanks for all the tips that are posted. Good luck for the following week. I will be away next week so will catch up when I get back.

    Ok girls, I REALLY DO have a life besides being on the computer, but had a lot of work to do in my office today (which I didn’t really want to do, hence my constant presence on this thread today…are you sick of me yet? 😉

    Pam, welcome! Not that we don’t want to answer any questions, but you can get a lot of info as a newbie also on the thread: The Basics for Newbies-your questions answered.

    Bea, it’s too bad it’s difficult to find those ingredients in the UK! Maybe you can order some of the non-perishables online, i.e. from Amazon.com? Also, I do not mean to pry with regard to your disability and exercise, but I have a friend who can only do seated exercises and she really enjoys utilizing the “BodyGym” which consists of a bar with latex bands attached to either end. She does things like arm, chest, back and core work with it. You might be interested in going online and checking it out to see if it would possibly work for you? Just an idea- Best of luck! 🙂

    Ok, I promise I will not post again tonight! 😉

    Sherry

    Hi Bea

    I think I’ve got you all worrying unnecessarily. I have the £3k in the bank. They have what is probably a worthless piece of paper.

    If it’s a scam, it’s an interesting one, over the weekend I had both the money and the signatures, I intend to have both again, before I return the money. If it’s a scam, and it might be, it’s an interesting one.

    It’s just odd! My fried Nessie, who did the FBD with me, has asked her hubby, a policeman, to get them checked out.

    I was once given a cheque for £65,000 for a contract, hadn’t even given the buyer a quote, no invoice, not one piece of paper. scary eh? Must be my face. Buyer was HM Coastguard.

    A book? think it could be a weekly column!

    Hi Sherry, I love your posts. I hope you got the horrible work done eventually!

    Especially in the first couple of weeks, I really could feel this 5:2 fasting retraining my brain. I just LOVED that it made the non Fast days so much easier because it seemed to get ‘I’m full’ messages better. (Come the day when I just forget to eat though!)

    Milena what a fascinating thing to be doing! It must be so interesting, but it would also have times of high anxiety! I hope that strange transaction all works out.

    Congrats Wanna! I am forced to be sedentary because of a chronic illness, and I have been so delighted (and relieved) to be losing weight with the 5:2.

    Welcome Pam! I am a newbie too! How did you get onto it?

    Bea I am glad you got through your second day! Did you keep saying “I can eat what I like tomorrow! I can eat what I like tomorrow!” That is what I do! I also have my soup earlier, because I am going spare by the afternoon. I make myself wait til 5pm, but then I call dinnertime! Sometimes I wait an hour or so longer, but the good thing is, that even eating at 5 pm, I haven’t (touch wood and whistle) felt very hungry into the evening.
    Also, I understand Australians say Hot Flushes, and Americans say Hot Flashes (and think we Aussies are talking about a toilet!!!!). Not sure what Brits usually say!

    Cheers everyone, it is a lovely morning here, and the wattlebird is outside the window, building a nest in the tree (and swooping madly at Miso the cat when she comes near)

    Hi everyone. Enjoying all your posts and life stories. I’ll write more soon. Milena you have to keep us informed of the final outcome!
    Just finished my 8 th FD. Simcoeluv enlightened me on the time frame and it seems to be better for me. Wake up. Do the fast till the next day. Trying to get those TDEE under. Splurging too much. But I feel better! Love the hunger pangs which I’ve not allowed myself to feel in years and years.
    What do any of you think about the 16:8 etc The stretching of non eating time to 16 or more hours and leaving a window of time to eat ( whatever time is left out of the 24). Do you notice a difference? Some people do that even on their eat normal days!
    The cool thing is we have so many options and ways to fit this WOL into our own unique styles.
    One more comment. I am still having some trouble being strict on fast days. I tend to go over the 500
    I may just save all the calories for a well planned 500 cal evening meal.
    Balancing act!!
    Take care everyone.

    Wow! This group is taking off! Sounds like you all are doing great.

    Milena…I, too, love your stories and think you have a real knack of telling them. I often grin and smile as I’m reading.

    Another week of maintaining my weight. Better than a gain for sure, but certainly not my goal. I had 3 hard workouts this week, so I know there is some water retention due to sore muscles. I keep telling myself that I may not have lost “weight”, but have lost some fat. That is the goal after all. One more week until vacation and when I get home, it’ll be time to be more strict with myself.

    I’ve been without a headache for quite a few days now, and if that trend continues, I may try the fasting thing again in October. I think it was sinus related, but it just made the fasting that much harder.

    Work today and then 3 days on the golf course for a tournament. Fingers crossed that I play well…golf is a funny game. One day you’ll play well and the next day it’s as if it’s your first attempt! Frustrating!

    Have a lovely Friday and a great weekend!

    Hi Ladies

    I try to do 16-8 most days, or even 20-4, stops me thinking about food, otherwise I have a habit of grazing once I’ve started eating. Weight loss only seems to work for me if I eat little, and if I don’t have breaks, holidays, weekends off, cheats or treats. Found out the hard way, been titling for months. I once comes it to snakes and ladders, I think in total l’ve lost about 60 lbs, maybe more, which would have me right at the top of the board nearly at maintenance, proving losing weight with 5:2 is a doddle – provided I don’t eat much. I’ve climbed a lot of ladders.

    Unfortunately, I’ve also slid down a lot of snakes, and everyone an event where I pretty much went to my old ways – not totally. But wine, treats, bigger meals, not counting calories. Strangely never plateaued, just a lot of trip ups and slides down the bloody snakes.

    So, for me, plain old planning and discipline, Haas help me if I ever get to maintenance.

    Re the curious case of Paul, John, George and Ringo. Apparently, someone has just copied the back and the front.

    Simple explanation.

    Except for two things: 6% of beatles signatures are genuine – this must happen to them daily. So why give someone loads of dosh for a week, then ask for it back, and not expect it to be spent?

    And, they actually offer to make a copy for the seller as a momento!!!!!!!!!!!

    Have asked for the card back, just to be sure if it’s a copy, it’s the copy I sent to them.

    Will keep you posted.

    Hi all! Welcome Pam and Bea.

    On my second fast day today since the Vienna trip. I’ll brave the scale tomorrow and am planning to fast again on Sunday. Clothes feel about the same, so I don’t think I gained too much in the old country (how much can you gain in four days, anyway?) But I don’t expect to see much of a loss either. I’ll be happy if I’m back where I was when I left (132.6) and over the moon if I’m slightly down.

    Our semester started on Monday, and it’s so much fun to be in the classroom again. The students are always so full of enthusiasm in September. The rot will set in and they’ll lose momentum as the weather darkens in November but for now they’re doing all the reading (!) and vying with each other to speak up. Love it! And it’s so much easier to fast on teaching days–hardly notice the time flying by.

    Good luck to all the fasters today. I’ll be doing nothing but tea and water till 6, then a little ratatouille.

    MM

    Hi MinnesotaM….. Yummy ratatouille!!!
    So Milena if you do 16/8 most days you do the 500 per fast and then other days do you restrict calories too?
    Thank you ! Opal

    Hi

    Celtic, I don’t like coffee, drink it but couldn’t eat anything coffee flavoured – ugh!

    Opal – I try – and I even try 375 cals on a fast day – or zero – and sometimes I suceed and sometimes I fail spectacularly.

    I think the simple concept of 5:2, 500 cals on fast and eat normally the rest of the time, is brilliant, but it doesn’t work for me. I fanny around too much and chop and change.

    On a graph, my weightloss is so up and down as to make you giddy, but the trend, as they say, is down. The ups are when I eat ‘normally’. I have been known to put on
    3-5 lbs some weeks, but since the end of January I have averaged around 1.1 lbs, half a kilo, a week.
    Has taken a while to realise that, for me, if I get to the weight I want to be, to stay there I will have to simply eat very little. They do say nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

    So interesting re the not-the-Beatles postcard. But Omg Milena! Not like coffee!!!!!
    Mind you, I am not so into coffee flavoured things, I just LOVE the drink (I am a Melbournian after all!). I love it with milk though, so it would be good if I could make Fast Days caffeine free days too. I’m working on it, but not there yet.

    Isn’t it true what you say that we have to keep experimenting to find out what works for our individual lives: so many decisions to make around the basic premise.

    Being mid fiftyish is a benefit, I think, in doing this: I am so much better at planning, and taking the long view, and being philosophical, (and a day is so much shorter these days!).

    Lovely to hear you talk about teaching MM. Good wishes for the weigh tomorrow!
    Hi Opal Shine, lovely name!
    Hi Lori, fingers crossed that headache doesn’t come back.

    Hi Everyone,

    Crazy day today and the eating reflected that (it was going to be a FD). Firstly, I dropped kids off at school and then had a morning sales meeting with my staff. After my meeting, I had to drop the hubby off at an out-patient surgery center to have varicose veins removed (yes, weird for men, but it’s hereditary in his family and he’s already had it done twice in years past), picked up the kids from school and took them to get frozen yogurt (their Friday treat), shopped for nephew’s birthday gift, went back to surgery center to pick up groggy hubby who’s wrapped up like a mummy from the groin down and head back home with all. Had “gentle but firm” discussion with hubby on way home insisting that though he thinks he’d be “just fine” going ocean fishing with his pal this Sunday as he’d originally planned, wasn’t going to happen (btw, the nurse at the center agreed with me!). His legs looked like Halloween come early! 🙁

    No sooner do I get through the door at 5:45pm and the surgery center calls to say that my diabetic daughter left her glucose monitor in the waiting room and if I can get back there in 15 minutes before the last nurse leaves, I can retrieve it! Being it’s a three day weekend (Labor Day on Monday) in the U.S., I can’t have her without it for 3 days so I race back there in rush hour traffic and barely make it. AHHHH! Needless to say, the kids got frozen pizza for dinner. Luckily I had a more nutritious leftover tomato lentil soup for hubby.

    My weird eating for the day included a low cal muffin, a protein drink, and a large frozen yogurt. I want REAL food now after that mess. Maybe a salad with some protein. It will end up being a semi-FD…maybe somewhere between 600-800 calories. Ahhh life!

    So enough about me! On to you guys! Lori, glad you’re feeling better! Did you ever go to the doc to see if you in fact had a sinus infection because those can cause horrible headaches?

    Milena, I’m like you, up and down all the time, but WE WILL PERSEVERE and get there eventually! 😉

    MM, Hoping the scale gods are kind to you tomorrow! So great that you teach! Do you mind my asking what you teach and at what level?

    Cinque, I’m not a big coffee fan either. If I do have it, I “foo foo” it up (i.e. a Frappuccino) and it has to be decaf. If I have a Starbucks real coffee for instance, the caffeine withdrawal headaches the next day are horrible for me…and this after just one coffee once in a blue moon! I’m always reading stuff lately about the health benefits of coffee, but then on the flip side, you hear how you should quit it because it stresses the adrenals! Who knows?!

    Well, the good news today is you are talking to the proud mother of the new “Lion King” at my son’s school. He beat out all the other 4th-6th graders. I’m so happy for him. He’s such a ham I knew he’d get some part, just didn’t know it would be the big one!

    Have a good evening/morning ladies! I’m off to forage for some salad!

    Sherry

    I just wrote this HUGE blurb and it just upped and went!
    How is everyone? I have read and enjoyed all of your posts since my last one but couldn’t possibly comment on each of them as I would still be typing this time tomorrow.
    Well done to everyone for surviving another week of fasting. I am up to 2kg’s lost now since starting. It has been slow but I can tell just looking at my body shape that the fat is disappearing. The cm’s on the tape measure are showing a result also. I walked this morning and will go again tomorrow if it doesn’t rain as forecast (I ain’t THAT keen!)
    Opal Shine, it can be tricky keeping within 500cals on FD’s – I find eggs, boiled or poached are good, or tinned tuna with salad or veg. Soup is another easy option, or a diet shake (I have tried the Aldi shakes, only 200cals per serve, and the chocolate is nice) or a frozen meal from Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine. Aldi have a ‘diet’ and ‘healthy’ range in frozen meals also. Anything that has the cal or kj info on the packet, really, is an easy option and doesn’t require having to weigh or measure, which isn’t always possible (particularly at work).
    Well done to your son, Sherry. My 14yrold daughter did a solo dance at the school variety night through the week. It was meant to be a duet dance but the other girl was off sick so she went solo. I was very proud of her, she did really well and received a great reaction from the audience. It’s so great for their confidence and self-esteem. She isn’t classically trained, just naturally talented. (certainly didn’t get that from me, just her brains and beauty, lol).
    I am cooking creamy garlic prawns for dinner tonight (light cream) and might just open that chardy in the fridge – I’ll throw an extra few blocks into my walk tomorrow to make up for it!
    Have a great weekend all, and will check in again soon
    Kx

    Sherry! Congratulations to your son! How exciting for him…and you!

    I had a horrible night tossing and turning. I finally gave up and got up at 4AM. After golf today, I’ll be coming home, taking a shower and taking a nap! The husband was restless too, but now he must have fallen asleep as I’ve been up for and hour and he’s still in bed.

    Scale came down a couple tenths this morning. Ah well. I’ll try to have a good week next week and then it’s 2 weeks of “whatever”. My husband and I often share an entree at dinner as he is not a big eater. It works nicely as we don’t overdo and save a bit of $$ too. Ah, but then there are the desserts! He does have a bit of a sweet tooth. 😉

    Sitting here looking at my cat stretched out on the living room floor. She was out all night and just came in, had breakfast and is now out like a light! She usually spends a long time taking a bath after breakfast, but she fell asleep after only a couple licks! Oops…she must have known I was talking about her as she just raised her head. What a life she has! We have a pet sitter come and take care of her while we are away. I always feel bad when we go as I know she doesn’t understand where “her people” have gone!

    Enough of my rambling. Time for some breakfast and I’ll have to start getting ready to go golfing in about an hour.

    Have a lovely day!

    My cat is curled up on the spare armchair. Hello to your cat Lori!

    I finished my Fast Day and had no coffee. I’m a bit addicted so it was a good thing, and I will be deliriously happy to have one tomorrow.

    I have to tell you Sherryann that when Starbucks opened stores in Melbourne we all turned our noses up and they had to shut again! The whole city is a coffee snob! My poor sister dislikes coffee and she feels such a pariah!

    Anyway, enough about coffee. Cheers to you all through your crazy days and exciting days and your plans for a healthy tomorrow.

    Good morning all! Well, the scale was not kind this morning. Up 1.6 lbs and that after what turned out to be a fast day and a half. Yesterday got slightly derailed by the unexpected visit of a friend at dinner time, leading to an open bottle of Chardonnay. Sigh. But I think I kept within about 600-700. So I’m making today another partial fast day–no breakfast or lunch, but dinner at the neighbors’. Guess Vienna did more damage than I thought. Perhaps that isn’t so surprising. I usually walk a lot when I travel, but this time did not because it was so hot (in the 90s each day, 35 for those of you across the pond). The conference venue was also not in the best part of town so there was no easy way to go out and browse the shops and early morning/late night strolls didn’t seem the safest thing.

    Cinque, it can get even worse than not liking coffee. I’m allergic to it! Hives, asthma the whole bit if I so much as take a sip of the stuff. And I love it too. On the bright side, it’s a pretty easy thing to avoid, unlike those who are allergic to nuts or to gluten. But I do envy you coffee drinkers, and settle for drinking a lot of tea.

    Sherry, major congratulations to your son! The lead! I am a university professor, with a chair in religion and science. My background is in both theology and computer science and I specialize in the ethical and philosophical questions that arise from our modern technology. I also teach world religions when I get the chance.

    Our heat wave is supposed to end tomorrow, thank goodness. I guess I’m a true Minnesotan. I don’t mind any amount of cold. After all, you can always put on another layer of clothing, but you can only take off so much and still be legal. Anyway, the temperature graph for next week is a delightful downhill slide. Now if I can only get the scale to do the same thing. . .

    MM

    Morning ladies!

    Thanks for the congrats on the son’s part in the play! Now we will see if he can keep up the school grades, sports, ukulele lessons, and rehearsing for the play! Mind you I don’t push him to do any of these things! He’s one of those kids who wants to try everything. Total opposite to my soon-to-be 15 year old who barely moves/hates sports and has no interests other than her cell phone. She is “artsy” though…hoping if that’s the path she takes she can make a living at it (sigh!).

    Along these lines, very cool KrysK that your 14 year old daughter did that solo dance without her partner! Very brave at that age! Sounds like she’s got it together unlike my oldest daughter so don’t know that you can commiserate with me on that one! 😉

    Cinque, I like that you Melbourne folks snubbed Starbucks! They tend to put the little coffee shops out of business sometimes so it’s nice to hear the small guys won out!

    MM, sorry to hear about the disappointment with the scale today. I’m avoiding it this morning due to my weird eating yesterday and trying another fast today. We have to get it together to meet our goal!

    Interesting subjects you teach! Does the fact that I think the devil is sucking out my kids’ brains via their electronics (I do try to limit them!) count as a subject matter for you? ;). Our kids go to a Christian school and one of the teachers there gave us a handout on a study a while back that stated something to the fact that kids today are so over-stimulated by electronics and the “rewards” they get when play them or texting, etc. that it makes them numb to appreciating joys of simpler things like nature- They really need to be unplugged and put outside so that they aren’t desensitized to these things. Interesting!

    Well, have to get a move-on. Lunches to be made, play dates to take kids to, and a birthday party for a nephew later. Have a good one girls!

    Sherry

    I am on a normal eat day today and tried NOT eating from dinner last night to 7 PM today , Saturday. I did have a bite of cake and ice cream at my nephew’s birthday party, even though I am not a big sweets craver. And I did have some chips and salsa,,, so the plan went a little awry, but basically I have eaten a LOT less than I normally would. Now I will make a healthy tofu veggie dinner with my good red wine and enjoy a relaxing Saturday night. Went to gym earlier and tried Michael’s HIIT , it was fun and challenging!
    I can tell since the month ago that I started this, I have lost something. I dont own a scale and hate them, but I can tell by my clothes and the gym mirror
    Thanks for ” listening” I have been wanting to shed this weight for a few years, I was at a great weight 5 years ago, and the past 3 full of stress, has led me to gain it all plus. BUT I am feeling better and more optimistic about getting my weight to a good level and about a lot of positive changes I want in my life!
    I love reading everyone’s stories and situations. Thank you for sharing!

    Minnie (Minnesota Miss)
    I bet you lose that extra little bit really quickly!
    How awful to not be able to have coffee. I gave it up pretty much when I thought it was bad for the chronic illness I have (me/cfs), and I was SO excited when I worked out it didn’t effect me adversely. Then I gave up chocolate when I cut out high and medium sugar foods. I miss chocolate, but I would rather do without it than coffee!

    Sherryann, we are proud :). Our small cafes are so good that we get surprised if our coffee froth hasn’t got some pattern drawn on it! But ofcourse, I mostly make coffee at home: good, but not as good as the baristas!

    Cheers to your teenage children everyone. Oh those were hard times and I only had one!

    Opal Shine the best thing about 5:2 is that you get to have treats! The Fast Days will soon cancel them out! It may make your goal a couple of days further away, but this is Way of Life eating and it has to be sustainable. And how can you make it sustainable without treats every now and then?

    Note to self. well why were you frustrated with all that snacking a couple of days ago Cinque? Oh yes. Ok.

    Anyway you did it so nicely by having less than you used to!

    Isn’t it nice looking in the mirror and seeing a healthier body!

    Off to try and get a few things done!

    Anyone heard from MaydayMayday? Her posts were hilarious! Always put a smile on my face.
    Hope you are still walking that pooch MaydayMayday, if you read this 🙂

    Hi all.

    Opal, I did the same as you. I had a dinner invitation to my neighbor’s yesterday, so went with nothing more than a small lettuce and tomato salad till 6:30 pm. Though I had promised to eat lightly after that, my neighbor had made a rather decadent trifle with raspberries from their garden. And her husband kept refilling the wine glasses, so I have a feeling I ate my full TDEE at that one meal. Oh well, at least the abstemious day means I probably didn’t go too far over.

    And, as you say, Cinque, we get treats from time to time. Problem is, this will be a week of treats since tomorrow is my birthday. So far, three dinners scheduled with friends. Yikes! It will be fasting every other day.

    Sherry, yes, our kids probably do spend too much time in front of a screen. I am concerned that they are missing things–playing outside and getting to know nature, being inventive and making up their own games, etc. We have more trouble at the university level with young people who spend hours playing video games or skyping a distant girlfriend. Also, it’s harder for them to make the transition away from home when they are still texting high school friends, Facebooking, and calling their mothers every day. But not much to do about it. I’m glad your son is in a play. That’s a technological free zone.

    Happy Sunday everyone.

    MM

    AAACK! I think many of us are in the same boat this weekend. We had similar experiences Opal & MM! I overdid it a tad (though much less than I normally would have) at my great newphew’s birthday after attempting to fast earlier. Then, threw caution to the wind and had a “what the heck” eating session! Too many aborted fasts this week for me. Trying again today to fast until dinner. Have a bacon, brie, sourdough bread strata sitting in the frig “marinating” until dinner tonight. Won’t be having much else since that will be most of my calories for the day.

    We were going to bbq with friends this evening but two of my four woke up with colds so that isn’t going to happen. Though I will miss the good time, I’m sort of happy because then I can stay on track with my eating today.

    Have a good one all!

    Sherry

    Hello ladies,

    Just a quick note to say hi!
    I have been back for 3 days but have a problem with my Mac computer at home that seems unable to access the fastdiet website now for some reason. I am writing this quickly from my work computer. I have not caught up with everyone’s news yet, but will do so later.

    personally, I came back from my 8 day vacation THREE Kgs heavier. Yes!!! How is this even possible??? This morning, I was even heavier than three days ago. Ah well.. back to the drawing board. This is exhausting.. it takes forever to lose a couple of kilos (well over a month for me) and a few days to gain it back. Should there not be a law of Physics against this kind of thing??

    Have a good day everyone.

    Salma

    Hi Salma, sounds scary but its not, it WILL go fairly quickly – I know, I’ve become quite an expert at yoyoing this summer.

    Dunno why a small break can cause this havoc, but it does. But it WILL go!!!!!!

    Sixteen weeks to Christmas, so time to set the Christmas goal and some mini goals to get us there. And if you think its too early to be thinking of Christmas – or your feast of choice around that time, if we fanny around there will suddenly be just three weeks to go.

    This thread was started in February, I think, by Salma. Which means last Christmas we ALL came to yet another close of the year heavier than we wanted to be, for some of us much heavier, with the prospect of struggling to find clothes, guilt over eating, but overeating anyway, and feeling old. Well, that was me – was it just me?

    This year WILL be better, of course it will, but we have the time to make it bloody good for a change. A dress size down? Plus a five pounds ‘allowance’ so we can eat well and still toast in the new year on target. That way we start the new year well instead of feeling depressed. Time to make ‘The Plan’. Write it down, keep it handy, share it, and do it!!!!!!

    Fast day today, make it count.

    Hi I am 50 and menopausal and in the last year the weight has gone on and on. I can’t diet as I love my food. I am too tired to exercise, thats just not happening at the moment. So I am trying 5:2 I will have to water fast my 36 hours as if I eat anything I just don’t stop.
    I have always been a fan of the 16/8 fasting eat protocol. Its just right now I need to shift some weight and soon! I refuse to buy new clothes and most are currently v uncomfortable.
    Cinque, I cut out sugar for a while to see if it cured my rosacea. It certainly did. But I do now eat dark chocolate with xylitol, which does not create an insulin response. I buy plamil off amazon and it is also dairy free. I like the dark mint one.

    Welcome back Salma. Sorry you’re having computer troubles….hope you can get it sorted soon as we’re dying to hear about your holiday. That holiday “fluff” will go away soon. No worries.

    Back to the golf course for Day 3 of the tournament. I’m tired! Being out in the heat and the bugs(!) is very tiring. The bugs have been driving us nearly crazy. We have tried all manner of sprays, essential oils etc to no avail. The little buggers seem immune to it all!

    I’ve been getting well over 10,000 steps each day, so haven’t really been watching my eating too closely. One thing I know…I’ve been eating too many cookies(biscuits). One of my friends brought peanut butter choc chip cookies for everyone yesterday and oh my..they were yummy! Here at home my husband brought home peanut butter cup cookies the other day and they are also yummy. Sigh…..I have promised myself no cookies today!

    A week from today I’ll be walking around Seattle! We’re afraid we may have some flight woes as we have an early morning flight next Sunday and we’ve been having very foggy mornings lately. We may be delayed, which will cause us to miss our connection in Wash DC. Oh well…the airlines will figure it out.

    Off to make myself a nice high protein breakfast. Have a lovely day everyone!

    Hi Everyone,

    Sorry for my tardiness in posting again. It’s a holiday weekend here. Since I have a bonafide full time job now, I actually get the holiday (today) off (WITH pay, and WITHOUT having to make up the time like I did this time last year when I was a contractor)! Because I was out of town last week I’m still getting caught up.

    At any rate, welcome to all the new folks! I hope you’ll find this a good place to share your story, vent, and draw inspiration. I know I have.

    It’s great to see Salma and Milena here. Lori, I’m really looking forward to your visit next week! Please let me know when you’ll be in town and where you plan to stay, etc. You can reach me at jayneyw@earthlink.net.

    This being a holiday weekend (starting with my birthday this past Friday) I decided to fast two days this past week (on maintenance I normally only fast one day a week) to get my weight down as much as possible before the weekend. The great thing was that I started the weekend out .1 pounds above the low end of my goal weight range. It’s a good thing, because after two back-to-back refeed days I was about .6 pounds from the high end of my goal weight range when I weighed myself yesterday. I weigh daily–especially on weekends like this. However, I’ve been working out daily since Saturday, and plan to do so through Thursday or possibly Friday. If things get too out of hand I can always fast two days this week as well. Had I thought of it sooner, I might also have increased my water intake for the weekend, but I don’t think that’s an issue. At any rate, I’ve eaten less yesterday and today will be less as well, so even if I end up fasting twice this week it’s worth it for me to indulge–a real plus of this Way of Life (WOL).

    Sherryann: Regarding, “Jayney, what is up btw with regard to your aforementioned intestinal issues? Did you ever find out what was up?” Actually, with the trip and everything, I haven’t had time to deal with it, but plan to email the nutritionist and the naturopath to ask their opinions on that and the intestinal cleanser I got–I just haven’t gotten around to that yet. It’s not like I’m in pain, or uncomfortable or anything, so it’s easy to ignore this for now.

    Also, with regards to hot chocolate discussed earlier I wanted to mention Stevita Chocolate Delight. I used to order my stevia powder from a company that gave this away for free. What I have is 13 calories per serving (if you make it with water). I add extra stevia powder to sweeten it more, but that’s no extra calories. Here’s one place you can get it if you’re interested.

    http://www.discoverstevia.com/chocolatedelight.htm

    I hope to be posting at least once per weekend, but really it’s taken me all this time just to get through all your postings! I’ve been reading for a week with no time to post! Have a great day (holiday for those in the States and Canada).

    Hi Salma, how frustrated you must feel. I hope you have some clear sailing now and can get some really nice Fasting Days and then some easy days in between too.

    What a good idea the Christmas goal is Milena. I’m looking forward to it. I hate summer when I am feeling fat and Christmas is summertime here. (sweaty wilting, and more rolls of fat on display!!!!) I hope i will be really happy to wear tops with no sleeves! That is my goal!

    You found this thread Ottoline! Full of fellow travelers! I am unable to exercise either. I have me/cfs and every time I over do it, I make myself worse. So it was SO easy to put to weight, and it seemed impossible to lose it. Hooray for the way 5:2 is working for me!

    I am finding it easiest to deal with the no sugar thing by sticking to the savoury (occasionally I have some raspberries or strawberries as they have about as much sugar in them as onions and sweetcorn, but I often regret it). I do have stevia in my tea by growing stevia in a pot and adding a leaf!

    Cheers for your no cookie day Lori! And hooray for all those steps.

    I am glad you got your long weekend Jayney.

    I’m all set for a Fast Day tomorrow. Since I eat my little breakfast as late as possible, and then my little supper as early as I can talk my self into, it is always a 16:8 day!

    Catch you soon all of you!

    Hiya girls,

    My work day is done so I am writing this before I go home to avoid the frustration with the Mac at home.

    First, I want to say hi to all the new members. It is really nice to see our numbers growing. I think it may be a good idea to do a list of everyone here with where they live.. sometimes, I get completely confused. Sweltering heat at Christmas was a bit of an odd image 🙂

    Today was an FD for me. I found it HARD.. still finding it difficult. I am hoping to be able to go to sleep early, but I am delaying my chicken soup till the latest possible time. I need to do some grocery shopping, which I know is a BAD bad bad idea when you are hungry, but it has to be done as I have nothing in my fridge because of having been away.

    Lori.. your number of steps achieved puts me to shame. Even with all the walking during my holiday I was only able to get to 12000 steps on the better days.. However, it WAS very hot and I am not very good with heat. I sweat profusely and feel miserable. Both Bosnia and Croatia were absolutely magical.. Dubrovnik is a very beautiful city and very charming. The natural beauty of Bosnia is also something. The food was okay, a lot of seafood, but yours truly tucked into the beer, wine and bread big time!! It was also my birthday, so champagne, cake , etc. I guess it is no great surprise that I put the weight on. It was worth it (I thought so at the time, anyway). I now face my 55th year somewhat lighter, much happier and determined to reach 56 a healthier, better proportioned and energetic person. With the help of you gals.. I might just make it.

    Milena, I like the Christmas milestone. I was hoping to be at target by the end of year, but I have now had to push the target back not once, but twice, so I am hoping that by end of February, I might be closer to where I want to be. In the meantime, maybe be at 78 Kg come Christmas? Right now, I am back to 86 KGs (from 82.7!!!). This morning, I weighed in at 87, but remembering your rule, I will choose to ignore that particular reading (humph!). So, this means I have 8 Kgs to lose by Xmas. Doable, but not easy knowing how my body fights me tooth and nail..

    Tomorrow, oatmeal breakfast.. beautiful, hot, and delicious.. until then.. chicken soup 🙁

    Have a great evening everyone.. it is nice to be able to read everyone’s posts.. I have been feeling deprived of your company, ladies!

    Salma

    Hi all
    Welcome back Salma- sounds like you had a great time. When I used to do WW, the leader always said ‘easy on, easy off’ with regards to holiday weight, so hope that is true for you.
    I am off on hols tomorrow for just over a week, so will face the scales after that. Plan to keep doing the 2 FDs plus being more mindful on ordinary days too, think I might be going over most days.
    Will read when I can if wifi is free but posting is always torture with slow hotel wifi so see you all when I get back,
    Susie
    Ps did you get your card back Milena?

    Hi Everyone, thank you for the motivating posts. I thought I had lost but I suspect some water weight crept up since yesterday. I ate some salty things yesterday so today, Labor Day in the USA, I am fasting! Drinking coffee, green tea, water….celery…..some bite of veggie burger…..will hold off till dinner of veggies and the rest of the veggie burger. I dont weigh ( I know I sound like a broken record) but my work out pants are a little snug again. I think I have to do what some of the others do is on eating days really focus on the 16:8 and really focus on not overeating! Yes, we are all works in progress.
    I am gearing up to make a bit of a life change ( good thing)…and I know once I get the wheels in motion on moving, it will be easier to shed some poundage.
    I wonder if I will ever stop measuring my life based on my weight?
    I was speaking to someone she was 88, and talking about how she needed to lose weight before a wedding. We women, so much pressure. But it does feel better to be lighter, it really does. It’s not ALL about vanity. ?‍❤️‍??‍❤️‍??‍❤️‍?

    Oh boy, so many posts in the last 24 hours!

    Otto, welcome and good luck on the journey! We all help and encourage each other here!

    Salma, glad you are back and I agree with Susie & Milena, “easy on, easy off”. It’s when we wait and let that holiday weight gain becomesettled that it becomes permanent!

    Yes, Milena we all need to get our ducks in line to reach our individual goals by Christmas, and it would be lovely to be a tad under so that we can actually enjoy our holiday eating a bit! Cinque, I can relate to being hot/sweaty during the holidays because we usually are in Hawaii right after Christmas and it’s not pleasant feeling chubby/wearing a bathing suit right after the holiday feasts!

    Lori, funny you mentioned the peanut butter cookie addiction! I love them too. As a matter of fact, I’m making a yummy sugar free version today. Without the sugar in them they are much less addicting. Let me know if you want the recipe!

    Happy belated birthday Jayney! Sounds like you are navigating maintenance well! Have a great time when Lori comes to town! 🙂

    Susie, have a wonderful holiday! Good luck with the eating plan while gone!

    Happy Labor Day Opal! Hoping today’s fast goes well for you! I usually fast today, but did mine yesterday. I’m sure that water weight will resolve itself after your fast today.

    Yikes! The hot, humid weather is back in Southern California and I’m so done with it, I can’t stand it anymore! None of my shorts fit me well currently and I’ve been alternating between a few skirts/sun dresses lately. I refuse to buy any new fat clothes! I really need to get some momentum here! The only time I like to buy clothes is when I’m feeling thin so needless to say I have a closet full of clothes I can’t wear. Can anyone relate?

    Here’s to a successful week ladies!

    Sherry

    FYI: Just stumbled across an article in my emails from Livestrong.com entitled “10 tips to push past a weight loss plateau”. Some interesting things to consider if you are interested in checking it out!

    Hey Sherry,

    Thanks for the birthday wishes and support. I had lots of clothes I couldn’t wear while I was reducing. In fact, during that time there were two free clothing exchanges here that I attended (where you bring clothes you no longer want that don’t fit, etc., throw them in a heap, and everyone strips down to her skivvies and tries things on). During that time, because the clothes were free and no one else wanted them, I got some clothes I couldn’t have squeezed into at the time. They now fit perfectly. In addition to getting several pairs of perfectly good work pants and shirts, for some reason velvet and leather seemed popular items to bring to these exchanges, so I now have about three pairs of black leather pants and about as many pairs of black, velvet pants–which I haven’t worn yet and would never have bought in a million years, but have had altered (now THAT cost a pretty penny). I now have dress clothes for the holidays. Just FYI. Are there any such clothing exchanges where you are? Just curious.

    Jayney

    Hi Jayney

    happy birthday – you sound as if you are in a good place at the moment!

    Hi Salma

    I have already moved my ultimate target a few months along – so Christmas is Christmas target – it doesn’t matter what it is – cos we are all going to be less than last year. You are doing so well, you have so far held on for dear life every ounce, BUT it is coming off – I feel your frustration, as you know I was losing fairly easily – but I’m really creeping down down. These pounds have been a part of us for so long, they want to stay!

    Sherry – are you expecting sympathy about Hawaii??? Ain’t gonna happen, my boys and I dream of Hawaii, the 5 O theme tune is one of my ringtones! Though I should be sympathetic, had a few holidays in the South of France and hated my weight every minute. Good idea then to aim for an extra 5 pounds, though I suspect if we do get there with a good loss, Christmas might not be too bad, can’t imagine we will pass on the goodies, but we might not have the seconds and thirds we had last year! And HAKUNA MATATA – brilliant news!!!

    Chin down Opal – imagine being when you and I get to 86 and still maintaining, imagine a life where you can say yes to social and holiday events without checking the length of time before for a quick weight loss.

    Good luck with the fast day tomorrow Cinque- having mine today, just had a small bowl of muesli at about 2, and I have a cod fishcake and peas to look forward to for dinner, not brilliant choices but easy. Might join you tomorrow. (Might need to polish this halo!)

    Well done Krysk – kilos lost – thats the weight on the move – so much better than ounces, so many times its just those pesky ounces.

    Otto – this is the foodies anonymous site!!!!! We do love our food, the challenge is to eat sensibly and less – not to forsake good stuff, and we must be mindful at all times to eat the best we can afford – or at least no crap, life is too short for cheap wine – and a bonus of this way of life is, instead of buying special food, you can save money, which can be spent on Godiva chocolate!!!!! I’m a non-athlete and must say I get loads of exercise just reading Janeys post – though over the months I have started walking, and was actually going to a gym – ugh – just had an op and working my way back to good walks, at the moment walking to the kitchen is still a little painful!

    Hi Susie – got the card back – sent them their money back this morning – so not a scam, just nice people – dunno what I would have done if I had spent it though. Pity about the card, but I have learned a great deal about cards, and my faith in fellow man is still there. Enjoy your hols! So jealous as we have decided not to go – my boy needs us. Doing two house sits this month though, so having a great break – two dogs and two cats, then 16 cats and farm animals – including baby burmese – can’t promise not to steal one or two, I have warned them!

    Lori, great going with the steps, will be with you in a couple of weeks – though the golf must help!

    Just measured my waist – 31″, so I’m losing the bloating, not back to normal yet. I measured my waist at the proper place too, around the belly button – 40″, and my hips are 41″. So in my book, your belly button is not necessarily your waist!

    If I missed anyone, sorry, but this post is now a novel, in my defense, I wrote earlier and lost it – finally, MM, I wouldn’t worry too much about the kids and the games – mine combines zoning out with a lot of time in the gym, I used to get into constant trouble for spending all my spare time reading – I would get a medal these days! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!

    Hope you had a wonderful birthday Jayne! The clothing exchange thing is a neat idea. I don’t think there is anything like that around here.

    Salma…glad you enjoyed your trip…and the bread and wine! 😉 That’s what holidays are for, right?

    I’m a tired pup after 3 days of golf. I’m glad I don’t have to go back out and do it again tomorrow! Enough is enough! My score was a bit worse each day, so I wasn’t overly happy with the way I played. No matter, I’m happy to be able to do it at all.

    Trying to catch up on laundry now. What a pile!

    Have a good week everyone!

    Good morning everyone (Australian time),

    I am sitting with a mint tea and looking forward to another Fast Day exactly 8 weeks after my first one. It is a nice feeling to get it better and better as I go. At first I couldn’t manage without my usual MANY cups of tea (with milk in) and my pot of coffee. On top of my two small meals.
    Now I am cutting out coffee on Fast Days, and managing just two cups of tea.
    Also, the Fast Days have led to me eating less on my non Fast Days (so far 😉 ) so that feels good too.
    I am glad I am not the only one who doesn’t weigh, Opal!

    I have a wooden chest holding the clothes I am not wearing (Summer ones in there at the moment). There were always some I couldn’t fit into, but couldn’t bear to throw away, but now there are a few more! It is a treasure box!

    I am not losing weight particularly quickly, so I have time to really enjoy the clothes I am wearing, and to think that I mightn’t wear them next year, and so appreciate them while I have them.

    Best wishes to you all today!

    MM, so sorry! I just realized that TODAY is your birthday! Was thinking tomorrow for some reason! Hoping it was wonderful and you truly enjoyed great food and company!

    Milena, HA! All I’ve got to say is “Da da da da da da, Da da da da da (the best I can do on the Hawaii 5-0 theme song via the computer!). Well, if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll love this: for many years when we first opened a business there, we would stay at the Ilikai hotel/condos… it’s the building you see in the original Hawaii 5-0 where Jack Lord is standing on the lanai/balcony and the helicopter flies by him (interestingly, the building was completed the same year I was born- 1963). The new version of the show films all over Honolulu. Frequently we watch them film and have a few times been “extras” in the crowd looking at a supposed crime scene (they made us take off our sun glasses so the camera equipment wouldn’t reflect in the lenses!).

    Nighty Night all!

    Sherry

    Jayney, the clothing exchange idea is a good one…I will have to check into that. As short as I am, just 3 lbs. lost will open up more clothing options for me! Just have to buckle down! Cinque, you have a great attitude with regard to the clothing issue! 🙂

    Another birthday in the house?? Have a great one MM!

    Was happy to see the scale down a little bit this morning! I think this is the first time it’s been down after a weekend of not really thinking about my eating plan. I guess all the steps on the golf course did the trick!

    Boot camp will be rough after a few days off, but I’ll do it! I want to get 3 workouts in this week before we go out of town.

    Have a good day!

    Hi ladies..

    I just wrote a LONG post addressing everyone and it completely disappeared!!!!
    I wish fat would learn this trick. I don’t know why the FD website is giving me such grief.

    Anyway.. I did say hello to all and wished Janey and MM a happy birthday (if belated) and MM a good holiday and I did rattle on about a million things.. but I won’t try to reconstruct what I had written. My brain is not up to par. So, Milena, Sherry, Lori, Cinque, Otto, Susie, KrysK,and everyone else.. warm wishes for the day and beyond.

    I had an FD yesterday and the scales were slightly kinder this morning, but I still have a long way to go. Milena, good to know that you also shifted your target forward.. I will need a lot of hand-holding till target.

    have a great day everyone.
    Salma

    Morning everyone, and thanks for all the birthday wishes. I managed to get through the weekend without being too bad. Did share beef wellington and chocolate cake Sunday night, though. But I hope that sharing them kept the damage to a minimum. Yesterday I went for an eight mile cycle with a friend. We were planning to go out to dinner as well but tried four restaurants and they were all closed so ended up back at my house where I made small portions of pasta gorgonzola (yum!) and big portions of tomato salad and fruit salad. Today is a fast day, so I’ll face the nasty scale tomorrow.

    Salma, so glad you liked Dubrovnik and Mostar. After living in Sarajevo for a time that part of the world holds a special place in my heart. Sherry, I share the clothes problem. My weight only shot up in the last few years so I have a lot of lovely things I can’t wear right now. I’m not buying other things now but telling myself I’ll treat myself once I’m down to at least 127, preferably 125. Christmas, perhaps?

    Hello to everyone else and happy fasting.

    MM

    Hi all. I plan to undertake my first fast day tomorrow. I have been fasting using 16:8 since March of this year. I have also been avoiding starchy carbs except for one meal on weekends. Since Christmas of 2113, all this has netted me a loss of 9kg. Better than gaining but not enough. At 5’9′, I currently weigh 113kg. I am American and live in Maine, so generally I think in lbs. but I like kgs. better!

    In two weeks I will have my 55th birthday and would love to be a bit smaller then. It seems to be getting harder and harder to lose. My knees are starting to complain, and I must get my weight down, so having heard of 5:2, I am giving it a try.

    I started reading this forum this morning and you are all so inspirational! Any words of advice would be welcomed.

    Hi Girls,

    Lori and Salma, good job on the scale moving in the right direction…every bit helps, especially mentally!

    MM, so glad you had a nice birthday. I’m sure the 8 miles of biking took care of the dinner out!

    Welcome 2Blackdogs. Lots of support here. You’ll see many helpful hints if you read back a bit in the thread, but feel more than welcome to throw at us any challenges or questions you have…we’ve probably all experienced some of the same things at one time or another!

    The nasty heat wave in So. Cal continues with no real end in sight. Just MISERABLE!

    Well, not much else going on…I won’t be attempting another fast until Thursday and then either Saturday or Sunday for the second.

    Hope all the other ladies in Oz and elsewhere are doing great as well! Have a good day everyone!

    Sherry

    Hi all, I am in the Uk so second fast day just beginning. Have been out in the garden in a bikini, can’t wait until the weight is off. Didn’t binge today apart from a couple of chocolates in the morning. very surprised. Chat soon!

    Ha Ottoline, if a couple of chocolates is your binge you are doing fine! (Unless it was two BLOCKS of chocolate!) I do hope you are having a lovely Fast, it must be bedtime now (morning here).

    Welcome 2blackdogs. Cheers for your first Fast Day, I hope it is a good one. On my first one I was so unsure whether I would manage it, but it was easier than expected and I felt so good at the end of the day I knew I had found the right thing for me. 2 months on and it is still true!

    Do you have 2black dogs? I bet they are gorgeous.

    Salma wouldn’t it be great if excess fat could be a computer document! “DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DELETE THIS FILE?”

    MissM your pasta sounds more wonderful than a restaurant dish!

    Best wishes everyone!

    Hello girls,

    Weighed after a NFD yesterday: up by 1 lb (humph!)
    Fasting today.. who is joining?
    We have a horrible sandstorm enveloping everything and everyone is a fine film of sand. Truly horrible, but should recede after tomorrow. Everything looks like a haze (even the light at the end of the tunnel) today.

    Welcome 2Blackdogs.. you will find buckets of support here.. Good luck on your first fast day today. You will find it gets much easier as you go along.

    MM.. I had a WONDERFUL time on holiday. I visited Sarajevo which was completely different from Mostar.. a proper city. I was completely blown away by the beauty of Bosnia including the women! My goodness, they are tall and have gorgeous figures.. NOT good for one’s self esteem. I saw no evidence of obesity although they have rich food (but veering towards the high protein high fat). I visited the civil war museum and hear horrific stories that brought back very vivid memories of the civil war in Lebanon. So similar and for the same reasons. How awful can human beings be?? I suppose when you put things in perspective, you think that a bit of weight is the least of humanity’s problems, eh?

    Well.. that is my gem of wisdom for the day 🙂
    I will leave now before I depress everyone..

    Have a great one!

    Salma

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