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

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milena

11:49 pm
9 Nov 15
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Hi Makica

you sound like me – I don’t do sympathy or empathy – took me many years to get over that people sometimes just want to talk – give me a problem and I’ll have a solution, I’m great at thinking out of the box, and sorting stuff. I used to get annoyed when my advice wasn’t taken.

I also realised that, while I was away trying to find solutions to my family’s problems, they had forgotten about the problem and gone onto the next catastrophe – I come from a family of drama queens and a just don’t do drama. Nowadays I have very few people in my life and I walk away from other peoples problems.

I’ve also learned that 80% of issues sort themselves out without any action – Pareto’s principle again.

Sherryann

9:11 pm
10 Nov 15
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Hello ladies!

Slowly getting better over here though I still have a nagging cough. Today is a cooking day for me. Sometimes I just get manic about it after saving a bunch of recipes I want to try-That and the fact that it’s been cool and rainy here the last few days, which always gets me in the cooking mood! Just prepped chicken, veggie & quinoa stew in the crockpot for later. Nothing better than having dinner all prepped and done before the little monsters get home! Btw girls, the other day I found an excellent healthy breakfast cookie recipe on paleodesserts.com/super-healthy-big-breakfast-cookies/ . They’re gluten & sugar free and everyone in the family went crazy for them.

Very philosophical questions being discussed! I hope your retreat brings you the answers you’re looking for Makica! Doing some self examination, I’m overall happy with me so don’t know if I eat too much for those reasons? Heck, I eat when I’m happy, sad, bored, and just because I love food! I don’t know if this is the case for you, a lot of times I think we are always striving so hard to be the best at work, mothering, etc. that we forget to take care of ourselves or we’re so stressed “doing it all” that we eat to compensate ( an easy but not the best way to care for ourselves). When I was about 4, I lost my dad due to a tragic construction accident. My mom remarried within a year and while I loved my stepdad (now deceased) and we was overall good to me, he decidedly favored my siblings (one my full blood sister and the other my half siblings he had with my mom). In his infinite wisdom, he decided when I was 15 and wanted to go to a school dance that I couldn’t unless I lost some weight! Now that set me up for many years of sneaking/overeating food! I don’t think he meant to harm me by doing this ( it was stupid on his part) but I honestly think he thought he was helping me! So my point is, I think we carry a lot of baggage from our youths that we need to resolve/let go of be it through self love, meditation, forgiveness, counseling- whatever works! Don’t compare yourself to your mom! She had her wonderful attributes and you have yours! You have a lot to love about yourself! In addition to being beautiful, smart and successful, you’ve obviously raised a lovely family! And you’re funny too! What’s not to love!?? You say you want to give yourself forgiveness? Here’s a book for you that I got my sister when her husband out of the blue announced he wanted a divorce: ” Forgiveness ” by New York Times best selling author, Iyanla Vanzant. It talks about forgiving others, but there’s got to be ideas on how to forgive yourself within it!

Salma, how nice that you received such a great send-off! It can be difficult to be the focus of praise, but hold all those nice things said in your heart and believe it and reflect on it from time to time! The indulgences this past weekend sounded yummy!

Hi to Lori, Milena, MM, Cinque & anyone else I may have missed!

Sherry

Lori_PA

5:09 pm
11 Nov 15
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Hello All,

Having a decidedly boring day at work today. It rained all day yesterday which means I don’t have much to do today, as my job entails summarizing what our outside crews did the day before. No rain means they didn’t do anything!

I’m spending my day reading about the eating window method of fasting. I’m just not sure what to do to get the scale to shift. What I do know is that sticking to 500 calories on a day I do boot camp is not working for me. It’s not worth losing weight if I don’t feel well. To be honest, I didn’t lose weight, plus felt awful! I think I’ll begin by trying to delay my protein shake to later in the morning(bring it to work) and condense my eating window to 6-8 hours. I have to keep trying until I find the “magic”. I will continue to strictly limit sugar and see what happens. I know I need to give whatever plan I choose at least a month before I decide it doesn’t work. I get too impatient!

Sorry to go on and on about myself. Sherry…….I hope you are feeling better. At least the scale number makes you feel better, right?

Hello to all, hope you’re having a good day!

Sherryann

5:20 pm
11 Nov 15
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Lori, maybe your body is using so much energy during boot camp that it’s actually “scared” to let go of that fat thinking it needs it due to the heavy energy expenditure. I don’t thing fasting on hard work out days is good for this reason…just my opinion! Not to try to alter your eating habits, but I know you gave up sugar, what about the other “white stuff” like white bread, crackers, pretzels!. I found getting rid of that stuff and substituting things I’ve actually grown to prefer has helped me. Just some thoughts for whatever its worth! 😉 Love ya!

Sherry

Lori_PA

5:28 pm
11 Nov 15
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Thanks for the advice Sherry. I don’t eat bread or crackers, but I do love pretzel shells with hummus. They are the hollow pretzels….love them, but I know I should give them up. Sigh……

milena

5:48 pm
11 Nov 15
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Well, finishing the biscuits OH bought be the other day – belgium chocolate shortbread with coconut – good job there are no calories cos there are 4 huge biscuits in the packet – at least I’m presuming no calories, cos it doesn’t mention calories on the packet – I’ve actually given up McVities chocolate digestives cos they have the calories on the packet, and the fat and the sugar – scary for someone who could eat a packet in one go – I’m not a binger but I love the taste!

Really need to get started on this weeks fasts, but not today! Working away this weekend so it isn’t going to happen then – and out all day tomorrow, so it looks like Friday and just the one this week.

Seriously thinking of experimenting with Atkins style for a couple of weeks – I’ve never stopped eating carbs – or fat – or sugar – or come to think of it mysterious sugar free chocolate shortbread – so thinking of getting some of this Stevia stuff, and just doing the fats – have cut down this year on white bread and pasta and rice – but not cut them out yet – perhaps this is the time, December is hurtling towards me.

Amazing what foods creep back into our eating if we take our foot off the pedal eh?

Now where is that last biscuit? (Only glad son ate one and OH had half of another!)

Cinque

10:27 pm
11 Nov 15
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Hi everyone,
Sherry, I hope that nagging cough goes away, it can be so exhausting!
Lori, Can the work crews can do something today so you don’t implode from boredom? AND I really hope you can find that magic. It seems bizarre that you are doing all that work and aren’t in tip top shape!
Makica do you have a lovely list now? That you can hug to yourself for the rest of your life?

I’m glad there are no calories in that shortbread Milena, I’m sure your digestive system is clear on that fact too!

Cheers for the day!

milena

11:58 pm
11 Nov 15
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Hi Cinque, not a gurgle, OH bought croissants for breakfast, seems they are calorie free too. Hells bells, but I don’t eat breakfast, such a pity.

Had a conversation with neighbour who had the gall bladder op 5 years ago, cripes, she has to take loo paper with her when she walks the dog – the reason was only implied but it certainly paints a picture. Apparently she gets lots of pain, can’t eat most things and has put on tons of weight.

My tum seems to have really settled, coffee still gives me an odd twinge, but I only have one shot in latte out and never drink coffee at home. I used to have the shot on the side, put half in and drink the rest as espresso. Ditched the espresso, the amount going in barely changes the colour, no runs. Curry, chilli, red meat, all fine. Touching wood as I write!!!

Sherryann

1:06 am
12 Nov 15
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Hi again,

Just got back from a day off with the kids (it’s Veteran’s Day in the U.S.). We took them north about a half hour’s drive to eat lunch at a Mexican restaurant in San Juan Capistrano that my husband and I actually got married at 25 years ago as of the 20th of this month. It’s nicer than it sounds- it’s in a historic Adobe building from the 1800’s that has a beautiful outdoor chapel & banquet hall where the ceiling panels retract to expose the sky above. We’d only been there one other time since we were married. We also took them to the beach park we met at close by in Dana Point (had never been back there!). We rented one of those 6 person vehicles you peddle- the kids had fun. It was great just to re-visit these spots & show them to our kids in honor of our upcoming anniversary.

Really can’t believe it’s been that long! We’d hoped to go away for our 25th but that’s not going to happen now with my daughter’s illness so we’re thinking of doing a family get away when the kids get out for Christmas break – somewhere snowy where I hope to have my first (often wished for!) ride in a horse drawn sleigh in the snow…. Not many opportunities to do that in Southern California!

Milena, can you please ship me some of those calorie free biscuits ?? Lori, I’ve never seen those hollowed out pretzel scoops & I don’t want to find them! They sound good & I don’t need that temptation!

Cinque, thank you! I am getting better- the cough kind of comes on more at night as your body wears down from the day! Taking a lot of Chinese herbs, homeopathic stuff & zinc to combat it! Read recently that if you rinse out your nose every day with saline solution , especially during the cold & flu season, you can avoid getting sick! I’m definitely getting some!

Night all!

salma

3:17 am
12 Nov 15
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Good morning ladies,

Sherry.. I hope you feel better. I have just got my flu shot for the first time in my life in the hope that I can avoid getting sick this winter.

Milena.. I have so fallen off the wagon this week (again).. it just occurred to me that I did not read the calorie content of anything I scoffed.. this may actually mean that the calories do not really count! I have not had the courage to get back on the scales yet. I think this lack of weight loss is spinning me into a vicious cycle. Like Lori, I need to find something that works again. Unlike her, I am not doing everything right. Too many invites at the moment make it difficult to stick to anything. I have not fasted this week at all nor gone to the gym and live in fear of the scales 🙁

Perhaps I will try to fast this coming Friday… urggghhhh .. why oh why can I not wake up and find all this recurring weight gone? Any ideas?

Salma

Lori_PA

9:52 am
12 Nov 15
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Oh Ladies…I am NOT doing everything right. I ate a big piece of swiss cheese, some pretzels & chocolate last night at 7:30. Sigh…..I can still feel in in my gut this morning. Blech! I have got to get a handle on this thing.

I’m going to try to stick to an eating window today. It figures that I’d wake up hungry this morning. Off to boot camp in a few minutes and am hoping the exercise blunts my appetite for a few hours. I’ll take my protein shake along to work to have later. I’d like to wait until 1 o’clock to break my fast, but WOW, that seems like a long time! I may have some coconut oil in a cup of hot tea mid-morning to try to hold off on the eating. I just wish I knew if the eating window thing is a good idea with my thyroid issues. I guess there’s nothing to do but try and see. Can you tell I’m really twirling here? I’m putting way too much pressure on myself to lose this weight. Ok….deep breath. Sorry, don’t know where all that came from this morning. I go thru phases where I’m accepting of myself and then other times I beat myself up about not being able to get to goal. Round and round I go!

Salma…when you find the magic to wake up and have the weight gone, please let me know!

MinnesotaMiss

3:23 pm
12 Nov 15
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Good morning, all.

Salma and Lori, I’m with you this week. I was doing quite well, though no total fast day, till Tuesday night. Fasted that day and then tried to make a nice healthy cod with carmelized onions for dinner but a combination of distraction and my lover turning up the oven gave us cod with carbonized onions instead. We tried to eat it but at 9 pm he ordered a pizza and opened a second (second!) bottle of wine. And since we’d blown it that far we divided a bar of chocolate as well (goes so well with cabernet). Yikes! As I look ahead, today I take my students to the Cities to visit a mosque and then out to dinner at a middle eastern deli. Tomorrow, a dinner at the university for a visiting bigwig. Saturday, dinner and the symphony with my best friend. All good things, but where will I sandwich in a fast day? Lori, I’m going to try skipping breakfasts (easy) and lunches (not quite so easy) starting tomorrow and see if that compensates, at least a bit. what I really need is some time with no social commitments. I’m really a social eater/drinker and can do quite well if I’m on my own.

On the happy side, while no visits to the scale yet, I was pleased that one of my winter wool skirts zipped right up this morning. After eating breakfast too. So I guess I just have to resign myself to a more or less maintenance schedule for now with perhaps a teensy tiny bit of loss. My lover and I are going through a stressful time, so I’m trying to let go of things that can be let go of right now.

Do any of you have this experience? When I look in the mirror (clothed) I think, “not bad” but in my dreams I’m simply obese and covered with cellulite. I guess my subconscious wants to beat up on me more than my conscious mind does. I will be seeing my sister in a week and she is always really critical (and slim). I had hoped to have lost more before now, but alas . . . Anyway, she’ll give me that look and then say something about still being the same weight she was in high school. I guess that’s to say I’m trying not to beat up on myself. She’ll do it for me.

Sherry, we’re anxiously awaiting the first snow here. At least some of us, who love winter, are. Others are happily enjoying an overly long autumn. But we will have snow by Christmas. I find it so beautiful. This week I got the last of the leaves raked, the last of a load of wood from a tree that fell this summer moved to my lover’s cabin, and it feels good at 30 degrees (F., around 0 C.) with a 20 mph wind to just snuggle in. We broke out the flannel sheets last night.

Hope you’re all having a lovely day. Makica, I hope your retreat on that lovely Adriatic coast is giving you the quiet mindfulness to rest in Julian of Norwich’s words, that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

Hi to Cinque, Milena, Suzy, and any others who are reading. And good luck to all fasters today.

Love,
MM

Sherryann

5:16 am
13 Nov 15
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Good evening ladies,

Salma, funny you just mentioned getting a flu shot for the first time! I just saw on the news that they’ve done studies that show that getting an annual flu shot helps to protect you from other ailments as well…lesser risk of dementia, some cancers, etc.! Very weird!

I feel badly Salma and Lori about that feeling of helplessness you’re having right now because I’ve been there (as you know from all my complaining!). All I can say is keep trying out different tweaks to the plan till you find something that works for your particular body/situation. I definitely found I couldn’t just eat “whatever” on the NFD’s. It wasn’t working for me. I’m eating very simply and cleanly right now and have had no problem eliminating cow dairy (I eat sheep cheese like Manchego & Myzthra), gluten, sugar and chemicals from my diet. I was pretty much doing that anyway, and going to the wellness coach just further emphasized my need to do it all the way. I’m not advocating this for you guys, I’m just saying keep searching for what works for you and you will eventually find it. Just continuing to try and not giving up is something! Keep the faith!

Lori, did you ask your doc about your thyroid issues and how to eat? Did you look online? Just curious. I have a friend with a thyroid issue called Hoshimoto’s (spelling?) and she was advised by her doc to avoid gluten and eat low carb.

I agree with all of you, including MM, that having too many invites/events, etc. really puts a damper on the weight loss. Very hard to do. We just want to be “normal” and eat like normal people for God’s sake!

MM, I just look in the mirror and think “I’m in my 50’s and I don’t look too bad for being that age and yes, I have cellulite, but then who doesn’t?!” Even most actresses and models do- they’re airbrushed for the magazine covers! And you know what? I’ve never heard a guy really complain about cellulite! If we think/act confidently and as though we’re attractive, they buy it! And all the better if they think you find them attractive too! Re: your sister, surely you have a leg up on her somewhere! Is she as accomplished as you!? For example, you rock professionally! My two sisters have always been naturally thin too, and luckily, at least to my face, they don’t say anything about being skinnier than me! Strangely though, I’ve always been the more confident one! I hope the issues you and your guy are experiencing will soon be resolved and happier times are on the near horizon! 🙂

Ok, I’m done yapping. I don’t know if I’m being helpful or like Milena says, people just want someone to listen, not give advice? Here’s hoping for a bright end to the week for all!

Love you girls!

Sherry

Cinque

6:23 am
13 Nov 15
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Hello everyone,
The flu shot is a good idea! I’ve had one every year after a nasty bout of flu several years ago, and I am just so glad it is available. (and it might be the only thing keeping me from dementia 😉 )

I hate that cough that comes at night and keeps you awake. Best wishes for a lovely rest Sherry…. and everyone else!

I haven’t fallen off any wagons with 5:2, but while I am glad to have my new regime where I am eating less on Fast Days – my it is hard! So hard to concentrate on anything. Luckily I had planned on an easy day today, so it has been ok, but wow I feel sorry for anyone trying to work when they feel like this.

I am feeling very close to being my happy weight today. My brain thinks I look pretty normal, which is a new and delightful feeling! I still have several kilos to lose, but I am okay.

What has changed is my usual pattern of being so delighted when I lose a bit of weight: keep looking in the mirror, try on all my clothes – but then a couple of days later that feeling goes completely and I feel how overweight I am…. until the next time.

Now I feel more stable, presumably because I have got closer to my real healthy weight.

So I wonder whether I will start having those sorts of dreams Miss M. The relationship between our psychology and reality is completely fascinating, but what games it can play with us!

Good luck with letting go the things that can go.

Sherry what a lovely family day that was! And a gorgeous lead up to your anniversary!

Lori I hope you can take the pressure off yourself a bit. Long term health and lots of self kindness!

Milena, best wishes to you and your belly!

Cheers to Makica in retreat, and all the other Mid Fifties fabulous people!

Lori_PA

10:00 am
13 Nov 15
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Such lovely posts here! I love your advice and sharing of ideas Sherry. I’m open to all and any ideas!

Day 1 of Fast 5 went well. I didn’t eat anything until 1:30 when I had my protein shake and a banana with peanut butter. Then around 3 I had a Greek yogurt. Dinner was as planned, but I did get into the hummus and pretzels before my window closed at 6:30….oh…and a choc chip cookie. :-O Stepped on the scale this morning…first time in weeks. Up 2/10ths of a pound since Nov 1. I guess you could say I’m maintaining. I’m going to do my best to give this new fasting regime at least a month before I abandon ship. This plan says you shouldn’t expect to see any loss for the first 3 weeks, but if you don’t see consistent loss after that, then the plan isn’t for you. The weekend will be the hardest. I see lots of coffee and hot tea in my future.

Sorry to be such a “Debbie Downer” the last few posts. I need to be happy and grateful for a body that is strong and takes me thru boot camp and work and yes, may be a bit rounder than I’d like, but all in all….I’m a lucky girl.

Oh…something interesting I read in the book I just read. When you lose inches, but not pounds, it is because fat from under the skin has been mobilized into the muscles to be burned. I often wondered where it went!

Have a good Friday everyone and thank you all for being here to listen and offer your pearls of wisdom! They are greatly appreciated.

Sherryann

3:46 am
15 Nov 15
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Hi all,

Lori, how’s things? Was today a better day? Hoping so!

Cinque, you good wishes must have helped! No coughing and a pretty decent rest last night! You have the best mind set of any of us on this thread with regard to weight loss. I’m so glad you’re feeling close to your normal weight. That has to bring you a lot of happiness! 🙂

Not a lot of action on the thread today I see! Had a bit of a crazy day- took the kids shopping to fill their “Operation Christmas Child” boxes for Christmas gifts for needy children around the world. Can’t fathom how we managed to spend over $600 to fill four boxes! Yikes! My husband says I buy too much probably compared to others. Maybe a tad, but I’m aghast! Mostly personal care products, socks, undies, school supplies, a few toys, candy and there you go..$600! Oh well, we haven’t been going to church lately so this counts as our tithe I figure.

There’s a lot of events coming up in the next couple of weeks and it’s stressing me out a bit! I have two birthday parties looming: my twins’ this Friday with a gaggle of 8-9 year olds sleeping over and then going to the trampoline park the next morning and then another the following weekend for my oldest daughter with an older gaggle of 14-15 year olds sleeping over/hanging out and doing God knows what? I’m thinking of having them do a scavenger hunt where they go through the neighborhood (with supervision!) asking for random things on their lists and whoever gets them all first wins. Anyhow, not expecting much sleep either weekend with all those loud girls. There will of course be pizza at both parties as that’s what kids prefer. And then there’s the cakes…ugh! Sugar is hard to resist! I’ll probably look up some healthy cake recipe and make that for me and anyone else looking to resist temptation!

Then there’s our 25th wedding anniversary on the 18th. Don’t know where we will go out to eat, and I know it’s crazy, but I’m not looking forward to it. To stick with my plan, I’ll probably be eating protein and a salad when what I really want is risotto or pasta! I’m up a pound or so to boot so I’m feeling cranky today, can you tell? I want so badly to hit my goal of 120 by year’s end but with all the festivities and the holidays pending, I’m getting anxious that it won’t happen! I am notorious for getting to the low to mid 120’s, thinking I look Ok, loosening up too much and gaining back weight and never reaching my goal. It’s like the movie Ground Hog Day!

Oh well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Guess it was my turn to whine. I haven’t done it in a while and I know you all missed it! 😉

Sherry

Cinque

6:41 am
15 Nov 15
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This is a great place for a good whinge Sherry.

And Oh dear, all those sleep overs!

But is is sad you are not looking forward to your anniversary. I know you hoped to go away, but can’t because your daughter needs you. It sounds as if the only thing you can think of to do is have a dinner, but not the dinner you really want.
Surely there is something better you can do? I do hope something wonderful comes to mind. You deserve a great day!

Cinque

6:55 am
15 Nov 15
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PS So glad your cough is clearing up Sherry.

I think I did have an excellent mind set yesterday, but not so much today. 🙂 I feel very off balance, but it is a bad chronic illness day after several good ones. I will just ride it out.

Lori you aren’t a Debbie Downer! Aren’t we all a mix of good luck and hard times!
I hope today is a good day.

Sherryann

6:55 am
15 Nov 15
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Thank you Cinque! You’re a sweetheart as always! Your message just popped up as I was getting ready to log off of the computer for the night! Looking at all the sad things happening in the world right now, my problems are so very small!

salma

10:49 am
15 Nov 15
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Good morning fellow 5:2ers,

Not that I have been 5:2ing this week, but it is the bigger picture that I am focusing on.

sherry.. I totally agree with you about the horrible events making our struggles seem minuscule by comparison. Last week, we also had two explosions where over 40 people were killed here in Beirut and 200 injured. Totally mindless and criminal acts here and in Paris.

So, the fact that I did not manage one single FD this past week and that I have to travel on Wednesday for 10 days partially for work and partially to visit my sister means that I will be faced with a lot of temptation. I have not dared get on the scales as I expect that another 3-4 lbs has crept on. It seems like it is similar to Lori’s 2-3 lbs off, 2-3 lbs on again and again. I have been stuck in this loop for about 3 months now and it is getting very frustrating. I realise that I have to do something differently, but I am trying to be kind to myself. This recent move and the job change have put a lot of pressure on me coupled with the death of a long-term relationship has not been easy. Still, as I said, it all pales into insignificance when you consider other people’s problems. A few kilos, when you still have your life and relative health, is not the end of the world.

Cinque.. well done on being so close to target. I am sure you can give yourself that Xmas present despite the temptations. If I were you, I would go all out for the anniversary and worry about ameliorating the effects later. We only live once, and, frankly, how much damage can you do in one evening even with risotto and pasta? The idea of the low cal cake is a good one for the birthdays, though.. perhaps a flourless cake? I have had some that were delicious.

Good luck for all fasters and non-fasters. I am hoping I will start again with a fast on Monday. Wish me luck.

Salma

Lori_PA

12:52 pm
15 Nov 15
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Good Morning Everyone! So great to get up and see a bunch of posts here.

3 days of my eating window plan have gone well…today is day 4. The book says days 5 & 6 are often the hardest. I wonder why? We’ll see. We went out to dinner last night with some friends and I had Scallops Au Gratin(fabulous) with a side of veggies and a salad. I did indulge in 1 slice of garlic bread and the husband and I shared a decadent piece of Italian lemon creme cake. Yum. All within my window, so still on plan!

Sherry..it is sad to me that you feel you can’t go out for a special meal and enjoy what you want. I suppose that is why you are so near goal and I am not. You are much more dedicated than I am. Like Salma, I have the attitude that life is short and meant to be enjoyed. I do know, however, that for some people, one indulgence leads to the next and the next. We all have to know ourselves, don’t we? Good luck.

Nothing special going on around here today. I’m doing laundry and I think our son and grandson are coming later to shoot. It is getting near hunting season and they are practicing their shooting. I hate this time of year. I’m always afraid someone will get hurt. Plus, I do not like venison. Blech!

Well, the sun is shining and it is supposed to be a lovely day. I should go out for a walk later. Not sure what I’ll do. I do love a day to sit and read, but I sort of did that yesterday.

I hope you have a nice day, whatever you’re up to!

Susiewoosy

7:01 pm
15 Nov 15
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Hi all, I am still struggling to stay focused, try again tomorrow tho.
Keep the faith girls, we can do it- however long it takes us!

Cinque

9:10 pm
15 Nov 15
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Hi Everyone,
Salma, it takes me ages to sort everyone out, I apologise, and I didn’t realise you were in Beirut. What an awful week for your city. My condolences.
And now Paris, it has been so awful.
It does put our worries into perspective.
I hope you find things sorting out and getting easier, and that you can really feel that you are healthier and nicely organised. Enjoy your time with your sister!

I’m Fasting today. I hope we have a good one together Susie! Or on whatever part of the day our daytimes overlap!

Lori I hope you worked out something nice to do with your day. As well as the laundry of course! 😉
I hope day 5 isn’t as hard for you as rumour has it!

Sherryann

4:54 am
16 Nov 15
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Hi girls,

Salma, I like Cinque, didn’t realize you were in Beirut! I somehow missed that post that you were traveling there! Praying for the safety of you and your family members! Traveling & weight loss- difficult to do together! I think you meant to tell me, not Cinque to not worry about the risotto! I know what you & Lori are saying, that I should just enjoy myself & worry about it the next day, but this is where I get myself in trouble and never end up fully reaching my goal- it’s been a life-long pattern. Truly, one night out on the town for me at my current height/ weight means 5-7 days to take it off. And the problem is it never ends! There’s always some event, party, etc. ( especially this time of the year) and then I’m forever treading water. I want to finally FINISH IT!

Lori- good job on doing so well with the eating window! Sounds like you feel back in control. Where are you reading about the eating window?

Hi Susie! Where have you been? Nice to see you checking in! Hoping the focus improves for you! We all seem to have that problem off & on.

Cinque , I hope the fast goes well for you today ! I know you said they hadn’t been easy for you lately which was surprising to me because it seems they’d always been fairly painless for you in the past!

Tomorrow I start up pilates again. My instructor has returned after a month of world traveling/teaching. I hope to get a regular schedule going now & tone up the ‘ol inner core which hopefully will make my back stronger/ less in pain.

We booked our pre-Christmas mini vacation/anniversary get-away with the kids & some friends to the mountains. Got the evening horse-drawn sleigh ride booked too ( I’m soooo excited for that!). ?❄️I

Best wishes to all for a GREAT week ahead!

Sherry

Lori_PA

9:56 am
16 Nov 15
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Good Morning!

Another good Fast day yesterday. All eating within my 5 hour window. Today should be easier since I’ll be at work and not within 10 steps of my kitchen!

The book I’m reading is by Dr. Bert Herring. It is called “AC The power of appetite correction” He also has another book called Fast-5 which is available as a free download online. I’ve tried this before, but never gave it a fair trial. This time I will give it a good go until year end(at least) to see if I can get the weight moving again.

I’m quite pleased that I made it thru both weekend days staying within the window. I chose the 2PM-7PM window as I don’t like to eat late anyway, but you can choose any 5 hour window you like. I know it’s not for everyone, but as he talks about in his book, I’m doing an experiment of 1 to see how I do.

I didn’t sleep very well last night and now I’m up for boot camp. The cat got me up at 2 and then I couldn’t get back to sleep. Of course, when it was time to get up, I could really have slept!

My sister is coming this weekend, so I have that to look forward to. Yet another test for my eating window! I may stretch the window to 6 or 8 hours if necessary, we’ll see.

Well, I have gone on long enough. A lot of the time I was lying in bed awake last night, I was thinking about all the horrific things going on in the world. Hug your loved ones tight today.

shanr02

10:39 am
16 Nov 15
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hey there

Marcm

3:29 pm
16 Nov 15
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It was usggested I introduce myself so here goes.

I’m Marc, a 53 year old male. Mild psoriasis- its better from previous fasts and an improved diet, but its emabrassing the shedding I do.
I weigh 220lbs and am 5’10” tall. Means I’m about 40-50 lbs overweight.

I’ve done fasts in the past and would like to make it more a part of my life to improve my health, skin, and weight.

Looking forward to meeting some like minded people in this forum to help support each other’s spirit and goals.

Hope I’m in the right place as far as topics go, forgive me if not.

Lori_PA

4:10 pm
16 Nov 15
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Welcome Marc!

It’s been a bit quiet around here the past week or so, but do check back often as things will pick up again, I’m sure.

I hope the fasting will not only help with your weight loss, but improve your skin condition as well. I’m sure that is an awful thing to have to deal with.

Keep us posted as to how things are going for you.

Cinque

8:41 pm
16 Nov 15
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Hello everyone,

Welcome Marcm, fellow mid 50er!
I have a friend who has had bad bouts of psoriasis and so I was interested to read that some people have found that 5:2 helps. Fingers crossed it helps for you! And with losing some weight! And with general health of course!
I have found it a wonderful thing to incorporate into my life. I have lost a lovely lot of excess weight, and my general well being is way up too. I highly recommend it!
Hang around and share how you go!

Sherry, thanks! My fast went very well yesterday! Not sure if it was the licorice root tea, the chicken I added to my miso soup, or the coffee I had in the afternoon, but it was a great day. Probably the lowest calorie one I have had, but I flew though!
Now I am concentrating on having a good non Fast day today!
Enjoy Pilates!

Lori that window of eating stuff sounds very interesting. You must be right in the middle of the hardest days now! I understand that ‘ experiment of one’ very well. Tricky, but all you can do!

That cat! Worse than a toddler!

salma

6:23 am
17 Nov 15
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Hello everyone. Hello Marc and welcome.

I too have mild Psoriasis, but it is only in my fingernails; being a woman, I can use nail polish to cover the ghastly 3 nails, but they seem to be getting better with this new Way Of Life (aka WOL around here). Stick with it and do let us know how you are getting on.

I did not manage an FD yesterday despite all good intentions. I had to have a blood test for a checkup and for the first time in my life, it seems to have made me really dizzy, so I thought better of it and had something to eat. Today, however, I am planning an FD before I travel tomorrow. In fact, I might also have an FD tomorrow since I am not a great fan of airline food. It always makes me feel bloated and I don’t enjoy it anyway. For my checkup, I had to be weighed.. no huge surprise, I have gone up 3 Kgs. Again!!! Back to the drawing board.

Sherry, I do hope you have a lovely anniversary. Sorry about the mix up.. yes I did mean you (re risotto). I know what you mean about rolling downhill when you let up a bit.. after all, this is what has been happening to me recently and this may be the reason I kept losing and gaining over the years. I just have to get back to this as a way of life and just stick with it .. this time, for life. The most important thing for me I think is to get some order back into my life and try to stick with this despite the million social/work obligations I seem to have been having recently. Oh, and please let me know if Pilates is something that has helped you. I keep telling myself that I need to try it out.

Thanks for the good wishes Sherry and Cinque. I am not visiting Beirut, I actually live here. It is a vibrant, exciting city, if a bit chaotic. The weather is great for most of the year and the food is wonderful (I am not sure that is such a good thing given that I am trying to lose weight).

Lori, do let us know how your experiment went. The only time I lost a lot of wight in one go on this journey was when I did the window experiment back in August, so I might have to try that again.

Have a great day ladies (and gentleman).
Salma

Lori_PA

9:49 am
17 Nov 15
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Good Morning!

I had the husband put the cat out for the night, so I had a good night’s sleep…although I woke up at the time she usually gets me up and had to visit the loo anyway! Sigh….

I had a good eating day yesterday. I wasn’t particularly hungry at dinner time, but did eat some protein and a few veggies. I’m sure my calories were quite low for the day…probably around 1200. I’m feeling a bit “empty” this morning, so hope boot camp goes ok. I’m making spaghetti & meatballs for dinner tonight and I’m going to try spiralizing a zucchini instead of pasta for me. But..will I be able to resist the garlic bread?? It depends how hungry I am at dinnertime. I’ll also get veggies to make a nice salad to go with our Italian feast!

Salma…sometimes I nearly pass out when going for my annual blood tests. Weird! Once in a while I get a technician who is not very good at it and goes in and out with the needle. That gets to me and tends to make me woozy.

Congrats to all the successful fasters yesterday. To those fasting today…you can do it!

Cinque

10:12 am
17 Nov 15
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Good morning Lori,
Nearly bedtime here.
That cat has you well trained!
I hope you got back to sleep easily.
Good luck with your meals today.

My cat is outside but must come in at night (laws to protect out wildlife). Oh but she loves the warm nights though. Lucky she gets hungry and ends up coming in. She is having a battle with the cat that has moved in next door. A big, young handsome cat called Diego. He wins.

Salma, Cheers to Beautiful Lebanon. I know your country has suffered dreadful conflict, we have a lot of Lebanese refugees around here. But partly because of that we have a lot of Lebanese food and beautiful books about the country.
Good luck to your sorting out the decisions you need to make about what to eat and what not to!

I’ve had a good day, and a big dinner that should keep me full for most of tomorrow!

Cheers to you all!

MinnesotaMiss

3:25 pm
17 Nov 15
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Good morning, all, and welcome, Marc.

I had a good fast day yesterday and am attempting another today. These are the only two days this week that I do not have a dinner or travel. I’m heading to Pennsylvania on Thursday for a brief weekend visit to my mother, who is turning 97. My lover is also giving a talk at a conference there and it will be the first time I will have to show him where I grew up. Looking forward to a few lovely nights at a local country inn, but I know the food will be irresistible. So, back to back fasting now. Fortunately, though I always go to bed hungry on a fast day, I never seem to be hungry in the morning. And today is jam packed with classes and appointments, so though I expect to be hungry, I won’t have time to pay much attention.

Salma, it has bothered me that we have paid so much attention to the bombings in France and little or no attention to those in Beirut. A colleague of mine from there is speaking in my Islam class today and I hope will help the students see how blind we can be to large parts of the world.

Sherry, I do hope you allow yourself to enjoy the anniversary. The whole point of 5:2 is that it allows us to eat normally the rest of the week. Perhaps if you just made that a 4:3 week you could feel ok with a bit of a celebration. On the other hand, you have made much better progress than I, so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me.

Lori, I had the inverse problem of your cat yesterday. My dogs almost always get me up shortly after dawn this time of year, so I never set an alarm. Yesterday was a dreary rainy day and so they thought “Why bother?” and failed in their duty. Only my cell phone, telling me I had a meeting in 15 minutes woke me! I certainly had to fly!

Good luck to all fasters today.

MM

Lori_PA

3:34 pm
17 Nov 15
Permalink

Funny story about your “dog alarm” failing MM! LOL! I can’t blame them for wanting to sleep in on a rainy, dreary day! Not sure what part of Pennsylvania you’re heading to, but I’m sort of in the middle…….give a wave as you pass by!

Cinque..sorry about your cat losing the battle with the neighbor cat. Nothing worse than a cat fight! We get a stray every once in a while that tries to cause trouble, but my girl is tough and doesn’t back down easily. It makes me angry when a feral cat comes into her yard and tries to bully her!

Take care all!

Cinque

9:48 pm
17 Nov 15
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Hello everyone,
What a horrible start to a day MissM, having to get somewhere fast. Eeeeurk.
Happy birthday to your mum, I hope she has a great day. 97 years is a great achievement.

Poor Miso the cat is small and getting older. She went through it all with Bo, the enormous cat who used to be in Flat 4, but they ended up being quite companionable, so maybe the same will happen with Diego. I hope so. In the meantime I have to help her escape back here to safety.

Best wishes to fasters, I’ll fast tomorrow!

Sherryann

5:38 am
18 Nov 15
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Hi everyone,
Welcome to Marc & best of luck on the plan!
The weight was slightly down today. Had a brief glimpse of what the 124’s looked like & then the scale promptly & stubbornly stayed at 125.2 no matter how many times I jumped on& off ?.

Salma, I guess I’m totally confused! I thought from a prior conversation that you used to live in Beruit and that your family moved to Britain to escape the war? I had no idea you lived there! So where were you traveling to then?

I did pilates yesterday and it seemed to go ok with little pain but then pre-dawn I started with the low back sciatic pain. I don’t think I had this much pain in the past after a lesson but I think the culprit may have been that I asked him if I could try rebounding- like running in place/bouncing against the pad at the end while on your back. I don’t think my back may have been ready for that. Hoping it gets better as time goes on.

So ironically, my daughter’s 15th birthday was today and she requested my risotto as her birthday dinner! Now I don’t mean to brag, but I make a mean risotto with marscapone & Parmesan, and shallots. So, though I wanted it badly for the entire 25 minutes I stirred that pot, I did not eat it ( though did lick the spoon while cleaning up ?). So I survived risotto! The place we are going for dinner tomorrow night for our anniversary does not have risotto! I know I’m sounding extreme and not in line with the thought process behind this WOL right now but I’m at the difficult finish line and need to pull out all stops to win this!

Cinque, love the Diego & Miso story! I hope they become friends soon! We have 4 cats currently and any time we’ve added a new one, there’s about a week of hissing & howling and then they get used to each other and all is good ! They’re forced to get along quicker though because they live closely together not a house away like your kitty & Diego so it may take a while.

Lori- sounds like you’re still doing great with the plan! Good job!

MM, have a wonderful get-away & best birthday wishes to your mom! Wow! 97! Is she able to live independently on her own still?

Time to shower & go to bed! Night all!

salma

6:46 am
18 Nov 15
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Good morning one and all,

So, I am back on the plan (again!). This morning’s weigh in declared a 0.6 Kg (1.3 lbs), but of course that is only due to fasting. I did not manage 500 cals and probably reached 600 or 700 but that’s okay. I want to try to follow Lori’s “window” method (How did your experiment go Lori, by the way?) when I get back from my trip in 10 days. I so desperately want to get back to losing before I completely lose hope. I looked at my records and they showed that I had gone up the 3 kgs in 10 days. How does this happen? It takes about a month to lose this weight and only 10 days to put it on? There must be some magic going on here.. physics would probably not be able to explain this. Sigh!

MM, thank you for your kind thoughts on those who died here as well; a lot of Lebanese feel that they have been ‘invisible’ in the recent events, but people only react to what the media presents and there was not a lot of coverage on the events here before Paris, I guess. By the way, my dad was ‘adopted’ by Quakers when he studies in the States as a young man and maintained a life-long relationship with them and visited them often until they passed away; he has always had great respect for the Quaker humanitarian outlook and practices. Interesting that you are studying about other religions. I think it is only ignorance of the other that breeds hatred and violence. Happy Birthday to your mom; 97 years! That is quite an achievement.

Sherry, yes you are right, my family did move away from Lebanon to the UK during the war, but I came back about 20 years ago. So, although none of my family lives here now, I do. In fact, each member of my family now lives in a different country which makes it a challenge to see each other regularly. I am now traveling to Dubai where my sister and her family live. The trip will include 3 days of work (conference) that my previous work has asked me to attend. So, again, buffets, dinners and what have you. However, I shall be strong! I most certainly do not want to come back carrying another 3 Kgs of extra luggage. Can you imagine??? It would nearly finish me off.. and I would probably totally give up. When I went to the Chicago last summer, it was difficult to stick to 5:2, but I did and that meant that I managed not to gain any weight, which was a great achievement!

My sister is planning a full spa day for us in a luxury ottoman-type spa and Turkish bath.. I am really looking forward to that. Sherry, I will also try to stay away from the risotto (Yours sounds fabulous.. can we have the recipe?) Perhaps you can find something similar to take your mind off the risotto? 🙂 Happy Birthday to your daughter Sherry; 15 is a lovely, if difficult, age.

Cinque, again, thank you for the kind words. I know what you mean about the beautiful food.. it really is rather good.. it just makes things that much more difficult for a confirmed Foodaholic!

Lori.. sorry about your back pain.. Yikes.. I think I should maybe ease into Pilates at some point in the future. With all my current aches and pains, I think it is perhaps too soon. My trainer has been talking to me about “boxing” training. Might be a little too ambitious, but I rather like the idea of a punching bag.. I can imagine it is my scales 🙂

I am going to attempt another FD today, and wish all fellow fasters a successful FD.. and all the non-Fders, please enjoy your food on our behalf 🙂

Salma

Lori_PA

11:19 am
18 Nov 15
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Good Morning!

Salma…my experiment of 1 is going to last 4 weeks, so I’ll give a report about mid-December. I will give updates if there is anything of note.(weight loss). Oh..and Sherry was the one with the back pain after Pilates. I’m the nut who goes to boot camp 4 days a week! Speaking of boxing…we did that yesterday at boot camp! Love hitting that heavy bag!

Miss Kitty didn’t wake us up until 3AM and the husband came down and let her out. We both went back to sleep and I didn’t get up until 5:45! Really taking advantage of my day off boot camp!

I had a rather hungry day yesterday although I did keep my window to under 6 hours. I shoot for 5, but if it stretches to 6, I don’t worry. I was bored at work, which tends to make me think I’m hungry. Not sure if I’ve lost any weight, but my tummy feels quite flat this morning. I’ll probably check the scale on Friday for my weekly weigh in.

Sherry….I so admire your conviction to get to your goal! I have no doubt that you will get there. Hope your back pain eases. Been there, done that. It is awful. Some good stretching usually helps me.

Have a great fasting day or enjoy an eating day, whatever your plan!

Makica

12:25 pm
18 Nov 15
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Hi everybody,

So many wonderful posts. I have read up to the 11th, will read the rest later I promise. 🙂

Milena- you my beautiful dear are absolutely right that most of things get sorted out by themselves!

And I love the concept of no calories when not declared! Because if not declared it must mean there is nothing to declare. Right?

I have been using Stevia for 6 years now and it takes some time getting used to because it is a bit bitter as well as sweet. No good for cocking though. In any form. I have tried it all. Unless somebody here has good advice how to use it in backing for example.

And you are right that food does creep back and through the back door too.

Sherry – I eat for all and no reason just like you. Mostly because I like it and am hungry LOL.
I wasn’t comparing myself to my mother just wanted to give you a feel of what kind of a wonderful lady she was. I was just quoting her. And my father was like your stepfather.
Thank you for all of the lovely compliments you gave me.

Lori – feeding window is what I am doing now. What book are you reading about it?

Cinque – I am slowly learning to love myself. Haven’t made the list yet. It is a tedious process of forgiveness, gratitude and loving-kindness with compassion. My work is cut out for me if I want to brake free. Thank so much for your support.

So ladies and gentlemen I have returned to real life. On my second day of fasting with the famous green (kale, spinach, celery, parsley, cucumber, apple, ginger and lemon) juice with a teaspoon of coconut oil so that my body can absorb the vitamins from the goodness of the juice.

Still meditating at least an hour. Haven’t really moved the scale but on my way. I am certain of it.

Hope you are all having a great day. It is sunny and warm here.

Love ya all,
m

Lori_PA

1:07 pm
18 Nov 15
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YAY! Makica has returned!! We have missed you!

The eating window book I like best is called “AC: The power of appetite correction” by Dr. Bert Herring. His previous book was “Fast-5” which is available as a free download online.

I’m not counting calories in my window, rather just trying to make healthy choices and eat to my appetite. Some days will be naturally lower and some higher. Time will tell how this experiment of 1 works out.

Later my friends!

Makica

2:19 pm
18 Nov 15
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Thanks Lori 🙂

Got the book from Amazon. Will read it tonight. Thanks for the warm welcome back to the Mid Fifties. Missed you too.

Joining you in this experiment. Will try to do 3 FD and the rest in the “eating window”.

Back to work. Talk soon.
m

Lori_PA

2:34 pm
18 Nov 15
Permalink

Glad to have you joining me Makica! With you throwing in the 2 fast days as well as the window, you’ll probably have better results than I will without calorie counting. Plus…..my sister is coming this weekend which will be a real test for my window!

Have a great day!

MinnesotaMiss

3:25 pm
18 Nov 15
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Good morning all! I made it through two back to back fast days. Yesterday afternoon I was so busy I didn’t even think about it, till classes were over at 4:30 and then I felt a bit woozy. But managed to stay under 500 cals. at dinner and now feel a bit triumphant. Of course, I will undo all the good work while traveling, but at least I won’t gain anything. And I do plan another fast day on Thursday, my travel day.

Thanks for all the good wishes for my mother. She managed to live alone till 94, but then was unable to manage her diabetes alone. She is one of the reasons I’m on this diet. I very much have her genes and she has been quite healthy in her older age except for all the weight related issues–knee replacement, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. I guess hearing from the doctor that my cholesterol was now up there like hers was a wake-up call for me and I do NOT want the knee and diabetes problems she has. So, those extra ten pounds simply have to go.

Welcome back Makica. Meditating an hour a day. Wow. I know I could make time for that. I used to. Anyway, I admire you and you give me the reminder to get back to at least 20 minutes.

Sherry, brava on resisting the risotto. I wish I had that kind of willpower. And I do hope your back gets better soon. Been there. The only thing that seemed to help was a lot of stretching. When my lover had sciatica he found good hard lower back rubs to be of help. Of course, that established a pattern and now he begs for a back rub at least once a week.

I’ll probably not be on-line much this weekend, so blessings to all and I’ll check in again during the Thanksgiving break.

MM

Sherryann

4:10 pm
18 Nov 15
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Morning ladies!

Salma, thanks for clearing things up- I was confused! So wonderful how far our little group stretches across the world! Would be so fun to have a reunion some day and meet somewhere on the middle- wherever that is! Salma, that’s so great that you did well last summer while traveling! That shows you have the ability to be just as strong this time during your travels! Just keep remembering what you want to see on that scale when you get home! Btw, I visited a Turkish spa many years ago on a Greece/Turkey cruise and it was quite the adventure! During the massage portion, I was given a chest rub down too! Don’t know if this is part of the usual there ( I was young and too stupid/embarrassed to refuse) or the guy was getting his jollies! For the cleansing portion, they made us wear thong like garments only and we were flipped around on a marble slab like a piece of meat! Anyone else been to the Turkish baths & had similar experiences? ? I’m sure that yours, being luxurious, Salma, will be much better! We went to the local Hammam in Kushadasi. Btw, the risotto recipe I use is actually lower cal- see porcini and marscapone risotto on the cookinglight.com website. Soooo good ( even without the porcini’s which my daughter doesn’t like).

Makica- welcome back! Are you feeling more tranquil ? Btw, I use stevia for drinks and such but for no sugar baking, I use Swerve (erythrito sugar alcohol) sweetener & the kids like it too! Also have used Xyla (xylitol) & it’s good, but sometimes feel like it makes you gassy. Another my wellness coach recommended but I have yet to experiment with is “Just Like Sugar”made from chicory root fiber and orange peel (doesn’t make it orange tasting though) which sounds even more natural. You can get all of these at Amazon shipped to you if you can’t find them locally.

MM, how lucky to have such great genes in your family overall! To have lived to such a ripe age even with those ailments is wonderful! Smart that you’re attacking the issue now so as not to have those problems!

Great job everyone on working the plan! Sounds like we’re all getting back in control…at least till the holidays?!

Sherry

salma

9:05 pm
18 Nov 15
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Evening ladies..

So, I made it for back to back “sort of” FD. I just ordered and had some clear chicken broth with ginger and bean sprouts. I pretty much resisted most things but succumbed to a tiny whole wheat bun. That’s healthy, right?

Lori, I am sorry (again) for the mix up.. sometimes when I read several posts together, the information gets mixed up in my head.

Makica.. lovely to have you back. I could never sit still for 1 hour to meditate. I think I would have a nervous breakdown! I am envious.

Sherry.. what a nice idea to meet up 🙂 We are stretched all over the world, but wouldn’t it be nice to meet as the svelte versions of ourselves?

Luckily, the hotel room has scales, so I will keep myself in check by reminding myself every morning that I HAVE to lose the extra pounds by getting on the scales. Self torture, I know, but sometimes, necessary. There are several world class restaurants here it is going to be so difficult to resist, but I will do my best. At least I have two ‘sort of’ FDs under the belt.

Salma

By the way, where is Milena? Did I miss something?

Lori_PA

9:08 pm
18 Nov 15
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LOL Salma! No worries! That is why I don’t do personals very often. I can’t remember who did or said what! I admire you for trying!

Scales in a hotel room? Yikes!

Wondering about Milena too……….

Cinque

10:42 pm
18 Nov 15
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Good morning from the Eastern Standard Australian Time Zone!

Sherry, What good taste your daughter has for choosing a wonderful risotto for her birthday dinner! And cheers to you for surviving it!
Fingers crossed your backpain eases and goes away forever!
Since the anniversary dinner food is not going to be very special for you (although I can’t help hoping they have something small, light and exquisite for you!) you will be able to just concentrate on the time you have with your dear partner! Best wishes for a fabulous and happy evening! Maybe you are there right now!

Salma congratulations on your ‘sort of’ Fast Day. A good step! I hope the world class restaurants you visit have the kinds of small, light, exquisite meals I have been wishing for Sherry! Swank it up with minimalist dishes!

Hi Makica, welcome back to real life! Lovely to see you here again! That list will form itself!

Lori I hope you can manage your sister and your window at the same time! Have fun together. I am spending time tomorrow with three dear sisters!

MissM, congratulations on your back to back! It must be so hard for your mum with those extra health burdens, all power to you (and all of us!) in getting ready for a healthy old age!

Can’t remember if I have said it here before, but I have stevia growing in my little garden. The new little leaves are not bitter! I have a small leaf in my cup of tea, but when I cut out sugar I decided to concentrate on recipes that don’t contain sugar, rather than trying to replace it.

Fast Day for me! Cheers to you all!

Makica

9:22 am
19 Nov 15
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Cinqe good morning from Eastern European time GMT +1 🙂

You are so special and warm to all of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The list is not important but the fact that I am seeing things in a different light. I have more patience and am Zen in some situations I would combust in, just a month ago.

In all the reading I did on my retreat one thing really struck a chord. The Dalai Lama was aghast when he realized that we are plagued with self-loathing in our Western cultures.

Minnesota this is what we see in the mirror and in our dreams – awake we are just “not bad”? This is the self-loathing, the lack of self love. It reflects on what we do to our body.

If we feed ourselves like we would a 3 year old, would we put all those things in our mouths? Would we expose our bodies to all that junk and poison if we really truly loved ourselves?

Lori – finding peace in all of this madness in the world and all the stress in everyday life is exactly what I am trying to do. But to find it I need to let go of all the bad old habits, all the things from the past that are holding me in this place of limbo. I have to let go of old me so that the real me can live life to the
fullest.

I don’t know if I am making any sense?

Sherry – it must have been a great day with the kids. So happy for you and all the nice moments you will have with your anniversary. Make the best of those beautiful little moments. It is all we have. This one and the next one and the next 🙂

I haven’t read all of the posts but anyway until I do I wish you all a wonderful day full of beautiful moments where you will honor and cherish your unbelievably gorgeous, dazzling bodies and magnificent souls.

On to a day of 5 hour window of eating. Had a great juice fast day yesterday. Haven’t finished my book because my Kindle was charging. LOL

See you all soon.
Love your posts and look forward to the email notifications that somebody has posted.

Love m

Lori_PA

10:01 am
19 Nov 15
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Good Morning!

A beautiful, insightful post Makica. It sounds like your retreat gave you time for lots of deep thought. Something we all could use!

My window got stretched a bit yesterday and ended up being more like 6 hours. I was just SO hungry that I had to open my window at 12:15. I did close it earlier, however, as we were finished with dinner by 6. I’ll see how it goes today, but I will not beat myself up if I have to have a longer window. Some things I have read say that women do better with a fast of 14-16 hours rather than 19. Listening to the body is the key!

Hope you all have a great day!

Makica

12:42 pm
19 Nov 15
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Lori I read about an 8 hour “feeding window” on this forum I think. It sounds a bit more humane. Hahahahah 😉 Do what feels better. It is just a journey not the goal.

I have to share something from my “travels”. I love to drive, I love cars and gadgets. So I have a good big car sports version. But as I have commuted for years I have a bit of road rage in the sense that I would shout or swear at a stupid driver that did something that would endanger all of us. But after my retreat as I was driving back home, a long 640 km about 400 miles, I was eating some stick like crackers because I had a bit of a stomach flu. So when somebody would cut me of or would do something that is not smart instead of shouting my usual “WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE NORMAL????” I started waving the stick thingy like a magic wand spreading love and kindness and calling myself MaBudha. Of course with a funny accent! We can not do that without a funny accent!

Back to work.

May you all be held with loving kindness like a small child.

M