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

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

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  • Hi Applepie
    We would love to live in Spain- But we look after our grandson 3 days a week he is 3 now and we are so close I couldn’t be parted from him. One of the reasons for doing the Fast diet are the health benefits, I want to have as long with him as I possibly can. It seems to be working my high blood pressure has come down so much it looks as if I will be taken off the medication – result!

    Evening everyone.

    I think (with much reading of forum articles etc and a trial on Weds this week) that the answer to my banging headaches on Fast Days is salt intake…. in the form of vegetable stock. Having been hypertensive for YEARS I don’t add salt to my food (other than on chips…. of which I’ve had precisely two portions since July last year) and since the IR hit I haven’t been eating the food which I would have cooked with salt such as potatoes, pasta & rice. So next week I’m going to top up the salt levels a little with a cup of veggie stock the evening before my first FD then have a couple of cups of the stuff during the day and see how it goes.

    I don’t think this will be a great week for weight loss but will find out for definite on Monday morning. I was out for dinner yesterday with the in-laws and didn’t eat until about 8 so I was ravenous…… wild boar & onion burger…. with chips (that was the 2nd of the 2 portions I was referring to). Very very tasty but have been feeling guilty about it all day. To the point where I had breakfast at 6, pear at 11, apple at 2 then nothing until dinner at 7. Prob 1600-1700 cals (TDEE is supposed to be 2080 ish). On the upside, after a chicken & chorizo swt chilli stir fry and a yoghurt I now feel stuffed. Still not optimistic about the scales though. Not sure if having to eat small portions of solid food (apples to down painkillers with) will have affected the fasting benefits.

    gooseylucy: Major congratulations on the BP reduction. Out of curiosity I checked my BP tonight, worst possible time (straight after a cigarette… yes, I know….) and it was 123/77. I’m hopeful of coming off the BP meds at some point…. 16 years after I was put on them.

    Gooseylucey

    Congratulations on lowering your blood pressure. I am hoping that it will work for me as well. How much weight did you lose to manage that?

    Firehorse

    Don’t talk yourself out of a weight loss wait to see. I too have high blood pressure. One of the reasons I started on 5:2

    I have been on meds for about 10 years. Thank goodness we are taking control of our lives.

    I always allow myself 100 calories for milk. I also have a week juice, but I have it hot. In summer I will have it cold.

    I have just turned pilot light off on gas fire that means officially spring weather now.

    Don’t forget the clocks this weekend if you are in England.

    Ginette

    Good morning everyone.

    After a decent weigh in, I went way overboard yesterday unfortunately. Pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again, I guess.

    Gooseylucey, really well done on the lowering your BP. I don’t have BP problems (yet) but a host of other things and I do understand what it feels like to get in control of your health.

    Janeyw.. well? Nothing from you yet about what your naturopath said. I hope that all is well.

    I have a couple of social events today and sincerely hope that I do not overdo it again for another. Wish me luck.

    Have a great day everyone

    Hi Salma and Milena,

    Sorry to report so late, but most of yesterday was spent running around like a chicken with no head, and I was recording all night until just recently. At any rate, I did indeed go to the naturopath yesterday, weighing in at 117.5 pounds/just over 53 1/4 kilos/more than 8 1/4 stone and (drum roll please), he said, “Your results aren’t great, they’re stellar!” Stellar–imagine that!

    In addition, he talked me out of going down to a goal weight of 90 pounds/41 kilos/6.5 stone. He said going below 110 pounds/50 kilos/8 stone is risky because muscle could be lost and I could start looking gaunt. He asked me why I wanted to trim down so much, and of course, that’s more to do with ease of doing aerial work than anything. The lighter I am, the easier it is to flip upside down, etc.

    At this point, my goal weight is still 100 pounds/45 1/2 kilos/just over 7 stone (he said anyone going below this weight has a much greater risk of muscle loss). However, once I get to 110 pounds he wants me to stay there for a month. That will be interesting. So at this point, my high goal is closer than I thought–much closer in fact!

    Also, as it turns out, I’m fasting again today (that will make three times this week). I guess I won’t need to do that so much any more–unless I go off, though the weight had started to level out for a couple of days and fasting three days this week (in addition to using a TDEE 200 calories lower than I’ve been using) is getting the weight dropping again–now, if I can just keep that up until I get to 110 pounds.

    He also said that once I’m on maintenance I can have 2000 calories on days when I do aerial work. I can’t imagine eating 2,000 calories at this point, but I think it might be nice to give it a go when the time comes, and then I can actually have a bit of food with my olive oil!

    Sorry to go on, but I’m quite chuffed at this news. Have a great weekend one and all!

    Hi Janeyw

    Aerial work. I am intrigued?! Are you a trapeze artist? I have always wondered what you do with recording, I thought maybe a musician or something.

    Well done on your loss. Imagine being Stellar….what excitement. Well he sounds as if he is talking common sense. To stay at 110 for a while will be interesting. Will you cut down to 6:1 for that?

    2000 calories must seem a lot for you. It seems a lot for me and I am double your weight.

    Well done and I’m sure you will enjoy it when you can cut fasting down to two days. We all have personal goals and some of these are moveable goalposts up or down. It depends how the weight suits us. I know years ago when I got to 9 stone 7 I looked gaunt and it was painful to sit on a hard chair without a cushion. My end target this time is 10.7. I will evaluate at 11 or slightly higher.

    I have aches and pains today from exercise so I will probably give it a rest for a couple of days. Muscles aching that I forgot I had.

    Ginette

    Hi Salma

    Good luck with those social events. I was invited to one yesterday, I said there was a possibility I would go but I wasn’t sure. As it happened I forgot the date! Maybe I avoided temptation, I had such a hectic week last week the days were even mixed up.

    I have had a quieter end to my week. No drama here and invalids on the mend. Quiet weekend planned.

    Hope you all enjoy yourself over the weekend. Not to go too mad but remember life is made for living.

    Ginette

    Hi all

    I opened a new thread the other day. Wanted to let people see my record of weight loss week by week for the first 10 weeks. Join me and add yours, there are many people who read this forum a long time before joining. I thought that this might encourage them.

    Thread link

    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/my-10-week-weight-loss-week-by-week/#post-82760

    Ginette

    I just thought I would weigh myself before my last fast day on Monday and the official weigh day on Tuesday. I find I am 21st 1lb. I have done seven water only fast days over the last two weeks, have to the best of my knowledge (and the use of a calorie log) kept to my daily TDEE and have done five 5 mile walks. When I started two weeks ago I was 20st 12lb, which means after all that effort I have gone up 3lbs. How is this possible? Chips and ice cream for tea tonight I think!

    Hi Fat:

    It is very possible. You might check numbers one and two on this post: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

    Just keep going – it will work, if not as fast as you believe it should.

    Good Luck!

    Gooseylucey, I know exactly what you mean, we had our grandson every Saturday and for sleepovers. But he was 5 when we moved here. He was going to schoolfriends houses, football training etc. in other words he was growing up fast. We know we had the best years with him and he has been to visit. He loved it, he kept asking if he could come and live with us here, broke my heart. But we still think we did the best thing.

    There was a fiesta today in a nearby town. It was fabulous, there was a giant paella which I partook of, delicious. Worth every calorie. Photos on facebook if anyone is interested, see my profile.

    Our Spanish next door neighbours arrived yesterday for Easter. They live in Madrid, this is their holiday home. We haven’t seen them since Xmas, pre 5:2. They were amazed at our weightloss, the lady actually used the word “phenomenal” I like her 🙂

    Hi Graham

    It is possible that in real terms you have lost but you will have water fluctuations in your body all of the time. Muscle weighs heavier than fat, so if you are building up muscle it cold be an answer. Do you take vitamin pills? I take them now, as years ago when I took some at doctors instructions I lost 10lb in 2 weeks without trying to, no diet, no increased exercise just a normal week.

    I opened a new thread the other day. Wanted to let people see my record of weight loss week by week for the first 10 weeks. Join me and add yours, there are many people who read this forum a long time before joining. I thought that this might encourage them.

    Thread link

    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/my-10-week-weight-loss-week-by-week/#post-82760

    I am not sure about your weight loss and how it has been. Mine was ok to start but then slowed down. I have now started a little exercise to help it. If I store water I take a sea kelp tablet, I don’t take them at night as they make me wake up to go to the loo. Sea kelp is a normal product made from seaweed it should not be taken when you are on thyroid tablets. Any doubts ask your doctor or pharmacist.

    This always works for me. Average weight loss is 1lb a week. If you watched the truth about calories you will see just sitting doing nothing you can burn more weight than a person who isn’t as big as yourself.

    You can get it on catch up or iplayer. It was on BBC1 very interesting.

    Remember life is for living. I now have 7 stones to lose, but last May to January I lost a stone and then started the fast diet. I have now lost another stone in 10 weeks. But my starting weight in May would have meant I needed to lose 9 stone the same as you have. I have every confidence that I can carry on losing weight. Sometimes slower than others.

    Stay with it you are on the way down. I have weighed on a daily basis and my weight can easily fluctuate by 4lb in any week. This makes me understand how my body is. I don’t worry too much as I know it will reset itself.

    Have your treats you have earned them. Just restrict them, so treats today, sensible tomorrow.

    It will be nice if you add your week by week loss at the link above then people can see the journey. I had a week when I didn’t lose anything. I am sure as we lose weight we will see a few of these.

    Ginette

    Hi Ginette:

    “Muscle weighs heavier than fat, so if you are building up muscle it cold be an answer.”

    Muscle is more dense, but a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. You will not gain weight by gaining muscle mass.

    A common misconception.

    Sorry I stand corrected. It is what my nutritional trainer and many other people have neen telling me over the years.

    Hello Everyone,

    Ginette, many thanks for the support. Yes, I am a trapeze artist–of sorts. I use three different apparatuses (trapeze, rope, and sling), but all are what is known as low flying. That is, the bottom of each apparatus comes to about the height of my hips from the floor when I’m standing. I hope that makes sense.

    Regarding the recording, I record live music. I’m not a musician, but record concerts. I hope that clarifies things.

    Best of luck to all on this arduous journey of ours. FatGraham, take heart. I think most of us have been there. You might try adding some food restrictions just to get things started. Please see the penultimate post on this thread for some ideas. https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/first-dayweek/. Just a thought to get things moving. Then again, please have some ice cream for me. I haven’t had any since last summer (pre-5:2).

    Hi Janeyw

    Good deduction then. I have missed my calling, should have been a detective. Sounds a very exciting and varied job.

    hi all

    good advice Ginette.

    i walked around today analysing myself, thats what comes of having ‘me’ time – – I went to a collectors fair (work), and then mooched around a farmer’s market outside the fair venue. Did ok, german spelt bread, salt (two kinds), brioche for son and rhubard pie and bakewell tart for OH, not fussed about pie and don’t like almond tarts. Then off to M&S, deciding against cafe in fair, and against Dobbies cafe or the Costa next to M&S.

    So far so good, bought prawns and poached salmon and fish cakes in M&S, then slow roast lamb, mash, ratatoille, cream and prossecco. Just like that! As a change from ‘me’ day supper of char sui, rice, curry sauce and chips!

    Except that HALF a pack of lamb 1225 calories!! Yea right, I would have carefully halved it and put the rest in the fridge or the bin. Not blummin’ likely!!

    I checked the fish cakes before buying, 148 calories, an ok lunch, but didnt read tbe lamb packet in the store.

    AND I realised I had gone out in the morning just planning food. Furthermore, I’m ALWAYS planning food, except on fast days, when I’m totally disorganised and clueless.

    Ive managed half a bottle of wine, two fishcakes, a couple of slices of bread and prawn and salad, and Ive stayed under TDEE.

    Now I have to think of strategies to avoid crazy calorie laden meals.

    Anyway, Ive come to the conclusion that a) I know how I got fat and b) keep away from M&S.

    Graham, keep at it, but if you are becoming demotivated, change tack a bit, eat on the fast days, late in the day, calculate a TDEE on sedentary, a couple of stones below your weight, and weigh and calculate every single morsel. No treats! For two weeks. My first three weeks at 5:2 resulted in no weightloss so thats what I did, kick started things, I believe. Once you get going then start tweaking, this is your journey, it has to be done your way, and if treats help in the longterm, you should incorporate them. But it might be worth trying my suggestion to give you a push. I think once you get going, you will charge ahead. Our fat is very attached to us, been here a long while, sometimes it needs a stern talking to and a bit of extra discipline to get rid of it.

    Well done Janeyw. You are so close to the finish line. We are rooting for our Sports Car 🙂

    FatGraham, please take heart and please do not stop. It sounds to me like you are being too tough on yourself. 7 water only days in 2 weeks? That sounds much too hard.. so ofcourse the weight not shifting is like a slap in the face.

    I would suggest that you take it down a notch. Do the 5:2 only. On a fast day, go down to 600 cals and on the other days try to stay within your TDEE (I am guessing around 2000 cals?). Sometimes, when you put the body in a kind of starvation mode, it fights you back by conserving energy by lowering its metabolism allowing it to expend LESS calories. The beauty of this new WOL (Way Of Life) is that you sort of ‘confuse’ your metabolism by taking in different amounts of calories over the 7 days. I would also suggest that you do not have bread or pasta or other refined carbs int eh evening on any of the days.

    You may actually be surprised by a weight loss one or two days AFTER the ice cream and chips.
    Please check in here every day or so and let us know how you are getting on. I know EXACTLY how you feel as the very same thing happened with me last year. I dieted, I exercised, I did everything right and yet, I gained rather than lost weight. At that point, I chucked it all in and thought this is no way to live.

    Five months on, I had gained another 3 Kgs and was at the highest weight I had ever been. I read about the 5:2 and thought that it made sense.. and here we are. In around 6 weeks, I lost 3 kgs. I never thought I would be able to lose weight again… So take heart and please do stick to it. I remember one guy on this forum, right at the start, encouraged me when I complained and said that he did not lose anything the first few weeks, but he stuck with it and now he is losing a great deal. Best of luck on this hard, long journey, but we are all in it together.

    Graham

    Good advice from Milena and Salma. Remember we will stick with you, your fat will not. Us women have more staying power than your fat, we are here to help.

    Ease up start counting and weighing. Don’t forget to count everything on fast days. As has been said here your body has probably gone into starvation mode. Show it that it has food coming in on a regular basis and it will kick out of it.

    Keep us posted.

    Hi All,

    Ginette, yes, that is a good deduction, except it isn’t my job. Both the aerial dancing and the live music recording are my life work. I rarely get paid for them unfortunately, but you are right that they are varied and exciting. They are my legacy.

    Thanks for your support Salma. It means a lot to me.

    FatGraham, I’ve been attempting to trim down since 2008. The weight finally stopped coming off last year. My nutritionist’s response? “Well you’re really healthy now, just forget about the weight.” Yea right, I’m 30-50 pounds away from my goal and you want me to forget about the weight? Why not just throw your hands in the air and say, “We’ve tried everything–I give up!” Then I mentioned something about that to my chiropractor (who is also the naturopath who started me on the 5:2). The rest is history. Please do keep at it and let us know how it goes. We are all here to support you.

    Hi everybody. I’m afraid I was so upset yesterday that I went and bought some lemon drizzle cake, and ate half of it. Lovely it was and not feeling guilty at all. Didn’t have chips and ice cream for tea, had some beef sandwiches with a sweet red onion chutney. I am currently marinating a steak in a balsamic vinegar recipe I found on the internet, which I shall have tonight with some new potatoes and kale.

    Anyway, I’ll start again tomorrow on the 5:2 as per your advice, thanks for that and the encouragement, by weighing myself as soon as I get up and making a note in my calorie counting book. My official TDEE according to this site is 2600, so I shall limit it to 2400 and have the 600 on fast days around tea time with no carbs. I shall also continue to go for my 5 mile walks on fast days.

    I shall weigh myself weekly from now on and let you know how I am getting on.

    Hurray for FatGraham!
    I am glad you have not chucked the whole thing in, however tempting it may have been. Having a complete eat-with-abandon couple of days is not going to cause lasting damage and it IS good for the morale.

    Please do try not to do too many fasting days and just be kind to yourself. Why are you only walking on fasting days? I am curious. Why not try to do half the distance on 5 days a week instead? A TDEE of 2400 is very doable, even luxurious.. so enjoy and do let us know how you get on. We are all cheering you on.

    Hi Graham

    I’ve been feeling a bit down and demotivated and have decided to taken myself in hand, so I’m with you, if you’ll have me. Decided to follow my own advice, always a very difficult thing, and do a month of strict 5:2, and plenty of walking, and EXERCISE. Hope to compare weekly notes for April, should be interesting. Got to turn these old bangers into supercars! Need to think of a really good treat at the end of the month to aim for, especially as I’ve asked for no Easter eggs.

    Anyone else up for this??

    Yes, let’s do this together Milena, the whole of April on 5:2 and compare notes on the 1st May.

    May also do as Salma & Annette52 suggest and go on a walk everyday, instead of just on fast days; there is a train service that runs along the coast with stations every couple of miles, so I could walk along the coast path until I get tired and then catch the train back. See if I can get to St. Bees one day, only 8.5 miles.

    The reason I thought to only do it on fast days was because I would burn more fat, as ‘they’ are always telling us that we should exercise before breakfast because the benefits are greater. I suppose though that the benefits are great whenever we exercise, especially if we are keeping below our TDEE.

    Hi Milena,

    I sensed that you were a bit unhappy with progress. FatGraham, I think it would make a big difference if you do try to walk 4 or 5 times a week.

    I am traveling next week (wed) and I have promised myself to TRY my best to stick to the 5:2 even on vacation as I am going for a whole month. This will be especially difficult as I will be visiting my family which will involve many meals, both home-cooked and in restaurants.

    I am fasting today (as I will not be able to fast for the rest of the week next week, so I only have the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to fast the 2 days of the 5:2 this week.

    I am hoping against hope that I will be able to stick to some kind of regimen during my vacation, otherwise, knowing myself, I would come back a whole 5 kgs over or even more. On one vacation, I managed to put on 4 kgs in one week!

    So, I am on board with you guys and am also hoping to get some walking done during this time. I am not sure this will turn this particular banger into a super car, but it is worth a try. I promise to stick to the 5:2 during April and we will see what happens, eh?

    Anyone else for the challenge?

    Milena, Salma and Graham

    I will compare notes in a months time with you. I have had a break from exercise for the last 2 days as very sore arms and then legs aching as well I shall do a bit tomorrow. I need to listen to my body and respond sensibly. I want to increase exercise. I am so unfit so I shall increase gradually.

    Milena

    Sorry to hear that you are despondent we will help you through it. How much do you have to lose Milena?

    Salma

    Try to do 6:1 while you are away. It may just keep you where you are. It will be interesting to see. Get more exercise and counteract any over eating

    Graham

    I am glad you sound a bit more upbeat.

    Ginette

    Hi All

    I think this cold has knocked me sideways, not usual – it was probably sitting in the air cabin, a lot of coughing and sneezing going on. And I’ve had a couple of nights up with the cat – wee begger seemed to be dying in my arms a couple of times, yesterday she lay so quietly I keep checking her pulse, then she jumped up and demanded her food, proper bossy boots. I think is is her third stroke, takes her a while to come out of them, and she is getting on – as usual the advice from the vet is as long as she is eating and happy (moaning in Willow’s case) not to worry too much.

    Anyway, feeling loads better, finally getting some work done – always a problem as I don’t pay myself sick pay and the bills are still there – but feeling loads better. Ginette, I am still dreaming of getting under 9 stone, that’s another 4 stone. Good advice to Salma – if you are able to stand still, it will be such a boon as I know you are worried, in future when I go away I will rein it it, much harder than I thought dealing with even a slight gain. Did someone mention on another post their doctor wasn’t a fan and he thought all the weight would go back on. I hate that sort of defeatist talk – he is really saying why bother – we HAVE to bother, and we have to realise that the journey is only halfway over when we get to our goals, and that’s the difference with a WOL and a diet.

    Have a great week everyone, and I know I will!!!

    “To travel hopefully is better than to arrive and the true success is to labour” RL Stevenson

    travel hopefully folks!!!

    Just popping in to check on you all. Spending the weekend with my sister and we’ve just come in from being out to brunch. Ate way too much! We’ll go out for a walk in a bit and then I have a 3 hour drive home.

    Looking forward to my fast tomorrow!

    Hello all,
    So good to see all the support. FatGraham, glad you’ve put a plan together. Things often seem a bit better the next day don’t they?

    I’ve been down on my back all weekend, old injury raising its ugly head. Gotta get it sorted out before leaving on our trip on Wednesday (9 hour plan ride….). So puffy today, with 2 pounds up on the scale-from the anti inflammatories I know.

    Had good fast day #3 yesterday. Planning the week this morning, may only do 2 days this week due to travel, time zone changes, jet lag …

    Hi All,

    Glad to hear you’re better Milena, and sorry to hear you’re not feeling well fastdiet1115.

    Best of luck sticking to 5:2 on your trips Salma and Fastdiet1115. Some of the jobs I’ve been applying for have involved travel, and I have been wondering how I would stick to 5:2 with all that. Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me. However, I’m sure there’s a way around it. Please do let us know how you get on and some good tips for keeping the weight down while traveling (perhaps throwing in an extra fast day?).

    Since fasting three days this past week worked well, my plan is to continue on that vein until I reach the goal set by the naturopath. However, this week I don’t think that’s going to happen, so I will be on 5:2 this week. My plan going forward starting next week is to go back to fasting three days a week, and possibly two of those days back to back. I want to reach that first goal as soon as I can so I can see how I do at maintenance.

    I’m also thinking that maybe our bodies respond better to switching things up generally. I currently have appointments with a fitness trainer every two weeks (though that will be changing to monthly starting in April). Fitness trainers generally give different workouts each time because the body gets used to one workout or another, and if it’s something you do daily forever, somewhat soon you reach a point where it isn’t as effective, or becomes completely ineffective. As a result, the body responds better if you switch up the workouts every so often. I wonder if 5:2 is the same way. One week of 5:2, another week of 4:3, and back again might be a good way to keep the body guessing so to speak, and garner better results. Then again, I have no idea if this is the case or not–just wondering. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

    Also, my day is pretty booked, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to reply to you all. In addition, starting tomorrow I expect that my time for reading and responding to these posts will be much more limited than it has been, so please don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a while. I will try to catch up weekly at least, if not more often.

    Happy week one and all!

    Hope the week goes really well for for you Janeyw.

    Fastdiet, take care, enjoy your time away. You too Salma.

    Well, I had the lamb, but just a liitle NWTC, and the mash but just a little, WWTC, ratatoille WWTC, and a we glass of red wine WWTC!!!!

    Got a couple of days run in to the beginning of April, got some poached salmon for tomorrow, cat now settled after eating her tea. Ready for an early start and a good day tomorrow. Good luck Lori and everyone else fasting tomorrow

    Travel hopefully

    Fasting today went well.. I was surprised since I NEVER fast on a weekend, but drastic times call for drastic measures. I am doing this so that I don’t have to fast on a flight or when I am supposed to be enjoying myself.

    I will fast again tomorrow and/or Tuesday (REALLY unusual for me) but let’s see how it goes.
    I hope your cat is better Milena and your back Fastdiet.

    Janeyw.. I completely agree with you on the idea of changing things around. I think that is the real strength of the 5:1.

    Good week ahead to everyone.

    simcoeluv at 5.27pm 28Mar2015 wrote

    “Hi Ginette:

    “Muscle weighs heavier than fat, so if you are building up muscle it cold be an answer.”

    Muscle is more dense, but a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. You will not gain weight by gaining muscle mass.

    A common misconception.”

    re the line “You will not gain weight by gaining muscle mass.”
    If true, a body builder would not weigh any more than he did before he started training.
    However if you add a pound of muscle and lose a pound of fat your weight stays the same but you can be slimmer as the muscle is denser.

    Hi Milena

    So sorry to hear about your cat. Must be a worry for you. Hope you feel better soon.

    Janeyw

    You will find a way around it. Just needs forward planning. Try anything to fool your body. Just make sure you eat enough on non fast days to keep that metabolism up. I have just bought a second set od bathroom scales as I had to take the first ones back. They stopped working after the first weigh in…..do you think they were shocked…..

    Will try the new ones out next week.

    Fast diet

    9 hour plane ride I don’t envy you…. I always get puffy ankles when I am sitting too long or on it gets hotter. I hold on to the water for dear life, even though I increase what I am drinking and eat more water based food, melon etc.

    Salma

    Well done you. I really wouldn’t like fasting at the weekend.

    Tofi65

    Thanks for the info. I have a feeling that more muscle increases metabolic rate as well. I am sure I heard this somewhere.

    Good luck for tomorrow’s fast everybody.

    Good on yer, Salma!!!!!! Doing a little jig for you!!!!!! Cheered me up no end!

    Ginnette, Cant remember if you posted on here or elsrwhere, but put in your measurements. The straw which broke the camel’s back for me was a pic OH took of me naked, been married twenty years and that was a first, was dashing to the loo and he was messing with my new tablet. I’ve kept that photo!

    Can’t believe I writing this, I’m actually blushing.

    Thankfully it is blurred as I was running, and it is side on, it could have been soooo much worse. AND I have taken a couple of selfies in my underwear, not anything I would ever put on Twitter, but it’s a journey and a changing body is part of the journey. I can’t see much of a difference, but when I compare photos I can see a change. So as you go down you can compare your starting pic with the reducing pics. Just be proud of the changes.

    Cat doing well at the mo, eaten dinner again.

    Travel hopefully

    No chance of that Milena. I hate my picture taken always have. I don’t have any long mirrors either. Someone did take a photo of me a long time ago. She has kept it, I didn’t know she was taking it. She is a really good friend luckily, she won’t show me thankfully.

    She doesn’t dare as I have threatened to tear it up. You’re braver than I am.

    Ginette

    Hi Ginette

    only brave cos no one gets to see it but me! I am exactly the same, absolutely hate having my photo taken.

    Though its not a weight thing, always have hated it – I have very very few photos of myself, though there is a class photo taken when I was about 10 someone put on friends reunited, I love it!

    BUT – because this weight loss is so gradual, and lets face it we are here for the next one or two years – a photo every couple of months might just be the encouragement we need.

    Hi tofi:

    Not sure what your point is. The only way to gain weight is to eat more than your TDEE. If you do and exercise, you gain muscle weight. If you eat more than your TDEE and don’t exercise, you gain fat weight.

    Morning all! Weigh day for me and I have lost another big fat 2lbs!! down to 9st 5lbs now. Brilliant.

    I started on the Wii Fit this week, loving it. Fasting today and liquids only tomorrow. It’s going to be hot today so we are going on the beach.

    Ginette not sure what you mean about eating enough to keep metabolism up?? I have found the only way to lose weight is to eat less.

    Happy fasting!

    Up early this Monday morning to get ready for boot camp. Looking forward to a fast day after a weekend of eating a bit more than was necessary. 😉

    A 4 day work week this week as we have off on Friday for Good Friday. It’ll be nice to have a long weekend.

    Hoping to drop a few pounds this week. Here we go!

    Hi simcoeluv
    My point was that gaining muscle mass on its own without losing fat/water etc you will weigh more.

    Now you have amplified your first post with your latest reply I understand your point of view.

    I appreciate you are generalizing (as we all have to in these sort of discussions) but I thought Michael Mosley had shown it was not a straight forward energy in/ energy out equation anymore, that when you eat and exercise has an effect, which is why the 5:2 fast diet works.

    Thrilled for you Applepie
    It’s my weigh day too, lost 1lb hurrah!! Fasting Tues /Wed.
    You have given me hope that one day we may live somewhere sunny, in the mean time just keep telling us about the beach, sun ,flowers eating outside, glass of wine on the balcony and all the lovely things that go with it and I will work on the beach body.
    Snowing again this morning but melting as quickly. X

    Good morning one and all!

    I overslept this morning, missing my gym session. Is it subconscious sabotage?
    I am fasting today also and beginning to feel ravenous, but all in a good cause.. I am keeping my mind focused on my vacation.

    Applepie, I am so pleased for you! I hope that it continues of the down and down. To answer your question, when you don’t eat enough calories, your body goes into “starvation” mode and reacts by lowering your metabolism to conserve energy as it thinks that you are going through a draught period with not much food to be found (it still has not evolved to understand that food is only as far as your fridge). So, in fact, if you eat less, your body starts to burn less. Seems terribly unfair doesn’t it? but served us well in famine conditions of yore.

    Milena, a little jig is also exercise.. so go ahead and log it 🙂
    I do the same as you.. I started taking selfies (horrible things that they are) every month or so of myself in a full length mirror, and I can tell you, it is not a pretty picture. However, sometimes, it is very difficult to see progress (or otherwise) until you see pictures of yourself. The other day, I did not recognize myself in a reflection while sitting in a restaurant as I have a completely different self-image than what I saw. A middle aged, tired looking lady stared back at me and it took me a few seconds before realizing I was looking at MYSELF! I thought she looked vaguely familiar. Depressing. Usually, pictures will reflect the sad truths of: older, wider, greyer, fatter. Hopefully, these selfies will reverse at least one of those. At least that is what I am hoping to induce me to take those psychologically damaging photos. I wince when I see them.. and to think that I thought I was fat when I was younger (I wasn’t!).

    My sister says to me when I complain about cellulite and bulges: Enjoy it, this is the best you will look from now on. I certainly hope not.. and I hope that I will have the photos to prove it. By the way, she is not being unkind, just trying to be funny as she says the same about herself.

    I know what you mean Milena by admitting to things here that you wouldn’t to your nearest and dearest. My weight is a closely guarded secret, and I CERTAINLY would not want anyone to see my pictures in my undies, or to even know they existed.

    Another fast day. I hope it goes by quickly.
    Have a good day everyone.

    Ahh goosey, you can do it if you really want. If you want to see a bit more of our life send me a FB request. See my profile.

    We didn’t go to the beach, the wind picked up and my OH doesn’t like wind.

    Salma, I will let simcoeluv reply re metabolism etc. he explains it much better than me.

    Well done Applepie & gooseylucy. Nice feeling when you see the numbers dropping. Weighing in day this morning and lost 1.4lb 🙂

    Graham, stick at it. You’ll get there.

    Thought I’d try topping up salt levels yesterday evening (Fast Day today) so had a mug of stock. Net result: I WOKE UP with a headache…. 🙁 so have had to have an apple to down painkillers with as well as some with breakfast…. try another approach for Wednesday then!

    Congratulations to all you “losers”!! Keep up the great work & keep your eye on the prize!

    Hi tofi:

    “. . . but I thought Michael Mosley had shown it was not a straight forward energy in/ energy out equation anymore, that when you eat and exercise has an effect, which is why the 5:2 fast diet works.”

    If you have any clinical studies that say 5:2 works because energy in/out does not, and timing of eating is important, please post them. So far, all existing clinical studies on IF do not support that position – see the research cited in this thread: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

    Thanks!

    Hi simcoeluv, please can you advise on this

    “To answer your question, when you don’t eat enough calories, your body goes into “starvation” mode and reacts by lowering your metabolism to conserve energy as it thinks that you are going through a draught period with not much food to be found (it still has not evolved to understand that food is only as far as your fridge). So, in fact, if you eat less, your body starts to burn less. Seems terribly unfair doesn’t it? but served us well in famine conditions of yore.”

    Thanks

    Hi Applepie:

    The ‘starvation mode’ is a myth – it does not exist (for fat people). See the FAQ at the top of this page, or this post by Dr. M.: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/food-thought-fast-day-starvation-mode/

    There is nothing a person on a weight loss diet likes to hear more than you have to eat more to lose weight.

    The less you eat, the more you lose.

    Good Luck!

    Thanks for clarifying. Exactly as I thought.

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