Mid-thirties, working mom of 2, looking to loose 5kg

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Hillsy1592

7:20 pm
18 Aug 16
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Hello Em! I am in Canada–my winters are a bit colder and a lot snowier than Chicago, but I do a lot of cross-country skiing so I don’t mind one bit and would prefer it if winter were longer! I’ve been doing 5:2 on and off since March–not really a good model for it, because I just put on and off the same pounds! But I do find that I far prefer this to dieting every day. My big challenge is not conforming to the fast, but endless snacking the rest of the time! I’m working from home right now but in September will spend less time at home, and that will probably be better for the scales.

Because I’m Canadian, I do a mishmash of imperial and metric! Things like distances and temperatures are metric, but for some reason we’ve tended to hang on to imperial for things like body weight and cooking volumes.

I tend to take Mondays and Thursdays as my fast days, but I have changed or skipped depending on what’s going on. I simply cannot make it through to supper without feeling really ill. I try to be really conservative early in the day, though–psychologically, I need to know that I have calories left!

It’s 2:15 PM here right now, and I’ve had 110 calories. That’s feeling fine so far. I did a walk-run at noon–recovering from running-induced knee problems so I’m easing back into it–at least it wasn’t too taxing, therefore, for a fast day!

Emilyashen

9:06 pm
18 Aug 16
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Thanks for all of your thoughtful answers! I am feeling better than expected this afternoon and I haven’t had any calories yet. I do plan on having about 200 cal. around 4:00 to get me through a back to school event I have with my son. He’s going to middle school this year, I can’t believe it! I also have a daughter who will be entering the 3rd grade.

I am trying to keep busy, but right now we are on summer break and I don’t return to work for another week. I am a school counselor, and will be busy with work soon enough!
However, I’m grateful to have the breaks off with my kids.

Hillsy, where in Canada do you live? I’ve visited Toronto and Vancouver, and have enjoyed them both! I love your attitude embracing the long winters. I enjoy cross country skiing too & should do more of it! The way I deal with winter is to book a warm spring break trip ;). I’ve been off and on 5:2 as well, but nothing else sticks/works for me. I keep reminding myself of the various health benefits…

I admire you guys for working out during fast days, my goal is to reach 10,000 steps FDs, but that’s it!! Hopefully, when I get more used to it, I’ll be able to incorporate some strength training those days (or Yoga Pissupoosa!).

Nice work fasting all, have a good one!

Em

Beck100

3:40 pm
19 Aug 16
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Well, on my second FD for this week and doing better than expected… Went out for Dinner yesterday evening with two friends, one of them has just stopped breastfeeding, so we had to celebrate this with two bottles of red wine… 😁.
Had zucchini pasta with a tomato-tuna-vegetable sauce and parmesan for lunch , really looking forward to the planned Pumpernickel with cottage cheese and smoked salmon for dinner…

Wish you all a nice weekend!!!

Pissupoosa

5:16 pm
19 Aug 16
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69.8kg (10.9st) on the scales this morning woo hoo!
I hope this is the end of the 70’s for me. Another 14kg (2.2st) to go for my target weight – no mean feat, but hey! As someone mentioned on a previous post, onward and downwards 🙂

Em, take it slow and steady with incorporating exercise into 5:2. You don’t want it to put you off either (working out or diet!). You’ll settle into it just like you get used to fasting over time.

Beck your dinner out sounds lovely.
I tried Zuchini pasta (with garlic, tomato and prawns) in a restaurant while we were on holiday couple of weeks back – it was yummy and much nicer than when I make it!

have a lovely weekend all!

Beck100

12:16 am
21 Aug 16
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Yeah, pissupossa, congratulations on this milestone!!!! There will be more 😊😊😊

I didn’t lose compared to last week but I’m savely under the 60kg mark. Got some really nice compliments tonight and feeling perfectly happy with myself. So nice 😃

Hillsy1592

1:00 am
21 Aug 16
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Hurrah, Pissupoosa! And good work holding steady, Beck. Em, glad your fast day went well. Like you, I’ll be busier in September (and with less access to my fridge, the really crucial thing!) and I’m hoping that will really help.

I wasn’t going to weigh myself until after my next fast day, but decided to go for it today afterwards–and to my surprise, I’m less than a kilo above my goal! That said, it was after a hard workout on a hot day, so I think a lot of that was just sweat loss. Still, I felt like yesterday was a super-indulgent non-fast day, as were Tuesday and Wednesday, so to be within striking distance of a decent weight is encouraging.

ElleH

7:46 pm
21 Aug 16
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Hello. Please may another mid-30s working mom looking to lose 5 kg join this thread?! I’m about to start my very first fast day ever, tomorrow morning (it’s Sunday night in South Africa, where I am). Not entirely sure what to eat and when, but will see how it goes.

Quick history: I’m 35, work full-time, am fairly active (occasional marathon runner and do yoga when I can), 170 cm tall, and 64.6 kg as of this morning. I went down to 58 kg last year March, lowest weight ever, but that was because of family trauma. I don’t think that’s sustainable for me, so am looking to get to 60kg. Really hoping 5:2 will be the answer to a non-diet lifestyle change.

Anyway, looking forward to chatting with you all. Sleep tight… and roll on FD number 1!!

Emilyashen

10:11 pm
21 Aug 16
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Hi Elle H! I just started 5:2 back up last week, so we’ll be new together! I was very successful with it last year and was even able to do 6:1 throughout the holiday season, which kept my weight down. We are about in the same boat. I’m a little shorter than you, so my goal weight is around 58 kg. I started last week around 62 kg and got down to 61 kg by Friday. I’m sure it’ll be back up after the weekend, but I know if I keep it up I will be able to be at goal weight in about 6 weeks.

I think these next two weeks will be so important to complete in continuing on with this way of life. I didn’t feel the urge to give up at all last week, so I need to continue on.

I had a fun weekend playing tennis and got in a 5k run today. I’d like to do a 10K this fall, so trying to run 3 times a week. ElleH, my goal is to run a marathon by 40 (I better get to it, just turned 38). However, I believe I need to get much stronger and lose weight so my knees will be able to hold up to the training.

Gold stars to Pissupoosa, Hillsy and Beck! You will be able to help guide us through!

I’ll be fasting tomorrow and Thursday, I’ll be sure to check in. ElleH, make sure to tell us how you are making out.

-Em

Emilyashen

4:29 pm
22 Aug 16
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Good morning from U.S.,

I’m fasting today, anyone else?

I was surprised to see a 1 kg. weight loss since last Monday. I didn’t have a blow out weekend, but I definitely didn’t limit myself. I had some drinks and treats, but still managed to have a weight loss on the scale today, it helped me to have a good outlook on my fast day today.

My stomach is grumbling, but I don’t feel hungry yet. I will probably still have a 200 calorie lunch, it seems to give me some energy to get things done (and get a walk in).

Pissupoosa, you are so right about the exercise piece. Luckily, I do enjoy the feeling of it and it’s something I am always able to keep up. I’m only walking during fast days so far, but I want to establish at least a month of fasting before I push myself too much.

I really think I can be at goal weight by the end of September. I love not having to diet everyday…

Also, how strict does everyone keep to the 500 cal? I think with low calorie drinks and vitamins, I get closer to 600 cal. That feels best for me, and I think it’s okay because I’m fairly active, or psychologically it helps me get through the day.

Have a good one,
Em

ElleH

7:17 pm
22 Aug 16
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Thanks for the welcome, Em! And well done on the kg loss, that’s huge! How tall are you, to be targeting 58ish? I ask because you don’t need to be light to run, although it’s certainly easier, you just need to be strong. When I was 58 kg I was light but because it was a rapid unhealthy weight loss I also lost muscle and so my endurance was nowhere. After 10 km I really struggled.

So… day one of fasting is (almost) over. I trust – hope – I can get from the couch to the bed without eating anything. It was complicated by my 6 year old running a temperature and having to stay home from school, on a day that my husband is away and our childminder was also away. And we had a bad night because of it too. But, it’s practically in the bag.

I do find it awfully complicated to try and work out the calorie value of everything for FD, especially without a scale. How do you all do it? Everything here is also in kj, so have to convert. Today I had a boiled egg and cauliflower-wrap at 2.30pm, and then half a very small avo and a little bit of chicken mushroom soup at 7.30pm. I *think* that’s under 500 calories.

I will have my first weigh-in Thursday morning. I think I am going to try and do Mondays and Wednesdays as FDs.

Have to say, although I don’t have naughty treats planned, I am really looking forward to tomorrow’s meals 🙂

Have a great day all, Elle

Emilyashen

1:12 am
23 Aug 16
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Hey ElleH, great job on your first day! It can be really tough, especially with all the changes you had today. I hope your son feels better! I am a little over 5’4″. I know I need to get stronger, so I’ll have to take that seriously if I even want to think about a half marathon. I did one about 5 years ago and although the training went great, my knee became really painful during the race. Ever since then, I have to wear a brace when I run. I am smaller boned, so I can probably even get a little under 58 kg.

I do weight / measure my food on a fast day. Sometimes, I am even super lazy and eat a protein bar for lunch and have a frozen dinner. That’s an easy way to count calories.

I was definitely over 500 calories today, probably around 650. I’ll try to get more strict if I’m having trouble with the scale.

Have a good one,
Em

Hillsy1592

3:08 am
23 Aug 16
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Hello Elle! I am similar to you in having had a rapid, unhealthy weight loss because of family stress–in my case, it was two years ago. Sometimes I remind myself that feeling hungry on fast days is actually a good thing, because when I’m miserable, I can’t eat, but when I’m reasonably contented, I get hungry! (Although I do find that the more minor stresses definitely steer me to food. Work stress, frazzled day with the kids, etc., and I want to gorge on chocolate.)

Em, that’s great about the weight loss! And yes, it is a good motivator, isn’t it, to be making progress.

Today was (is–an hour to go!) a fast day from me. Not too much trouble with it. For lunch, I made a smoothie with a bit of kefir, a lot of spinach, water, and a small amount of blueberries. And then I had some extra spinach with mushrooms and tomatoes. For supper, I had a huge bowl of steamed cauliflower with a tomato-zucchini-mushroom-tuna sauce–more than I could finish. For counting calories: I’m not super-super precise, but I tend to eat large quantities of things with low calorie counts so that it doesn’t have to be really precise. For instance, I’m not going to bother trying to calculate the portion size on spinach, because if one cup is 7 calories (according to Google, at least), then it really doesn’t matter if I guess that I’ve got about 2 cups but it’s really 2.5 or 3!

I did a walk-run this morning (trying to make sure those pesky knees hold up by taking it easy), then some yoga, and then after supper a 10 km family bike ride. So not a gruelling pace, but still, not just sitting on the couch either!

Pissupoosa

9:11 am
23 Aug 16
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Welcome Elle!
Well done EM on the weight loss.
Hillsy, a stupid question – what’s kefir? Yoga and a 10km bike ride on a FD is very impressive by the way 🙂

Hope everyone is well. It’s my FD today. Planning to go calorie free till dinner as usual. Got my water topped up and some OXO Beef cubes in case I need a light boost around lunch time.
It’s a lovely warm and sunny day here in London – so might go for a lunch time walk.

Emilyashen

2:59 pm
23 Aug 16
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I am happy to report another fast day in the bag, they really haven’t been too bad this time around. I have even been able to fall asleep fairly easily.

I do weigh myself quite a bit while fasting. If I’m fasting M,Th, I weigh myself M,T,Th,F. I like to keep track of my progress this way. It’s kind of nice to look back and see that although some weeks may not show much of a loss, there are other weeks that make up for it.

Hillsy, you are super active on a FD, I didn’t even make my 10,000 steps yesterday.

Pissupoosa, I will have to bring broth with me to work when the weather cools down. That does help to get through the afternoon. Good luck today!

Going to the movies with my kids today. I also plan on getting in a run and playing tennis with my son.

Have a good one!
Em

ElleH

7:08 pm
23 Aug 16
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Thanks for the welcome, Pissupoosa and Hillsy. And Hillsy, YES, I am the same. Minor stress/unhappiness = eat everything, major trauma/stress = no appetite.

Wow, you are all active on FD! When my husband gets back I will hopefully be able to get some more workouts in.

I am doing my 2nd FD tomorrow. It was great eating freely today, although I suspect I have fallen into the trap of “I’m not fasting therefore I will FEAST”, and if I keep that up the weight will only be going up. Did any of you have that initial fast then binge reaction before settling down?

Beck100

3:55 pm
24 Aug 16
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Welcome Elle!

Congratulations everybody for sticking to the 5:2 and getting great results! Elle, don’t worry about feasting once (and apparently not too badly), give yourself time to get used to the fastdays, normally it works itself out. If you’re not sure, you can still calorie count on non fast days too, it may help to be more realistic about your intake. I did that for a couple of months and learned a lot about myself. I use the myfitnesspal app, once you get used to it its pretty easy. and there are other quantities than weight as well, for example nuts measured in tbsp.

Pissupoosa, kefir is similar to yoghurt, i would say. It tastes very good and I have it as a FD lunch with some berries from time to time.

Wow Em, 1kg, thats great! It’s very motivating to be starting with this kind of weightloss, my experience was similar.

Hillsy, I’m sure you reached your goal by now :-). How will you continue?

I had my first FD on monday, tomorrow will be my second. I hope for a weightloss of 0.5 kg per week, which was my average before I started 6:1 and maintenance.

ElleH

9:34 am
25 Aug 16
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Hi ladies
2nd FD in the bag 🙂 it was much tougher than the 1st, because my husband came home from being away for the past week and a bit, and so all evening he kept offering me things (food, snacks, etc.). I haven’t told him I am doing 5:2 – he will say I am completely batty, probably unhealthy, going to make myself snappy/moody, and will also insist that I don’t need to lose any weight.
On the plus side, I hopped on the scale this morning and was 63.5kg which is 1.1kg down from Sunday morning. But I know that it was right after a FD, and that it will probably creep up a bit after non-FD. I think I need to do a weekly weigh-in on the same day, maybe a Monday morning every time. I know my weight fluctuates hugely.
Hope everyone doing the Thursday FD has a good one!

Pissupoosa

10:54 am
25 Aug 16
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Go Elle, well done on the weight loss! First few FDs are hard. You’ll get into the swing of things. I still have some good FDs and some really tough ones. Working through the tough days are quite rewarding you’ll find.
Don’t worry too much about your hubby not knowing – mine does, but has probably completely forgotten anyway because he still keeps buying cakes and snacks and offers me 😀 Also, don’t forget, you can indulge to some extent on NFDs, so don’t beat your self up about it.
Maybe throw the book at him, Micheal Mosley’s Fast Diet book that is 😛

Beck, thanks for clarifying what kefir is. It’s not something I’ve seen in shops here… I tend to go for plain full-fat yoghurt.

Tuesday’s FD went fine. Made a stir-fry for dinner with cauliflower-rice, eggs, tomato, onion and bell-pepper (might do the same tonight). Calorie count was 356 according to MFP, so my overall intake was well below 500.
My second FD today and hot yoga after work.

It’s our 3rd wedding anniversary today 🙂 Hubby took me for an impromptu meal last night. Since it was a NFD, I thoroughly enjoyed a sirloin steak chilli ramen!
We’ll do something more tomorrow to celebrate (being Friday, coming up to a long weekend here).

My weight this morning was stable at 69.8kg. I’ll need to be careful over the bank holiday weekend, that I don’t undo the good work gone into achieving that 🙂

Have good FDs/NFDs all and a good weekend.

Beck100

12:25 pm
25 Aug 16
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Hello everybody

On my second FD of this week, so far it’s going well. Had a coffee with some milk and half an avocado with cottage cheese, which leaves me with about 300cal for dinner. not sure what it will be yet. My weightgoal of this week was already reached this morning, am at 59.5 exactly. so everything more because of this second fast day will be a plus 🙂

My hubby is a treat offerer too…

Hillsy1592

2:42 pm
25 Aug 16
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My husband definitely thought I was batty when I started this! Then he joined in, hit his target, and stopped. (As I did for a while.)

After Monday’s fast, I was about 0.9 kg over target. Yesterday was a massive stress-eating day, though! (It was a day that was very very high on the minor-stress scale. I ate a LOT. And a lot of what I ate was chocolate!) And tomorrow there is a family birthday party, and there will be cake–and worse yet, I am making it, which I can’t seem to manage to do without lots of sampling as I go! Today is a fast day, and my main hope is to try to limit the damage of yesterday and tomorrow, rather than to make actual progress! So far nothing but milk in my tea–but it’s only 9:40 AM, so I have a long way to go!!

Emilyashen

3:02 pm
25 Aug 16
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Hello!

I’m fasting today Beck & Hillsy! Hillsy, where are you in Canada again? Happy anniversary Pissupoosa! Hope you enjoy your night out! We celebrated 13 this summer and had an Italian dinner to remember :).

ElleH, you are off to a great start!! My husband kind of ignores my “dieting.” He’s a crazy marathon runner who doesn’t eat sweets. I’m sure he thinks I’m crazy too, but is generally supportive with the kids and making dinner on my fasting nights.

Beck, congrats! How much weight have you lost in total?

So far, only black coffee for me today. I’m planning on having black bean soup this afternoon and not sure about dinner yet. I do have lots of tea and flavored water on fast days, it’s amazing how much I drink when I’m not really eating!

I ran on my NFDs this week. My Tuesday run (after Monday fast) was much harder than my run last night. I’m hoping my body adjusts, but maybe I need to find another form of exercise the day after a fast. Yoga, perhaps Pissupoosa??

It does feel like I indulge too much on NFDs, but the fasting really does seem to keep you at a slight weight loss for the week. I realize the occasional overeating happens to me regardless, and fasting is a great tool for me to manage it.

I’ll check in later today, happy fasting!

Em

mloylo0182

3:32 pm
25 Aug 16
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Hi there! Would it be okay for me to join in on the conversation?

I am 33 and a mother of 2 (one 12 and one 7 months). I live in Florida and work a full-time job as a sales and client services manager. I still have 20lbs (9kg) to lose to get to my goal weight, but only 13lbs (5.8kg) to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m currently at 153.4lbs (69.6kg) and have lost over 8lbs (approx 4kg) since starting the 5:2 plan 3.5 weeks ago.

I tend to eat between 550-650 calories on my fasting days, which are on Monday and Wednesday and just tend to eat sensibly the rest of the time, but I don’t really limit myself too much on NFDs. I also workout 6 times a week – I’m current in the first week of month 2 of the Insanity program.

I really love this way of eating so far and hope for continued success!

Emilyashen

8:39 pm
25 Aug 16
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Hi mloylo,

Wow 8 lbs in 3 weeks is awesome! Where in FL do you live? We have a trip planned to Orlando in November. I have Insanity too! However, I never finished the program. I use it in the winter to supplement my workouts. Shaun T. Is awesome. Do you do it on fast days? Maybe I’ll have to join you in a workout one of these days :).

I wore my bikini today (something I packed away a month ago). I’ve only dropped 5 pounds, but my stomach looks much better. It’s so motivating to see results so soon!

Fast day is going okay, not too much hunger. I had black bean soup for the first time for a fast day lunch. I think the fiber really helped, that may be a new staple.

Have a good one!
Em

Emilyashen

2:25 pm
26 Aug 16
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Finished fourth fast yesterday, I feel like I need to get in two more weeks before it feels a little more “comfortable.”

Starting weight: 62 kgs (137.5 lbs)
End of week one: 61 kgs (134.5 lbs)
End of week two: 60 kgs (132.5 lbs)

I’m planning on a lot of exercise over the weekend and some indulgences (but no binging!). Hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Em

ElleH

3:07 pm
26 Aug 16
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Goodness me, well done Em! What a great 2 weeks. Really hoping mine go like that, although I don’t think they will be as impressive. And ah, bikinis! It’s still winter here (Spring next week!) so I am firmly in jeans, boots, hoodies and jackets mostly). Have a wonderful weekend.

Hello Mloylo 🙂 I have been wanting to try out the Insanity programme for ages but have never got around to it. It looks super intense. And you’ve also done so well on your first few weeks, wow!

I have an average weekend up ahead. Some baking of cakes (I makes cakes for people’s parties etc. as a hobby/sideline) so that could be tricky. But, have a 3 hour trail-run scheduled for Sunday morning so that might take the edge off. Will try to get in some yoga too.

Hope you all have a super weekend. And will check in with Monday FD once again… Elle

mloylo0182

3:13 pm
26 Aug 16
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Hi Emilyashen! I live right outside of Orlando – are you coming to the parks? November is a great time to visit as it’s usually less busy and less hot, but the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot is still going on (my FAVORITE!).

I love Insanity; I’ve completed the program in it’s entirety only once, but have done a month of it here and there for years now and somehow always go back to it. I have been doing it on my fast days because I make sure I eat enough on NFDs to sustain the activity. I sometimes struggle through the workout the day after my second fast of the week, but manage to make it through. I do take an Amino pre-workout every morning before my workout and that helps give me energy.

My loss has slowed down a lot in the past week and a half, but I’m okay with it since I had the TOM last week and the scale didn’t go down. Hoping for a good weekend this weekend with some splurges but no binges. Happy Friday!

ElleH

8:07 am
29 Aug 16
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Good morning everyone 🙂 Hope you all had a great weekend. I managed to produce a dinosaur cake without eating too much as I went. Had a very long mountain outing on Sunday and am feeling the effects today. I have a 35 km race coming up in 4 weeks so some training is needed!

It’s Monday FD for me. Hoping it goes well. I have decided that 1st thing Monday morning is going to be my weekly weigh-in. This morning was 64.0, so that is 0.6kg in the 1st week, about 1.3 lb. If I can keep that up as a steady rate I’ll be very pleased.

Have a great day all and good luck to those doing a FD.
Elle

Emilyashen

6:49 pm
29 Aug 16
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Hi group,

FD for me today too ElleH. I had a rough weekend, I drank too much which triggered a hangover/binge day yesterday. It’s also the TOM for me, so the scale wasn’t too kind this morning. However, I’m picking myself up and moving along.

I haven’t had anything to eat yet today, but will have something small before I go out to do some yard work. Trying to stay positive today and think about the hard work I’ve put in over the last few weeks. I need to keep the momentum and not give up!

-Em

ElleH

8:00 am
30 Aug 16
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Hey Em
Sorry to hear you’re having a rough time… I am sure that blips here and there are to be expected and I guess the (hopefully downward) trendline if the NB thing, even if there are plateaus or even raises. I had a really really hard time yesterday with FD, and the scale this morning showed a 0.1kg GAIN after the FD which really sucked. So I need to follow your lead and stay positive and keep momentum. It’s also TOM for me plus am very stiff so have swollen leg muscles. Hoping that is the reason.
Let’s just keep on going. Hope your week improves!
Elle

Pissupoosa

11:54 am
30 Aug 16
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Hi mloylo, welcome. Good on you for the weight loss so far! I’ve never tried the insanity workout. One of my friends did it and swears by the results.
Also well done Em, you’re making great progress! The difference you see in clothes (being able to wear your bikini) is indeed a great motivator. Glad you’re being positive even through the occasional blips.

I fasted yesterday – Monday. It was a different experience because it was a bank holiday and I wasn’t working. I skipped breakfast and went to a TRX class in the morning. Managed to ward off hunger until about 530pm – had my usual FD meal – veg and egg fried-(Cauliflower)rice, which came to about 550cals according to MFP.

Despite all the good work over the long weekend, I weighed 70.5kg this morning (0.7 kilos up!) – not a good start to the week (even after a FD!). Slightly demoralising. I’m going to put it firmly down to my TOM, which started couple of days ago – water retention etc. I won’t weigh my self for another week or so.
So, overall a bit of a downer this week but we’ll see how things go over the coming week.

Hope you all have a better week compared to mine 🙂
S

mloylo0182

2:41 pm
30 Aug 16
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Hello everyone!

I had a decent weekend, but didn’t really eat very well and I think it shows on the scale. While I’d gotten down to 153.4 on Thursday, which is the day after my second fast day of the week and I always count that as my weigh-in day since it makes me happy, I weighed in today after my first fast day of the week yesterday at 154.8. That being said, it’s not that much more and I have the feeling it’s fluff from the weekend and I’ll probably see a decent number on Thursday after my second fast day. Even with that, my loss has pretty much stalled the past 2 weeks and I know it’s because I’m eating too much on my NFD. So my plan for the next few weeks is to really watch what I’m eating on my NFD’s, a.k.a. I don’t need to eat chips when I get home nor do I need to eat a giant bowl of cereal and/or chocolate before bed. I can have a taste, but I don’t need to be pigging out. I was pretty cautious my first few weeks of eating like this, which showed on the scale and then I started slacking a bit. I’m sure once I tighten up my eating I’ll start seeing losses again, which I need to see since I still have at least 15lbs to lose, but I’d like to see around 20.

Another possible wrench in my weight loss has been that I’ve had another period this past week; I’m on the mini-pill for birth control and it seems as though I can’t even be an hour late when taking without it triggering a period. So I have to be more cognizant of that and take it at the right time every evening (I have an alarm set, but as a mother, it’s easy to get distracted by something between my alarm going off and when I actually take the pill).

I hope everyone has a great day and hopefully we all see the scales going down!

Emilyashen

7:47 pm
30 Aug 16
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Good afternoon from the Midwest!

I’m so glad I made it through my fast day yesterday, the scale looked back to normal today, phew! I know weight can fluctuate, I just hate to see it creep up too much.

Myloylo – we are going to Universal in November, it’ll be our first time there. We’ve been to Disney a few times in the past. My parents have a house close to Orlando, so we’ll stay a few days with them too. I think my kids are at a great age for Universal (9 & 11).

ElleH, thought of you today as I ordered my daughter’s b-day cake. It must take a lot of patience to make cakes for others. I like to cook, but have no talent to decorate a cake! Also, I always weigh more when I’m really sore from an intense workout.

Pissupoosa, I don’t ever expect a loss when it’s TOM week. Just stay strong & I’m sure you’ll get a good drop next week.

I’ll be fasting again Thursday, it’s the first day of school here, so it’ll be easy to keep busy.

Have a good one,
Em

Pissupoosa

9:04 pm
30 Aug 16
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Thanks Em. I sure hope so.
I’m planning to cut out sugar in my diet over September. I’m reading Jason Fung’s Obesity Code at moment (highly recommend it) and I’ve had a few light bulb moments about my diet 😛

Beck100

7:09 am
1 Sep 16
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Hi everyone!

Well, against my plans, today is my first (and only) FD of the week. I had a FD planned on Tuesday, but it was a bit a emotional day for me (got a promotion at work), so I decided to skip it. It doesn’t really matter, with close to 59 I’m at my pre-holiday weight again. Still, I thought I’ll give it a try to get to 58, but I’m actually very happy with my current weight (and should be, with a BMI of 20.5), so I’ll decide on the go whether to do 6:1 or 5:2 in the next few weeks.

Pissupoosa, I’m flirting a bit with the thought of a sugarfree diet too and going low carb high fat… But seeing that there is no pressure weightwise I can’t get myself to go for it. Instead I’m trying to steadily decrease the refined carbs in general, but it’s a process… Sugarfree is a problem for me, because I love chocolate. I really do! But here as well I’m trying to find healthier alternatives.

I wish you all good FDs or otherwise enjoy your NFDs 🙂
Beck

Hillsy1592

7:55 pm
1 Sep 16
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Beck, congratulations on the promotion!!

Cutting out sugar sounds eminently sensible. But that would mean cutting out chocolate, and that, for me, would be like cutting out oxygen! Pissupoosa, do you mean cutting out added sugar, or natural sugars (in fruit, etc.) too? I am good at avoiding refined carbs (I do miss bread, but I can manage with out it), and I don’t have much in the way of added sugars beyond chocolate–but the chocolate is definitely a sticking point.

I missed my FD on Monday. We were camping, and not only would it have been tricky, we were doing so much hiking and kayaking that it would not have been sensible to fast, I think. All the activity left me pleasantly/surprisingly sore (I say surprisingly because I do a lot of that kind of thing anyway, so it really was testimony to how much beyond normal it was, that I could feel it so much afterwards). Somehow I hoped that might budge the scale without a fast–but nope. I seem to have plateaued at 1 kg above my goal. I am torn between feeling frustrated and feeling like maybe I should just be happy here, because it’s not like anyone can see that single kilogram! The thing is, though, I know that the single kilogram will become two, three, and so on. Sigh.

FD today, and it’s been fine so far. I lasted til 2 PM, and then I made a smoothie with kefir, spinach, and a handful of blueberries. For supper I’ll do tuna/tomatoes/red pepper over cauliflower.

For exercise, I really need to change things up a bit–I’ll look into Insanity, thanks to the several endorsements here!

Pissupoosa

10:38 am
2 Sep 16
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Congratulations on the promotion Beck!
I totally understand your reasoning for not going sugar-free at this point – you have a good routine going which has already brought results 🙂

NFD today. I managed a 32 hour water fast this week, for the first time! It was meant to be 36 hours but because of slight timing issue, ended up being 32 – not bad for a first attempt I feel. weighed my self this morning – I’m down to 68.8kg! Success! You were right Em – as soon as I’m over TOM, weight is behaving 🙂
Also been doing my regular workouts – TRX and hot yoga.

As for my little adventure with going sugar-free, I feel sugar and processed carbs are slowing my weight loss. I crave them on NFDs. Most of the time they don’t even feel rewarding (except for the occasional yummy cake or ice-cream). Since I’ve been fasting I feel my stomach has become less tolerant to sugar – I have what feels like indigestion on NFDs when I have something sugary – rumbly, gassy tummy (sorry!). Hence my plan to cut out sugar this month – at least until I get over the cravings. That’s the theory anyway. I’ll see how it goes.

Hillsy, the plan is cut out all sugar for the first month – so added + fruit. But I don’t know how hard cutting out fruit will be… I need to make sure I up my veg intake to compensate for fibre. So a bit more organisation on my part will be required.
I feel your pain with chocolate 🙂 I won’t be cutting out sugar forever – only until the cravings subside. After that the theory is I could still have the most rewarding sugary treats without binging.

Have a good weekend all! All the best with FD/NFDs!

Hillsy1592

2:24 am
3 Sep 16
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I have sometimes tried to go chocolate free in the past, and I have found that once I get past the first few days, when I am going CRAZY with cravings, it gets easier. So perhaps once you’ve cut out sugar completely for a month, you won’t actually want it anymore. I have gone through a process where I cut it out, feel miserable for a bit, then I cope, then I feel like I can reintroduce small amounts, and then it gets out of control. Classic addict pattern, I suspect!

After my moaning about a plateau yesterday, I was down this morning, and when I weighed myself post-workout/before supper (oddly, before supper tends to be my lowest weight of the day, not first thing in the morning), I was only 0.25 kg above my goal. I know that post-workout is artificially low–but the thing is, post-workout a few days ago I was not at this weight! So, motivation to keep going. Somehow or other, at least–we have a three-day weekend, and lots of outdoor activity planned on Monday, my usual fast day, so I will have to see if I can shift it. In the meantime, though, there WILL be chocolate and wine, because it’s been a day with lots of that kind of stress!

Em–I don’t think I answered your question about where I am in Canada. I’m in eastern Ontario!

Beck100

7:25 am
3 Sep 16
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Hillsy, I’ve read that sugar is out of your system in 3 days, after that the cravings are supposed to be gone. Still, of course everytime you eat sugar the whole story starts from the beginning. There are people who react pretty extreme when having sugar. I read Lollys thread which impressed me a lot. I notice that with 5:2 I have less chocolate bingings… Normally I stay within reasonable amounts – still more than the average person I guess 😉

bigbooty

8:07 am
3 Sep 16
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Beck,

You are technically correct. It will take about 48-73 hours to deplete your glycogen stores if you water fast for that period of time. Trouble is if you have been relying on sugar and simple carbs then your liver will not be able to retrieve stored fats to produce ketone bodies and de novo glucose at a fast enough rate during your fast. It takes months for your liver to become efficient and start operating as it should. Id be a little more conservative and say it will take you the best part of a month before your cravings are under control. Have ANY sugar in that time and you reset the clock again.

ElleH

1:31 pm
6 Sep 16
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Hey ladies, hope everyone is having a good week!

Congratulations on the promotion, Beck 🙂

I did 2 FD last week, and found them very hard. But was also in bed with a cold and throat infection so it wasn’t a good week at all. And then had a very gentle weekend without much activity because I was recovering. It wasn’t a good week for me… BUT I at least I did the days and didn’t gain, I don’t think.

Monday also wasn’t a FD because I was hosting the “girls dinner” that we rotate around, so it was quite indulgent! But today is a FD and so far so good. I am also back into exercising after illness so am hoping that helps me feel a bit more motivated.

It was a beautiful spring weekend here and I wore my bathing suit on the beach – played some beach bats with my husband and was a bit horrified at the jiggling – so have decided to do the Kayla Itsines 12 week BBG programme starting today (will have to fit it in around running). Has anyone else done it?

Elle

Emilyashen

10:13 pm
6 Sep 16
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Hello everyone,

Fasting today! I only managed one fast day last week. We had a holiday weekend here and company was streaming in and out of our house (we have a pool). I didn’t have the right mindset for fasting until today. However, I was glad to be drawn to one today.

I didn’t even check the scale today, I’ll wait for Friday. I’m planning on a Th. fast as well.

Yay, congrats on your promotion Beck! I start a new job next week. I am a little nervous, but excited for the change.

Hillsy, great progress! How long have you been doing 5:2? I have come to the conclusion, I’m 5:2 for life. Anything else seems way too complicated at this point! I can’t imagine ever grocery shopping for special foods and cutting out nearly every food group again. There’s so much freedom with this way of life. I admire your cooking abilities on fast days. I only eat a protein bar and frozen meal. It’s completely boring, but brings me comfort in a strange sort of way.

ElleH, wow, you were able to stay strong even when you were sick, that’s dedication! I have not heard of Kayla I., do you have to pay a fee for the program? I’m still running & playing tennis, but not incorporating much strength training in at the moment. I’m kind of waiting on starting the new job & seeing where I can fit things in.

Have a good one,
Em

Lany36

12:26 am
7 Sep 16
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I would really like to join this forum.

I’m a part-time working Mum of two in my mid thirties

I’ve gained 7kg this year after being a stable weight for 10 years. My exercise has decreased a bit but I’m still active 6 days a week, maybe not as intense as I used to be but my body couldn’t recover from the hard training so I cut back.

My HUGE downfall is sugar, I don’t like bread or pasta but I could live on chocolate and lollies – and probably have been, hence the 6kg.

My clothes don’t fit and I feel so ashamed of my body I’m just miserable.

Thanks for letting me vent

Pissupoosa

5:05 pm
7 Sep 16
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Hello all and welcome Lany36

So my ‘ditching the sugar’ plan hasn’t quite panned out as I hoped. Easier said than done! Excluding fruits is hard. Even worse, I got completely distracted and had a piece of chocolate cake and a couple oroes yesterday at tea time! Definitely need to strengthen my resolve more with going sugar-free.

On a more positive note, I’ve started doing 36h water fasts twice weekly now. Managed one on Monday. Felt better for it. Next one starting tomorrow. In terms of organising FD meals, this is a lot easier – I don’t have to think about cooking or counting calories.

Carrying on with hot yoga, running and cycling. Despite the fresh revelation that all this exercise may be slowing down my IF weight loss, I don’t want to stop doing it. Working out makes me feel good. And I see an actual difference in my body shape. So, I’m relying less and less on what the scales tell me.

I agree with bigbooty – after a near life-time of sugar addiction, it would take me a lot longer than 3 days to get over the cravings.
Great progress Hillsy 🙂
Elle – never heard of Kayla’programme. What’s BBG? Is it a workout or a diet? Sorry, pardon my ignorance here. BTW, well done for persevering with IF during your sick days!
Lany – you and me both, with the sugar thing! I’m trying hard to get rid of sugar from my diet. I’m more conscious of what I eat since starting 5:2, so I try and avoid sugary food, but it’s much harder to completely get out of it (as above, lol). I’m working on it though. Someone recommended the book ‘Sweet Poison Quite Plan’ on one of these forums. I’ve just started reading it. I’m not sure I completely agree with all the sugar alternative it suggests, but it gives a good practical strategy to help quit sugar cravings. According to the book, after about a month or 2, once the cravings have been conquered you should (theoretically) be able to eat sweets without craving sugar all the time. We’ll see about that.
Also Lany, vent all you like – we’re in this together. Happy to listen and add our 2-pennies worth if needed 🙂

Good luck with any FDs/NFDs

ElleH

8:19 am
8 Sep 16
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Welcome Lany. Venting is what we do best 🙂

Kayla Itsines is an Australian trainer who seems to have taken the southern hemisphere by storm. Her Bikini Body Guide (BBG) is a 12 week workout programme, I think similar to Insanity. You buy the guide; my friend did and she gave me her copy so I can use it. http://www.kaylaitsines.com/ Jeepers – day 1 kicked my butt and I thought I was a reasonably fit/strong person.

I’m on FD 2 of the week. Went for a beautiful sunrise run before work, and planning my BBG Day 2 after work (exercise takes my mind off fasting). On the plus side, I went and bought a proper little kitchen scale so I can weigh things now… makes FD much easier if I can accurately determine how many grams my food is so the calories work out properly!

Pissupoosa: I agree that I want to exercise because of the strength and tone in my body and also the feeling of well-being, even if the weight-loss is slowed. And can’t imagine doing the 36 hour water fasts. Maybe I will get there one day. Well done!!

Em: so exciting, a new job. All the best for next week! What will you be doing?

Good luck to all FDers today.

Beck100

12:20 pm
9 Sep 16
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Hi all, I’m on my first and again only fast day of the week…it’s really difficult right now to fit in two! Well maybe it’s just like that because the pressure is gone… I’m probably not as comitted right now as I used to be. I would like to lose another kg or so, but that’s just to see if it would make a big difference. But I’m very pleased, that maintaining my weight between 59 and 60 is pretty easy although I stopped counting calories on NFDs. Maybe I still eat less than before because I learned to listen to my body and got rid of some bad habits…

Next week I plan on doing two fasts, I’ll see how it works out 😉

Everybody keep going, you are all strong women and you can do it!!!

Cheers
Beck

Lany36

10:36 pm
9 Sep 16
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Hi Beck
If your happy with where you are at, then I wou see that one fast day is a mini celebration of your awesome achievement rather than just the one day you were motivated to fit in your week. Well done you for making it to maintenance!!
If it’s OK to ask, what weight did you start at, and how long did it take to get to 59/60kg?
You are at my goal and I’m just looking to boost my own motivation from your experience. I know we are all different and I can’t expect to be the same but I’m curious.

Lany36

10:37 pm
9 Sep 16
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Oops that second word should say you’re not your! Bad grammar thanks to stupid autocorrect! Sorry

Beck100

9:54 pm
11 Sep 16
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Thank you Lany, you’ll get there too!!I started at 67 after having stopped smoking and eating way too much chocolate. I lost those 8kg in about 3 months. So a bit faster than the 0.5kg a week that I had hoped to achieve… How much do you weigh now?

Lany36

4:29 am
12 Sep 16
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Thankd for the encouragement Beck
I will be thrilled if I can get similar results.
I’ve only weighed myself twice this year, both time ain the last two weeks. I was 66.6kg the first time then 65.2kg. That’s the heaviest I have ever been.
Prior to this for the last 5+ years I’ve weighed occasionally in the morning at the gym before I worked out because I didn’t own scales. In all that time I have consistently always been anywhere between 58-59.5kg never any heavier that I can recall. So you can imagine how shocked I was when I saw all those 6’s.
I did realise I was gaining as so much of my wardrobe became unwearable but I was in total denial about how far I had let it go.
Did you have any trouble keeping to the TDEE on your NFDs? I’m finding FD pretty easy but I’ve had some trouble keeping on target with the NFD, I seem to do well up until the weekend then it’s almost like I give myself permission to take time off and make up for it later. Totally not how it works I know! Any tips for how you managed those off days

Beck100

7:26 am
12 Sep 16
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Well, I was at around 65 for the past few years and as it wasn’t overweight for my height (I’m 170cm) I was fine with it. But after losing those 2 additional nonsmoker kilos I was so thrilled that I just kept going and m very happy now!

My NFDs were a real up and down. For phases I was really controlled, then again there were times were I didn’t seem to be able to manage to keep to the TDEE… I had to learn to relax a bit and just go with it. Nevertheless I was consistently losing. But there were days I felt really bad for overeating and making bad choices (chocolate, loads of bread,…). Try to just sort of go with it, although it’s hard sometimes. You can read about my “panic attacks” on this thread 😜

Anyway, it seems you are losing very nicely, 1,4 kg in one week!!! Just keep it up!

Cheers