Not a lot to lose – what to expect

This topic contains 38 replies, has 15 voices, and was last updated by SuzySu 10 years, 10 months ago.

Viewing 43 posts - 1 through 43 (of 43 total)

SuzySu

9:49 am
11 Nov 13
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I haven’t a lot of weight to lose compared with some, but for me it’s weight I want off. What sort of weight loss might I expect doing this diet? I currently weigh 60kgs and would luuurrrrve to weigh 50kgs eventually (but am aiming for 54kgs as it’s more realistic). I’m 163cm and lead a very sedentary lifestyle which, for various reasons, won’t be altered any time soon.

Is there anyone like me out there who is starting out with around 5 or 6kgs to lose? I think it would be slightly different for those who have only 5 or 6kgs left to go having lost a fair amount already, so I’m really interested to hear back from others with just a small amount to lose altogether.

Iwant2Bincontrol

10:52 am
11 Nov 13
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Hi SuzySu,
I started with 7-8 kg to lose to get me down to 62ish (but hey, who knows what I´ll think when I get there!), so still more than you but also not a huge amount in my opinion. I have have lost 2.6kg in my first four weeks (and that was measured on my heaviest day – after the weekend). Maybe we won´t get any big numbers, but I think 500gm a week is very achievable 🙂
Good luck!

SuzySu

10:58 am
11 Nov 13
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I’d love to lose 10kg but wonder whether I’d look a bit gaunt actually. I think 6kgs is realistic so we both have similar amounts. 500g per week is achievable I think too, although it’s slow going. I’d love to lose it all overnight (who wouldn’t) but I think there’s also a certain gratification in having worked hard for the weight loss. I took 10 weeks to put on 3kgs so I’m assuming it might take me the same amount of time to lose those 3kgs?

Good luck to you too….the support on here is great!

Sassy

12:43 pm
11 Nov 13
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Hi SuzySu

Welcome! 😀 It’s great that you are giving this WOE a go 🙂

Although, as you say, many doing this WOE have more to lose than you, there are quite a number who are only wanting to lose a few kgs, and I have seen (more so in another forum where weight loss details can be made public if you are ok with it) a number in that situation who have successfully lost just a few kgs – including Mimi of course!

Other factors to consider as to whether this weight loss is realistic for you/ possible on this WOE are whether you used to weigh 50kg as an adult, and how old you are now. 50kg is quite light for someone your height, so I wonder if it may be only achievable if that used to be your normal weight, especially as you are leading a sedentary lifestyle. (I am not meaning to be negative, just raising possible issues.) Agree that 54kg is more realistic, so sounds like a good idea to start with that as your goal – and you never know! 🙂 Also, if you are younger, this weight may be more achievable than if you are older, due to metabolism slowing with age.

How your weight is distributed may also be something to take into account. If it is evenly distributed across your body, greater weight loss may be more likely than if the weight is concentrated in one area. As I understand it, we lose weight fairly evenly across the body, therefore if we have uneven weight distribution we can end up with parts of our body being quite haggard if we lose ‘too’ much – age will be a factor here as well; if you are younger, this aspect may not be such an issue.

Try 5:2 for a few weeks and see how you go. 4:3 and/or 16:8 may help with those extra kgs too.

Best wishes 🙂
Sassy
NB I am your height but started with more to lose, and am now 57kg, aiming for 55 – tho like you would like to lose more but doubt I will as I have never been as light as that as an adult. Also, my remaining fat is concentrated on my lower hips and legs; I really don’t want to lose any more from my chest!!!

SuzySu

1:12 pm
11 Nov 13
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Wow what a useful reply Sassy! Unfortunately my body is not as young as my mind. I’m in my mid 40s and to be honest the last time I was 50kgs I was in my early 20s when everything was ‘firmer’.

Like you, my excess weight is mostly on my bum and hips although, frustratingly, I also have horrible bingo wings. I really hope this WOE can shift some from these areas although I realise I have no control over that.

aitch51

3:04 am
12 Nov 13
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Hi SuzySu

A couple of thoughts on realistic weight loss
1. Use the BMI calculator to work out what your goal is in these terms. I think you will find that your 50 kg goal is well down the healthy range
2. Be aware that at this weight you may well look skeletal rather than svelte
3. A weight that made you lissome as an adolescent may leave you gaunt as a no-longer-young woman

My own cautionary tale: I am 152 cm and have tended not to be overweight, but have been lighter at times. I started 5:2 at 52 kg, within the healthy BMI range, but with a few layers of subcutaneous fat to lose. I now weigh 46-47 kg, still not at the bottom of the healthy BMI (43-58) but even I feel that my original goal of 45 kg (or 7 stone and my goal when I was an adolescent many years ago) would result in a very unattractive look when naked (all skin and bones) and a very drawn face!!

However, it is possible for the not so overweight to drop kgs on 5:2 and I reckon I have lost a little over 1 kg per month.It’s not spectacular but it does work

rockyromero

3:26 am
12 Nov 13
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@aitch51
“when naked (all skin and bones) and a very drawn face!!”

I still contend that strength training with a build up of muscles would provide a better presence & healthier physique.

Strengthening is something that gets very little discussion on these forums.

➰

Sassy

11:34 am
12 Nov 13
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Hi rockyromero – agree re strength training, and I am doing a bit of that, but it doesn’t help much with aged wrinkly skin!! I suppose that in theory one could fill the space left by absence of fat with muscle, but that would require tremendous effort and harder to keep up as the years pass.

SuzySu – I have the bingo wings too… Re how much weight it is ‘sensible’ for you to lose – just monitor as you go, making an honest judgement about how you look 🙂 and do some strength training (!!!!).

All the best
Sassy

rockyromero

12:04 pm
12 Nov 13
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@sassy
“but that would require tremendous effort and harder to keep up as the years pass.”

Yes, I agree that strength training as is conventionally done with weights takes much effort.

Yet, strengthening must be done as we all age. Not so much for cosmetics as for muscle and bone strength.

Enter static conditioning, which may be the equivalent of 5:2 to eating, to provide the muscular growth without concern for injury and at a steady pace.

http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/

Its a natural way of strengthening.

➰

Nika

7:29 am
14 Nov 13
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About “how much to lose”, why not go down to 54 and then get your bodyfat % measured by a doctor? It is one of the best indicators of whether you have too much or too little fat. Being a woman having too little body fat can cause some issues like not getting your period any more and all that. So not very healthy 😉

50kg sounnds extremely light, but then again I only remember being 72 or heavier…

Marie24

9:48 pm
19 Nov 13
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Hi all. Just wondering, for those that haven’t got a lot to lose, how are you finding the 5:2 diet is working for you? Are you still seeing results?

sam0267

10:48 pm
19 Nov 13
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hi everyone. two weeks in on the 5:2 and i am feeling really well and healthy; the fast days are getting so much easier and I eat very healthily and carefully on the feast days but so far I have lost about half a pound. i have about 8 to 10 pounds to lose and am feeling a little disheartened. What with no booze, no choc and exercising every day (2 of these days are hard core cardio sessions!) I am not really sure where I am going wrong. I really don’t want to quit as I feel so great. any ideas what else I can do to speed up the weight loss? thanks x samantha x

Nika

2:17 am
20 Nov 13
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Hey Marie, I can’t really help you on that from my own experience because I started with about 60 pounds to lose… But from what I’ve heard around here it still works, just not as fast as when you have a lot to lose (but that’s true for every diet out there!)

And Sam, I’m not sure what you’re doing wrong. Did you calculate your TDEE (under the how? section at the top of this page)? Maybe your TDEE is lower than you think and you’re eating too much calories on normal days. You say you already eat very carefully so I don’t think telling you to count calories for a week is a new thing for you, but if it is, try it (keep a food diary!).
Don’t forget that you only have 8 to 10 pounds to lose, which is not a lot. So having slower results isn’t that weird at all.
Do you measure yourself? Either with a tape measure or your bodyfat%? If you work out so much it may be that you’re burning fat but building muscle, which is heavier than fat so affects the scales in a bad way.

The scales don’t always reflect what’s going on in your body! And seeing how you’re feeling great, I think your body is adjusting just fine. Give it a bit more time!

lydiac88

10:35 am
20 Nov 13
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Hello SuzySu, welcome!

Very excited to meet someone who pretty much have exactly the same stats 🙂 Like you, I was once around 50kg, when I was younger, but my weight came on rapidly after starting a full time work.

I’m also 163cm And I was 59kg when i started 5:2 4 weeks ago for health reasons rather than weight loss. I was not even trying, but I am now 57.5kg.

Surprisingly enough, I dropped from 20.9% body fat to 19% body fat, so of the 1.5kg I lost, 1.3kg of that was body fat, it’s was certainly a nice surprise!

Everybody is different, im not sure if im sedentary or not but i sit for hours at a time. I walk about 6km a day to and from work. I do 75 minutes of yoga 4-5 days a week and pole dance an hour a week. I also eat whatever I want, though I have noticed I can’t eat as much as I use to, which is a shame because the street food market has some delicious stuff…

I think if you do more cardio than I do and eat healthier than I do you could lose a bit more weight more quickly.

I love this diet! My brain is so much sharper, I have heaps of energy, the fast days aren’t even a problem and I saved a lot of money that I would otherwise spent on food. I don’t care if I don’t lose any more weight, my mind has never been clearer. 🙂

divi

2:38 am
21 Nov 13
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Hi all, I am really happy to see this thread and read all your informative posts, I am in this category, 156cms about 54 kilos and wanting to loose my muffin top and was attracted to the other health benefits.I have never dieted or counted calories before.I have been on the 2:5 for 4 weeks and have not seen any weight loss. I was doing 500 calories on a fast day but realised I should be at about 380 given my TDEE. This is doable but much harder than 500. Small ladies reading this thread, how many calories do you eat on fast day? I feel fine on fast day, a bit hungry but can be quite tired the following day, does this happen to anyone else?

zec4peach

3:04 am
21 Nov 13
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i am 168cm and started 5.2 about 4 weeks ago at 59kg. im now about 56kg but i must say i cheat a fair bit. i reckon if i were honest i have 600-700 calories, i exercise a lot and have done for many years so i think maybe im quite an efficient fat burner however ill be 50 next year and im definately not able to eat what i used 🙁 . I have started to get a bit of a muffin top that i wanted to get rid of, i also wanted to support my husband and daughter who are also trying it out (having great results).
I am worried about musle loss as I work hard to put it on so I have a goal of 55kg then I will just do 6.1. Its really great to hear there are other smaller ladies on the forum. We are not all self righttious people who never had a weight problemm!!!!! I think its fantastic how well everyone seems to doing.
Z 🙂
by the way, be wary of fat scales, they vary considerably. They measure your hydration to measure fat content as fat contains less water than muscle so if you are dehydrated you will get a high fat reading. Also most measure only the lower body and as we all know most females carry more fat in the butt and thighs

Nika

3:30 am
21 Nov 13
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Hey Lydia!

Good results so far!! And with your schedule you don’t fit into the sedentary category, certainly in the Lightly Active (or whatever it’s called). Sedentary is no exercise, taking the car to work where you do a desk job.

You’re an inspiration as to the other benefits besides weight loss!

clare28

3:59 am
21 Nov 13
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Hi divi I am 163cm weighing 55kg and just found out that my TDEE is 1600 cal not the 2000 cal I thought I could eat – no wonder the weight was creeping on! So I too have to cut down my cals on fast days (and also on non-fast days) it is really hard especially as my husband can have 600 cals. So far I have not been very successful keeping to 400 cals but I believe this is because I am a sugar addict! Great to hear from other small people I am tired of the people I work with having a go at me because they think I am on a weight loss diet – my husband and I are doing this for the health benefits as we think we are both TOFIs. Hubby could do with losing a few kgs as he has started to snore in the last couple of years hehe!

Nika

4:09 am
21 Nov 13
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Yeah Clare, a lot of people get frustrated when they don’t lose weight and then find out they were eating too much because they didn’t calculate their TDEE! Good thing you found out, al though I can imagine it’s frustrating not to be able to eat as much as you were used to.

Keep strong!

divi

4:49 am
21 Nov 13
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Thanks so much for your informative and supportive posts. I too am concerned about muscle loss as I don’t think I have much to begin with! I love that there are some sugar addicts out there. Me too! I like that the 5:2 gives me a break from sugar but I don’t have to give it up entirely My plan is to do some weights/resistance rather than the running or swimming I have done in the past and to try to get around 380/400calls on fast days. I did it last fast day and it was tougher to plan but I did it. Ok now I’ve said it I better commit to it. My goal is to feel comfy in a pair of jeans that I have been avoiding lately. When I reach my goal I would like to go down to 1:6. Good luck to everyone

Nika

5:03 am
21 Nov 13
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Hey Divi! Just make sure you eat enough protein and do some training, like you’re planning to, and the muscle loss won’t be an issue. Your body won’t start eating muscles unless you starve yourself completely for like 3 days. And then it’ll first go after fat anyway.

lydiac88

5:47 am
21 Nov 13
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Hi Nika, thank you for your kind words and info.

I normally take the number on my body fat scales with a pinch of salt, I only want to measure change rather than absolute fat. I suspect I may be about 2 or 3 % higher than the numbers on the scales.

For those who are afraid of losing muscle, I have found that a significant percentage of weight I lost was fat.

aitch51

5:53 am
21 Nov 13
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To Rocky Romero on the subject of strength training

I weight train regularly and have done so for the past 15 years. I currently squat with 120% of my body weight on a barbell so I don’t lack muscle mass in either my legs or other parts of my body! But my ribs are starting to show up as shadows on my chest.

And at 62 I know that I no longer have the skin of a 25 yo. Too little body fat just makes the wrinkles look deeper

This is what I mean when I say that trying to get to the bottom of the healthy BMI does not necessarily produce an aesthetically pleasing result.

Nika

6:43 am
21 Nov 13
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I agree Aitch, I must say I find bodybuilders who are in the very low numbers look really nasty… I much rather look at someone with a bit more bodyfat. I think it’s all about being AND looking healthy, not about numbers. Let the mirror decide.

SuzySu

12:17 pm
23 Nov 13
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Welcome and thanks for posting everyone.

Interesting comment about the fat reading on scales at home. It makes sense about it only reading your lower half – if you get properly measured at a gym etc you have to hold similar ‘silver’ thingys in your hands so that the current can circulate all way round your body.

Still…it’s nice to see the numbers going down 🙂

Weigh in number two tomorrow for me (and I might even take a little sneak at my measurements too).

rockyromero

1:23 pm
23 Nov 13
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@aitch51
” Too little body fat just makes the wrinkles look deeper
This is what I mean when I say that trying to get to the bottom of the healthy BMI does not necessarily produce an aesthetically pleasing result.”

Looks are important at any age.

I thought strength training would enhance the looks.

Is there anything natural that could be done, besides more fat?

➰

SuzySu

1:52 am
24 Nov 13
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Weigh-in number 2 this morning and another 1.2kgs (2.5lbs) off so I’m delighted with that result!!

Would have liked to see my measurements but unfortunately I couldn’t take those this morning. I can already see my waist is smaller (took ‘before’ pics….yuk) so might take some ‘during’ pics later for comparison.

b4wego2012

2:50 pm
24 Nov 13
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I have never been overweight but in the last year I have gained 10 pounds. I am 63 year old female and I know I can’t keep gaining like this every year. I have been dieting for the last 7 weeks and have lost about 5 pounds so I am a little disappointed. However I have noticed that my pants I use to wear are getting lose. I have been trying them on once a week to see if I can get into them and I am happy to say that I was able to get in them very comfortable this week. This diet is working and gives me more encourgement to continue on since I am also losing fat off my hips, waist and legs. The pounds will surely follow.

Nika

1:36 am
25 Nov 13
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Grats Suzy! Great work! ^^

And hey B4wego, welcome to the forum. At least, it sounds like your first post. Congrats on getting into your pants better, sounds like it’s working! Just keep it up, and know that the scales don’t always show what’s going on inside your body.

SuzySu

3:24 am
1 Dec 13
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Week 3 weigh-in just completed and I’ve stayed the same 🙁

Am a bit disappointed but on the up side my body fat has reduced by another 0.1%. Not a huge difference but a difference nonetheless. I didn’t use myfitnesspal.com on my feast days last week so I wonder whether I went over my TDEE sometimes? Will be very strict next week and use the app so will see if that is reflected by the scales.

Fast days for me will be Monday and Thursday and have no social engagements planned so I’m hoping for a loss again next week.

Nika

3:48 am
2 Dec 13
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You still lost 1.2kg last week though, and not having a lot to lose that’s also a good result for two weeks! Could be you went over your TDEE a bit on non-fast days tho, so if you do a stricter week (like you said) you may start losing again.

I mean 1.2kg of 6kg to lose is great! 😉

Couscous

11:59 am
5 Dec 13
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Hi all, hilarybuff and diana seems to be just another troll advertising a product not needed.
Please take care and ignore.
Good luck out there.

Iwant2Bincontrol

12:46 pm
5 Dec 13
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LOL! I wonder if you two (diana and hilary) have the same IP address. I reported your posts as we are all on here supporting each other with THIS way of life, not looking for another ‘Best Weight Loss Website Ever – just spin around in circles like a child and all your problematic hormones will line up and you will be skinny’.

sylvestra

5:16 pm
5 Dec 13
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Sam – I’m wondering why you say no booze, no chocolate. You’re denying yourself something you like, can you deny yourself those for the rest of your life to keep your weight down? I doubt it. There is no reason why you can’t have chocs and some booze on your normal days so long as it is in moderation.

You don’t have much to lose so it is not as easy as when someone has a few stones to lose.

I appreciate you want to lose as fast as possible – don’t we all – but it does take time.

Denying yourself and forcing exercise may work in the short term but is not sustainable and keeping the weight off is a lifetime commitment.

Divi – my TDEE is 1620 so my fast day calorie ‘budget’ is 400. I try to stay in that area but if I go to 450 I don’t worry too much. I find I’m actually much more alert after a fast day but everyone is different.

Lydia (I think it was your post) What is a TOFI? I’m sure it will be so obvious but I can’t get it.

divi

1:18 am
6 Dec 13
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Hi all,

I thought I would let you know that I have lost around a kilo in a month. I now eat around 380-400cals on a fast day and it’s working. Some fast days are easy and I feel great other days like today are tougher. I am walking a lot and running a bit. No weights yet … A goal for the new year.

In reply to some other posts. I don’t stint myself on non fast days. For me a pleasure of life is a cup of tea and a piece of cake and I like that the 2:5 lets me do it. I still feel sluggish the next day, I seem to find it hard to break the fast. Now I make sure I have something yummy for breakfast and I don’t put breakfast off, I do it first thing and that seems to help.

My thoughts are with you all over the holiday season especially if you have to cook a lot. I am not going to sweat it too much over the Christmas week but enjoy myself and get back to it in Jan. Happy holidays

SuzySu

8:53 am
8 Dec 13
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Week no 4 and another weigh-in. I lost 0.25kg (1/2 lb) – not bad but not great either. My body fat has gone down by another 0.2%.

I met a friend on Friday that I hadn’t seen since September and she said “you’ve lost loads of weight” so that was an amazing boost.

Monday and Thursday fast days for me again this week, but I’m going to up my liquid intake because I’ve been having banging headaches on those two days. Still enjoying this WOE even though I’ve had a couple of slow weeks. 4lbs over 4 weeks isn’t bad though so I’m holding onto that.

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wQ8mVMH/weight.png

Nika

4:43 am
9 Dec 13
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Whoop, good job Suzy! Those comments are always a nice boost! It’s funny, I was on Skype with my dad yesterday and he said ‘A lot of people like your new profile picture on FaceBook, they all say you look great!’. My response was ‘…and they tell you, not me?’ Funny how that works.

And hey Divi, good to hear you’re going strong ^^ Are you still as worried about muscle loss, or did you notice that’s also going ok?

SuzySu

5:44 am
15 Dec 13
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Week no 5 weigh in: I’ve gained 0.05kg (0.1 lbs for Carol). To be honest I’m absolutely delighted. This last week (despite all good intentions) went completely to pot. I fasted on Monday but then got some good news and celebrated with a couple of glasses of wine because I totally forgot I was fasting…doh! I really don’t know if my weight reflects what I’ve eaten over the past week or whether I’ll be in for a nasty surprise next weekend 🙁

In any event, I am really very surprised with that teeny tiny gain. I have a lot of school functions this week so I might just fast during the day and not worry so much after 6pm? All opinions (Nika!!) welcome.

Nika

6:26 am
16 Dec 13
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Whoooo I’m needed! 😉

That’s a good result after that kind of week!! About this week, I think you need to take a look at the whole week for a little bit. So take a step back, multiply your TDEE by 5, add 2x your fast day allowance (now you have your weekly calorie allowance, whoohoo!) and then decide where you want to spend it. If the school functions require eating stuff, then yeah, fasting during the day could be a good way of saving up calories for those moments of eating nice stuff.

At least that’s what I’d do ^^

SuzySu

3:23 pm
17 Dec 13
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Thanks for that my fellow ex-pat! It’s bloomin freezing a the moment over here so don’t really want to skip lunch. Just being careful what I eat. Not sure whether I’ll bother weighing myself until after the festive season, because I’m not really going to do much fasting. I’m away for a week too, staying with friends in Thailand, so am going to enjoy myself (not too much though) and get back on the wagon once the festive season is well and truly over.

SuzySu

11:29 am
26 Dec 13
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Weighed in again on Sunday and I’d lost another .6kgs (just over 1lb). Have honestly NO IDEA how I’ve lost a pound this week!!!!!

Having a lovely Christmas – my kids are here in HK; haven’t seem them for two and a half years so it’s great having them here for the festive season. I cooked a huge Xmas lunch yesterday and hardly ate any of it (but have made up for the lack of food calories with alcohol). Not worrying at all about fasting until the second week of Jan when the kids return to UK and I can get ‘back on the wagon’. We’re all going to Thailand on Sunday for a week which will mean big meals and general socialising.

Nika

2:05 am
27 Dec 13
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Oooh that sounds lovely! Enjoy your kids! Must be weird not seeing them for so long. And congrats on the loss! This morning I weighed 0.1kg heavier than two weeks ago, so after the two weeks I’ve had that’s not bad. Wanna dip below 81 Sunday, so going to take it easy today and tomorrow.

SuzySu

3:03 am
12 Jan 14
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Helloooooooo all!!!

Well the festivities are over, kids are back in the UK and I’ve paid the price for enjoying myself so much. 1.3kg on since 22nd December which I must say I am pleasantly surprised about. Considering all the shortbread, mince pies, crisps and cocktails I’ve consumed over Christmas and New Year I feel I’ve done pretty well. However, it’s still a gain so now the work begins.

For various reasons I’m changing my fasting days from Mon/Thur to Wed/Fri. Does anyone else do these days? Does it make a difference which days you fast? Hope you’re all well and back on the wagon too.

Laters taters!!