@high5 – please count me in for October, & thanks so much for hosting!

Here’s a list of abbreviations that any new joiners may find useful:

ABBREVIATION LIST
Here’s the list of common abbreviations used throughout this challenge and added to on an ongoing basis:
16:8 – 16 hours fasting 8 hours eating window
5:2 – 5 days NFD:2 days IF
ADF – Alternate Day Fasting (FD – NFD – FD – etc. etc. etc.…….)
B2B – Back to Back (consecutive FDs)
BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate
CFD – Controlled Food Day (below your goal weight TDEE, eg 1000 calories)
DAFD – Day after fast day
DH,DD, DS – Darling Husband Daughter, Son etc
DTF – Dry ‘Til Fri (for those limiting alcohol to weekend only)
EE – Emotional Eating (reflex grazing out of a need for instant comfort instead of satisfying hunger)
EFS – Epic Face Stuffing (we’ve all had one of those days – or several!)
FD – Fast Day (500 cals)
FD800 – Fast Day (800 calories) – see also MFD
HUNGER DRAGON – that dreadful psychological beast that sometimes cannot be satisfied. Some people even name theirs (e.g. @i-hate-lettuce has an inner warthog!)
IF – Intermittent Fasting
Keto – way of eating that generates ketones
K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid!
LC – Low Carb way of eating
LCHF – Low Carb High Fat way of eating
LFD – Liquid Fast Day (incl. tea, coffee, miso, bone broth & water)
LOL – Laughing Out Loud
M/WOAM – Man/Woman on a Mission (courtesy of @i-hate-lettuce)
MFD – Modified Fast Day (800 cals) on the new Fast800, it’s a FD
NFD – Non Fast Day
OH – Other Half (eg spouse/partner)
OMAD – One Meal A Day
PFDS – Post FD Smugness (courtesy of @penz)
TDEE – Total Daily Energy Expenditure (see the ‘how it works’ link on the home page to work out yours)
TRE – Time Restricted Eating
WFD – Water Fast Day (Water only)
WFH – Working From Home
WOL – Way of Life
WOCA – Women Of a Certain Age
ZBC – Zero Breakfast Club

@high5 – count me in too, thanks for hosting.

I’m in for October!

I’m a 62yo woman in the US who used to weigh 132, even after birthing three babies. But several across-states moves and dramatic changes in our lives (good, but dramatic) saw me shoot up to 145 and then as high as 166. I’ve been doing 5:2 off and on since 2013, and find this forum truly helps me keep the focus, which helps me find success, so I’m thankful for everyone on this group.

I recently read Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code and my views on weight loss have been forever shifted. My piano-teaching schedule on Tuesdays allows me to easily (?? 😂) do a water fast and that has made all the difference, and I’m finally losing weight. Currently 145.2, my goal by Halloween is 139–a bit of a stretch since I’m not at my 9/30 goal, but I think it’s possible.

In addition to WF on Tuesdays, I do a typical 500-calorie fast on M & Th, and avoid sugar and flour (refined carbs) every day. I have a family birthday in October, however, and a five day trip to upstate New York to see the fall colors, so there will certainly be some challenges. But then, this is a way of LIFE, and life will always throw us curve balls.

Thanks, @high5, for hosting October!

Day minus 1. OMAD Marsala. Sicily

Please count me in for October. The weight is creeping on a bit, but honestly, Sicily has the best food ever! It’d be rude not to eat it.
Happy Thursday all.

Day 1, NFD, Aus

Hello all! I’m in Canberra on the east coast of Australia so often one of the first to post each day. I’m excited to be joining @high5 and all of you for another month of fasting.

I’m married, two dogs which get me out of bed in the mornings (sometimes – like today – far far too early). I’ve been doing 5:2 on and off for about 5 years now. When I’m “on”, wow, the weight drops off. Who’da thunk? But I do like my red wine and gin martinis and this is the undoing of my good intentions. I get into bad habits, skip FDs telling myself there’s always tomorrow, and the weight creeps back. After several months of missing my mojo, I feel it is slowly settling in and the last few weeks I’ve managed my LFDs on Mondays and Thursdays.

Now, to add in Dry til Fri – can’t quite see myself doing OctSober!

Let’s have a great month everyone.

Day 1 – UK – NFD

Hello hello! I’m so happy to be continuing on into October as a part of this group. I’m a woman in my mid 30s from the UK and successfully lost weight on the 5:2 back in 2016. I have since gained it (and a bit more) back due to many different factors.

I am using a technique called Goal Attainment Scaling this month, borne from my mantra of ‘just two good days a week’. So my central goal is 8 fast days this month. A not so good but still OK result would be 4 fast days. A brilliant result will be anything in excess of 8, but to make it measurable I’ll say 10!

I’m drawing myself up a chart so I can tick off my 8 days and show myself some progress.

I have weightloss goals, but I feel that fixing my behaviour around fasting needs to be the first goal before I can actually view those weight loss figures as goals instead of something that feels like a target disappearing ever further into the distance.

So much of my issue has definitely been my mindset – aka the frustration at myself for not getting into the mindset and allowing my RESOLVE to slip, so I’m throwing all the techniques to help solve that.

Thank you @high5 for hosting this month! 💐

Day 1 – Canada 🇨🇦 – CD

Good morning everybody. So glad to see the beginning of a new month.

I’m a 60 year old woman living on the east coast of Canada. I lost about 30 lbs following the Fast800 plan and I still have 5 more to go. Finding the last little bit a tough slog. Maybe I’ll try a weekly LF like @stitchincarol.

So great you’ve reached your goal @high5! Well done 👏

Love your motto @at.

Take care all.

Day 1. OMAD Marsala

@high5 – it does seem a bit mean but yes, I’m thrilled the weather in the UK is awful. 😳. Our friend James is coming out to meet us in a couple of weeks. He’s a teacher in London and had a rotten summer, made worse by the very hot Indian summer we had, just AFTER he went back to work. So I’m looking forward to seeing him at the end of October.
Short biog – I’m in my mid sixties. Always been around BMI of 25. I’m tall so it’s easier for me to hide extra weight, which I’ve used as an excuse… been doing various versions of fasting since about 2017, and I really like eating what I want, but infrequently. Fasting works considerably better when you cut out alcohol, and when I was doing 5:2 and dry till Fri it worked a treat. OMAD suits me better because it’s easier, but, I’m now drinking and my weight is pretty static. I really need to lose around 20lbs, preferably a bit more. Once I get back home, I’ll have a rethink.

Day 1 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 220 lbs. Nice. Going to make this a 210s month after it’s all averaged out.

I’m doing ZBC this morning because I’m not too hungry and was a bit naughty yesterday. I’ve been craving a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats like crazy all week long, and I finally decided to allow myself that little treat, but only if I had a nice spicy bowl of soup first (help reduce the chances of refilling the cereal bowl after the indulgence — and it worked).

@stitchincarol I wouldn’t beat yourself up over it. This is a WOL, and sometimes if you have a craving long enough, psychologically you need to “feed” it. But as Jackson Dejardins (another online IF-er on YouTube) says, “sometimes you have to eat the &#$% cookie! If eating one cookie now stops you from eating a whole box at home, then it’s totally worth it.” Most of my instant cravings will go away, but if I have one over 2-3 days or if it is particularly intense, it makes sense to sacrifice a few calories on a NFD than to sacrifice the entire weekend. By the way, YES! I think I’ll try to convert at least one of my FDs per week into a liquid FD. I’ve been noticing more than half the time, I wouldn’t eat my FD meal at work, and when I get home, it’s usually about 6 or 6:30 pm, so — why am I bothering? The broth helps me by late afternoon/early evening, and only adds about 5 calories per cup plus a few electrolytes, and in conjunction with HFLC NFDs, seems to work well.

I have made a decision. My 2-liter soft drink bottles are collecting dust again, and I haven’t even opened the Dr. Pepper sitting in my refrigerator since putting it in there sometime last week. I took it back out last night, and will offer them to my family members. I’ll keep just one bottle on reserve (an off-brand), but I’ve decided when I really want a soft drink is when I’m eating out. I don’t eat out too often, maximum 4 times a week. If it’s takeaway, it’s with family, so they can have the beverages at their places. If it’s in a restaurant, it depends, but at most sit-down places, I prefer water. In other words, it appears my addiction to soft drinks may be coming to an end, and it really may be nothing more than an occasional “treat” for me. This is pretty amazing.

My attitude is “carb reduction” not elimination. I mean, we eventually are going to want something starchy or sweet, or it’s going to show up at a function. So, I just try in my day-to-day to purposely avoid anything with high amounts of added sugar. I’m also considering how to make a meal tasty with meat, eggs, dairy, nuts, and spices. I’m restricting carbs without telling myself I’m restricting carbs. I see my cabinet full of pasta, and I choose to eat something else instead. Then I may have a little, but just a little, every other day, to prove that I’m not eliminating carbs (although technically, yeah I am). I don’t think fruit is evil, so when I get a sweet craving, it’s my go-to. But I do try to eat them closely with the main meal instead of a snack. I want to eliminate snack times as much as possible. I did snack once yesterday, though 🙁

My mother has made a nice pork roast with carrots and potatoes and threw in a biscuit (BritEngl: scone-type baked good) to “sop up the juices.” I think what I’ll try to do with that is cook up some bell peppers and onions in butter, add in some cilantro and green onions to stir fry into it, then add in the leftovers to heat it all through. I’ll crumble the biscuit into the mixture, and add extra spice. Served with vegetables/salad and a piece of cheese, that will make a very filling meal. Of course, it’s off the cards if the family wants takeout tonight (typical on a Friday, if it’s going to happen).

OK, now I’m just rambling. Happy October everyone, and best wishes to us all!!

Day 1 USA – NFD

Happy October everyone! In our family we do “Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit” to catch the first greeting of the month for luck. Actually, I don’t believe in luck but believe in Divine leading and intervention. 😀

I am Gwynne, from Illinois, married 73 y.old female, I found myself pushing 200 pound (@90 kg) in 2015 so at the recommendation of a Words With Friends pal from Australia, I began 5:2 in March. Joined @coda for the May challenge and have not missed one since then. It’s been a wonderful journey with so many great people all these years. I lost about 40 pounds over about 10 months and have generally used 6:1 and OMAD in maintenance. I try to do Silver Sneakers (seniors work-outs) 2-3 times a week and carefully watch calories with MyFitnessPal (MFP) each day.

Yes, I am a SongBird, former general music teacher, piano player, and community choir director. We hope the pandemic stipulations in Illinois will allow our choir to sing again soon! It’s been far too long since I have sung as much as I know I should!

I look forward to getting to know newbies and keeping up with our wonderful partnership.

Onward and downward.

Day 1 – Minnesota -NFD

Thanks again @high5 for hosting this month’s challenge, and please count me in. I am pleased and surprised to say I lost 2.5 lbs last month ( a bit over a Kg).

My DH and I will be taking off this evening on our vacation and we will be traveling around for the next two weeks, so I will not be posting daily. I’m hoping to keep my intake mindful, and I may try for a FD here or there, but no promises. The last half of the month I’ll get back into full 5:2 swing.

I’m a woman in my mid sixties, at normal or healthy BMI now, @154 lbs (169cm or 5 ft 6.5 inches) after losing about 22 lbs in the last 14 months. I’ve done 5:2 off and on since 2016 and was also a participant in the first Challenge of May 2016. When I “forget” to do two FDs a week, I start gaining back the weight. I think I’m one of those who will always have to do 5:2 to maintain at a healthy weight. 6:1 just doesn’t work for me. I also need to read the forum for motivation and post often, if not daily, for accountability.

Have loved all the positivity and good planning I’ve been reading in the posts today. Wishing everyone well while we head off to the shores of Lake Superior and the beautiful Autumn colors for a week and then south to Iowa to visit family.

Day 2 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

So quiet here? I’m guessing some people are taking the weekend off before they commit to On Target October, & I imagine there’ll be a flurry of activity on Monday…

Anyway, I had an amazing Italian lunch yesterday at Mama Luciano’s, a restaurant overlooking the Indian Ocean, & close to a small but busy airport, with small jets & helicopters landing & taking off every few minutes. Spectacular. It was also my first alcohol-free day in a long time, but wasn’t so bad. I got some alcohol-free ciders, & so kind of had the ritual of having a couple of after dinner drinks.

Coincidentally, this article is in today’s UK Mail, ‘What REALLY happens to your body if you ditch alcohol for a month’.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10045601/What-alcohol-REALLY-does-body.html

The spreadsheet was doing weird things again yesterday, but it looks all better today. Thanks to whoever fixed it. @at – was that you? 👀

Have a good weekend everyone ⛅️ 🌈

Day 2 – UK – TDEE 🤞

A miserable day here as predicted 🌧🌧 so planning a baking and cooking day, but hopefully most will be eaten by DH……..
*Black currant energy bar – flapjack mix with pistachios and figs added with a layer of thawed frozen blackcurrants in between the two layers of flapjack mix
*Scones with raisins added
*Damson crumble with hazelnut and khorasan topping for tonight
* Hot and Sour Curried Cod pie with broccolini on the side for our evening meal

I have promised myself to log in daily this month for accountability especially to help motivate and keep me on track with my plan to reduce my intake of 🍷🥂🍸

@dvw – thanks – that motto has certainly helped motivate me to stay within my maintenance range
whenever I slip a bit
@brightonbelle – you can do this – October will be your month 🤞 Cocktails and wine stimulate my appetite too or perhaps it’s the mindless snacking that seems to happen 🤣
@emma-taylor – not jealous much about your Sicily stay!!!!!! Enjoy
@northgeorgia – come on make October your month too – the 210’s are within your reach especially if you can stick to your RESOLVE of giving up those soft drinks
@mariaelena – 5lbs is definitely a doable goal for October – You’ve got this x
@songbirdme – You show us that maintenance is doable – thank you for sticking with the challenges and sharing x
@northerndawn – enjoy your vacation and I’m sure you’ll stay mindful – post when you can telling us of your travels
@high5 – enjoy your break – look forward to catching up when you get back x
@funshipfreddie – I saw that article as well but not sure I can go totally alcohol free this month but have certainly RESOLVED to cut back in October and November. Yes I did have a play with the spreadsheet – hope it continues to behave……

Hopefully we will have more joining us next week as we are missing some regulars and 🤞 we may have some newbies linking in too

Enjoy your weekend wherever you are and hope the UK residents don’t get drowned with all that predicted rain ☔️☔️

Day 2 – Canada 🇨🇦 – NFD

Had far too many sweets yesterday and my plan is to continue today. Tomorrow is a new day ☺️. Tennis this morning then lunch with my lovely niece. We’re going to one of those cafes that give you a piece of pottery to paint and they fire it in the kiln, it should be fun but I’m not much of an artist. 😬

It’s a chilly morning and I’m hearing the weather forecaster saying there’s a ‘frost advisory for low lying areas’ – hmmm.

@at – your baking plans sound great.
@funshipfreddie – that lunch spot sounds fabulous

Take care all.

Day 2 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 220 lbs. Yesterday accidentally turned into OMAD! That was pretty cool. Of course the one meal I had was the expected weekly fast food Friday run. I only had about a half portion (yes, including half a soft drink — my first in over a week), and followed it up with fresh mozzarella, a few slices of deli chicken, grapes, and nuts. Not the best choices, but it proves fast food is high calorie, high carb, and doesn’t really satisfy for long — you want more. I think my stomach hated something, but it had settled before bedtime. Eating high fiber alongside or within minutes of a smaller portion junk/fast food meal might be a new strategy in my arsenal for those times when fast food is hard to avoid (ok, except NOT while in a business meeting or on a road trip for obvious reasons LOL)

@at I am definitely planning to permanently stay in the 210s this month — maybe get to the mid 210s! Although I won’t lie to myself and pretend I’ll never have a soft drink again (like I did last night), my mom was shocked when I presented her with over half a dozen Dr. Pepper 2 liter bottles yesterday afternoon.

“Whoa! You’re giving up soft drinks?”

“Well, it’s like this. I started thinking: I put a bottle in the refrigerator over a week ago and it hasn’t been opened. I haven’t really wanted any. It’s not that I plan to never drink one again, but the only time I really want one now is when eating out or bringing food back here, and not even a lot of times then.”

“They do start to lose their fizz after a while if they’re not being used. I’ll give these to your brother, and they might drink them while here so they’re not drinking up your Dad’s Pepsi.”

(Yeah, my family has a soft drink problem it seems!)

Under the counter, I have an off-brand 2L of soft drink, and four 500 mL Dr. Pepper bottles that are also gathering dust. I may give those away to someone at work, or keep them to psychologically make me feel “non-deprived” until they go bad. For all intents and purposes, I think I have kicked the addiction.

@high5 I was worried about beans, too. I think I’ll start adding some of those into a meal plan on NFDs to help increase fiber and satiety. I had forgotten about the recommendation of dark chocolate. It’s not my favorite, but who knows … the body likes novelty, so it could be another strategy in the near future!

My average weight didn’t really change from last week (I blame the sudden onset of this cold; thankfully, I’ve nearly recovered and should be back at work on Monday), but may I just end by saying how this is my lowest Saturday weigh-in ever? Oh, that sounded nice to admit haha!

Further to that, in addition to the mean average for the week (this week is 221), I look at mode and median (I’ll explain, no need to reference your math texts!) Mode is the number that pops up most often on the scales during the week; Median is if you line up all those numbers from lowest to highest in the week and pick the one in the middle. Mode last week was 222. This week it was a tie between 220 and 222. Median last week was 222. This week, it was 220. I have noticed when the Median and Mode start to dip below the mean average, then future weight loss tends to be imminent. Fingers crossed!

Day 2 USA 🇺🇸 NFD

Saturday, college football everywhere. I love it. Then tomorrow will be NFL – love this time of year.

@high5 – so sorry for your migraine. I feel for anyone who gets them – our eldest and #3 kid (both high achieving daughters) both get them with varying success controlling them. Funny how “rabbit” makes its way around the world!

@stitchincarol – getting ready for Thanksgiving Turkey already? Wow … yes, that’s not too far off! Our preoccupation with “Rabbit” began when our kids were in high school and their Spanish teacher did it as “Conejo conejo” (Spanish for rabbit), I have since read up more about that superstition https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_rabbit_rabbit

@northerndawn – enjoy your time up at Lake Superior! We must get back up that direction in fall sometime. We’ve done summer vacations at Hayward and Door County, but not in the fall.

@funshipfreddie – I admire your resolve for Sober October. I read that article about the bennies of not drinking, so hopefully they all work for you! I think my once or twice a week glass of red wine is still okay for me. Actually since I had a glass of lovely Merlot last night with my sports bar cheeseburger, I can’t join. Snap.. oh well.

@at – thanks for the props on doing maintenance. It is harder work than I thought it would be I smiled when I saw you mention “damson” – the first car DH and I bought in our marriage was a 1969 TR-6 in “Damson Plum” that really was a lovely burgundy convertible. Loved that little car that our family outgrew. We often lament that we didn’t keep her.

Onward and downward.

Day 3 – South Africa 🇿🇦 – NFD

@mariaelena – good to hear you’re joining the Sober October group! I just started reading Jason Vale’s ‘Kick the Drink…Easily!’ to give myself some motivation. He says it’s easy to stop drinking & the process is even ‘enjoyable’. Maybe he just switched booze for Valium? I’ll keep reading…

@at – thanks for sorting out the spreadsheet 🤗

Happy S🌞nday y’all, see you on the Pocket List tomorrow 🎯

Sorry. Meant to add. ‘Alcohol explained’ by William Porter is a brilliant book too.

Day 3 – USA/GA – NFD

Weigh-in: 222 lbs. Yesterday didn’t go well; some external sabotage to the extent that I surrendered. I wanted to do ZBC. I was offered breakfast repeatedly until I took a very small amount (half a hash brown, a couple of sausage links, and a small piece of cheese). No, not bad, considering they wanted me to have a whole pancake and a sausage biscuit(Am.) too, but I knew that amount of junk would ruin my weekend for sure. In order to stop snacking, I prefer to eat a normal portion meal — no more than three a day, not overdoing it and not underdoing it. This miniscule portion in the morning, along with an unusual open schedule for Saturday, led me to grazing all day long. Then a family member insisted on using a coupon from a fast food restaurant about to expire. Soft drinks had to be included. Yep, strike two. Again, those carbs really aren’t long lasting, so I continued to graze at home — until 9 pm!!!! Thank goodness the milk had soured, so that stopped the madness.

From this I have learned that going out for fast food is the worst scenario — you’re stuck with balancing economy with substance, and the substance isn’t usually good quality, then you’re hungry again in an hour or two. Now, if I have leftover fast food (yes, that was pushed on me yesterday to take home), I can manipulate it. Get rid of the the hardened buns or tasteless breaded items, so you minimize the damage. Make a new recipe with spices, cheeses, extra meats, nuts. Add in a salad or some vegetables to the side. Have plenty of fiber incorporated in some way and drink with water. Lesson to me: a meal is normal portioned, satisfying, and well-balanced. Anything else can lead to a snacking disaster.

Still, I’m 2 lbs lighter than last Sunday. I’ll try again for a ZBC today, which should be quite easy, and then figure out my main meal after the final challenge of the weekend passes (the post-church pick-up meal … again, not me!). Usually it doesn’t happen, but when it does, I get a call around lunchtime. In the past, I would fast on a Sunday occasionally. If the sabotage increases, I may be forced to return to that LOL

Tomorrow’s my FD, and I’ll be trying another liquid only fast. The challenge is rethinking what to pack for a work lunch later in the week. Oh wait…. nevermind. I’ve got a luncheon on Tuesday and a work lunch on Wednesday, so Thursday is a FD and Friday I’ll be home by lunch. Postpone that challenge for another week 🙂

Day 3 – NFD

All fine yesterday

Hey, could someone explain the pocket lost thing again to me? I understand this is supposed to be mini challenges but I can’t figure out what the challenge is?

Good thoughts to all

Day 3 – UK – NFD

Busy day no time to read but a quick post before before bed for accountability

Definitely went above TDEE but planning a FD tomorrow with 2 sessions of exercise to reset for the week.

Off to get ready for bed and sleep 😴

day 4 U.K. FD

Monday – reset day for me , amongst other things I want to get back to doing Yoga on a daily basis so I am redoing Adrienes “breathe” challenge

Food wise just want a steady <500 cals FD today
Pocket List – Day 4 🍏
@funshipfreddie
@brightonbelle

Day 4 – USA/GA – FD

Weigh-in: 223 lbs. 🙁

Well, that’s still 3 lbs lighter over last week’s ridiculous bloat. I avoided soft drinks and (other than some repurposed leftovers) most fast food yesterday, but my mom found some leftovers from her church’s luncheon last week which included macaroni & cheese, lemon pie, and brownies. I had a small portion of those wicked things, but it led me later to snack, and I fell victim to the Doritos. Oh the humanity! Thankfully, there was less than a portion left and the bag was emptied.

I don’t think the weekend was a total disaster, but there were more defeats than victories. Time to get back on track for the weekdays ahead. A FD (liquid) today and another on Thursday will be great. The NFDs will be HFLC as much as possible. I’m still excited because I feel the 5:2 WOL combined with a major reduction of sugar and replacing most of the starchy carbs with vegetables, protein, and fats are probably going to push the weight down this month.

@babs_b Thanks! I call it a “liquid fast” because when I get home tonight I probably will have a few cups of broth that technically do have a handful of calories, but yeah it is basically a WFD. I’ll need the luck! This is the first day I’m trying to do it from work with intention. However, I guess if I did it twice at home while sick, it shouldn’t be too hard to do it while spending most of the day at work.

Pocket List – Day 4 🍏
@funshipfreddie
@brightonbelle
@babs_b
@northgeorgia