It’s hard when we have visitors, isn’t it. Our son is here now, so we went out yesterday with family. I ate about a third of my meal, rather than leaving a third as I did on Thursday. Pretty stodgy choices for vegetarians, so gnocchi didn’t go down well.

Luckily, he’s meeting some old colleagues for a catch up tonight, so husband and I can fast today. Then we can have a final, healthy meal here tomorrow before taking him to the airport ready for his early flight back to the States on Wednesday.

I did a test weigh with my pjs on yesterday. The same with as without,,so no stripping off before the heating kicks in. 😀

Pol

…and I shiver naked (open window, fan at end of bed) while I rush to the loo and back to the scales, before I put on my dressing gown (though I do know it weighs exactly 1lb 6oz – but you never know, there could be a tissue in the pocket…Are we sad, ladies? Never!!

I keep wondering how much extra the plaster on my arm weighs ☺

I haven’t asked. Hard enough getting help with everything else 😐
Still, sudden hot weather made fasting a ‘dead sack’, as we used to say. P

Purple, the good old Trousers of Truth will do the trick for you. 💃💃 I didn’t weigh at all during the week of celebrations. You will be fine. Break the addiction. 😂😂. Cheers, Bay 🌺🌺

Hello all! I am looking for advice and a chat about maintenance. I have been on the 5:2 for about two years now, dropping only four to six kg in all that time. But I wasn’t that overweight to start with. I am 5 foot 7 or 171cm, used to weigh 66kg, now weighing 63kg, and pretty fit – not a gym junky but I do go to the gym and I do quite a lot of walking. i only want to lose one kg but seem to be totally stuck over the last five weeks. Has anyone else had that problem? It’s like my body is going, you don’t need to lose that. And it’s true. But I would like to. I also want to hit that goal weight so i can shift to 6:1; ive had enough of fasting two days a week. Any thoughts welcomed:)

Hi Roblynne
Losing the extra kg or so when you are close to goal is the toughest. You need to tweek something. Many of us find that cutting out white carbs can make a big difference. I also try to limit my wone intake to one glass per session thwse days. Stick to healthy protein, leafy veg, full fat dairy and the occassional low gi carb and skipping breakfast whenever possible are some thoughts.
I’ve been 5:2ing for 3 1/2 years (2 1/2 at goal weght) and I find it easier to aim for 2 fasts a week…it’s just part of life now…and it resets my appetite. As I went into this for the health benefits of fasts, I still see them as important.
All the best PVE

Bay, your garden sounds beautiful! Over here in SA we have had an amazing (for us) amount of rain in winter and spring and the gardens here just look stunning! The roses are amazing – huge, bright, perfumed. Bliss!

Roblynne, I am same height and similar weight, also a gym goer but not a junkie. I started 5:2 at 70kg and my goal was 65kg. I got there reasonably quickly and easily so just kept going. I’m now always between 58 and 59. Some Monday s(FD) I could be slightly over 60 if I’ve had a really naughty weekend!

As soon as I went below 60 I thought that was def thin enough and some say too thin, so went on to maintenance which for me is 6:1. I’ve been on maintenance for at least a year, I wish now I’d kept records of when I reached all these milestones because I forget!

Bay and Purple are right – White carbs and sugar(for me) are the culprits. If you want to lose another kg I suggest you have NO carbs in the form of grains or sugar at all (including fruit) for a few days (you may not be able to cope for long) and you should find that will give you a real kick start.

I find once I’ve lost it it’s not hard to keep off with regular vigilance but you just need to lose that extra kg first.

Best of luck!

Roblynne,

I’ll echo Bay Purple and Caro. Im a very big advocate of eliminating grain based carbs and sugar, I don’t think they are healthy for you at all. So you need to examine what you are currently eating and change something. So describe a typical days food intake. What exactly does “organic” bread mean? You want to lose that last kg stop eating bread and sugar. It really is that simple. Im of Italian heritage and I gave up bread and pasta. I no longer miss those foods.

Keep doing the same thing and you will get the same result. Try this, swap over to 6:1 now but your one fast day is water only. Brace yourself and do it for the next two weeks. Try it and see what happens. I hit my weight target in March and swapped over to 6:1 and its been a water fast. takes about a month to get used to, becomes easy after 6 months, well at least for me that’s how long it took.

Good luck.

Organic bread is from certified organically grown grains, not that they say that makes much difference in terms of health, but it just happens to be the bread I like, which is wholemeal flour and multiple whole grains and weighs a lot! I’m not really an aficionado of the deleting things from my diet, have seen so many research rollercoasters while I’ve placidly kept eating my butter cheese and eggs, and now my whole grain bread. In truth research on human health is always a bit dodgy as we are hard to effectively control, live for ages, and cost a fortune to run tests on. However I do think we are better off away from too processed white carbs and that the new research on sugar is pretty definitive. I will still however have honey on toast, a small piece of cake, a scoop of ice cream, even if it’s not optimal. I try to get as much veg as possible.
We had a visiting body scan machine and expert operator at the gym a month ago who said I was bang on the right weight at 63kg but I needed to lose 1kg fat and gain 1kg of muscle! Good if I could do it…quite a fine balancing act. I feel like it’s easier just to lose a kg to get that fat off.

Hi Roblynne It sounds as if it’s tough going for you at the moment.
Everything everyone has said is true – this takes determination and discipline! But would it help you to know that many of us have one designated ‘feast day’ a week, when all rules are suspended and all indulgences permissible? It means cravings can be borne, knowing they can be indulged in a few days’ time, and it can be useful in kickstarting metaboliam. But nb 3 rules: everything is permisible, but in reasonable amounts’; it’s one day only; and you do it properly – fast, keep off the carbs and control portion size – the rest of the week.
Hope that helps

Hi Roblynne,

Im fully aware that research into diet is fraught with conflicting science. However there is a common theme with those in the maintenance section, we tend to avoid processed grains, rice and sugar. There is clue right there. I know that many on this journey don’t agree with my view of processed grains apart from many that are in the maintenance section. Another clue. The difference between white bread and brown bread with bits in it is very minimal. On a glycaemic index if white bread is given a rank of 100, brown bread with bits has a value of 96. Not a lot really is it.

Its OK if you don’t want to give up bread, everyone has a “vice”. I love too much cheese. Under no circumstances would I give cheese up. OK if you don’t want to give up bread, you need to change something else, right? Do the same thing and its illogical for the results to be different. Right? So what are you prepared to change?

Happy,

Thank God cheese doesn’t spike your blood glucose is all I can say. 🙂

What’s more…

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/eating-cheese-may-help-you-lose-weight-new-study-finds-10169632.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/6413146/Eating-more-cheese-can-help-fat-people-lose-weight-study-claims.html

😁

Last week I met a largish lady at my ‘wrinkilie aerobics’ group, who was bemoaning her inability to lose weight, and anticipating putting on more during a few days in France. I suggested a couple of frugal eating days (didn’t say ‘fast’ , so as not to frighten!) before she went, to give her some wriggle room, and she informed me coldly that I was too slim to know anything about it, and froze me out of the group conversation.
Today I found myself next to her, and thought to build bridges, so enquired how was France. ‘Wonderful – but far too many croissants, put on 3lb. ‘. I made soothing noises about occasional treats, losing it now she’s home, etc, and she said ‘well, in theory I do this two days a week fast thing – but it doesn’t really work, does it?’ !!!!**!!!!!

There’s a clue there! I did say that many people, including me, found it worked very well, but it does take time and discipline and can be tough.( I hope I wasn’t patronising or didactic). Response: ‘is that what you did? Well you’re far too thin, and need to put on some weight: I wouldn’t want to be as thin as you – sniff’!

As so many have said – it’s all about what you really want, and some people will never get it!

Oh BigBooty, just read your post (sorry I’m on catchup here). I’m not sure what you mean by brown bread with bits, mine is a wholegrain wholemeal multigrain brick, I hear there are some dodgy brown breads that are just coloured white bread, maybe that’s the kind you refer to? Mine would be more like the one on the Harvard GI list here with a GI of 50, but Harvard doesn’t put any bread at the 100 you cited, so not sure about that.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods
Whole grains do have a recommended daily minimum intake, but I’m sure you are aware of the whole debate, and food debates are a bit wearing so let’s not go there! Just wanted to correct the GI thing.
Good night again:)

Hermat, I love your story.I don’t deserve your encouragement as I am just finetunng which is fiddly, but not lifechanging. (I will happily take it though:)You however have faced down a big problem and turned your life around. This is the power of the 5:2 right here. Bravo.

Happy, support your wise words. 🌺🌺

Hermaj, great to be reminded of how hard you have worked. Big hugs to you 💃💃🌷🌷

Fast, what a compliment. 🎉🎉 She doesn’t want to lose weight. Don’t waste your precious energy.

Purple, trust the healing is going well. We are having lovely soft rain and 23 C and the garden loves it. 🌺🌺🌷🌷🌺🌺😄😄

Roblynne, i hope you will work out the way that suits you and stick with us. We are “tough love” supportive of each other, and if we think you’re serious, we will occasionally give you a friendly kick along the way. 😉😉😉😂😂😂 Kindly take it as friendly tough love in action. 🌺🌺🌺

I guess we are tough because we know you need to be to maintain? 🙂
Love all your bright icons today Bay. Very cheering. The hand was playing up last night..Ì did too much yesterday. 🙄
Fast, how lovely to be “too skinny”. How proud you must be! Healthy sensible eating. Result? A healthy, thin body! Who would have thought? 😉
You have had fabulous success Herm. As you recognise, coming from lifelong overweight to where you are now is significant. Our own self image has a considerable effect on our attitude to food. Many of us were thin as young things and gained later. We can still see ourselves as thin, as we’ve been there. But how many times do you hear large people say they have always been big so need to eat more? It’s all mindset!
Keep up the chatter and support you wonderful maintainers. 🌹🌷🌻🌺P

Thanks P! It might yet just be rain, preferable given that the girls won’t get up when the world’s white over. Actually one of them is in the dining room at the moment, she’s going through a severe late moult and is too poorly insulated (bald!) to be out in this cold weather. I suspect if we do get the arctic winter some are predicting they’ll all end up in my polytunnel…

Hi Fast

Perfect response. 🌺🌺 What you need is a straight talking Australian who is fed up with being treated rudely by people who cannot handle a similar riposte, that is, Me. Now I have learnt your speech by heart, and will trot it out the very next time someone is so rude to me. 😂😂😂

Cheers, Bay, watching America Votes on two stations! What a political tragic. 😄😄

Robynlynne
I make my own sourdough with all sorts of low gi grains. Mr P (reversed his diabetes with 5:2) eats it for breakfast a few mornings a week.No effect on his blood sugar levels. I’m with BigB, insulin response is everything ☺
Bay, the world is holding it’s breath! 😑😑😑 P

Don’t we live in interesting times, P?

Love your reposte, Fast, please keep us posted with the outcomes. At least you have the NHS to pick up the pieces 🙂 People are so thoughtless.

I’ve had a kilogram that has lingered over the last few weeks, so am doing egg-and-fat between my fast days this week to get back to the desired 58 on the scales. Any increase scares me, having been overweight all my life (so have a big body image) and still cannot truly believe that 5:2 can be a permanent remedy. But having to take such measures seems to indicate to me that the wol is not a perfect solution (horrible changeable spring weather, and a really difficult month at work has probably played a part, though).

Love the conversations, ladies 🙂 🙂

P,FD Monday and Thursday, so yesterday and today I am just eating eggs. You are supposed to have fat with them (fat should be such a major part of our diets – I am doing a lot of reading on lchf) so, three boiled eggs and a small slab of cheese for lunch, a three-egg omelette with avocado for dinner, and nuts after work. No breakfast, makes it easier. Two days will be enough, and together it should be sufficient to drop those gms. Hard to be off the wine for four days though 🙁 . Unscientific, but we work on the continuing studies of one, and another one, and another one…

Financial institutions are taking a hit!

Southerly gales on Monday, glorious still clear evening last night! Our new central heating furnace went in yesterday. We have been told by the serviceman since we moved in nearly eleven years ago that it needed replacing, finally got it done.

$34b wiped off the Australian Stock Exchange as a result of the US election! 😐