This topic contains 11,627 replies, has 174 voices, and was last updated by hermajtomomi 6 months, 3 weeks ago.
We are about to do 7 weeks over your way, Poll. The only way to maintain is to skip breakfast, eat one low carb meal and one sensible, normal meal a day. 1 glass of wine with lunch and dinner.
We seem to only get to fast when we are actually travelling..long flights and drives when we are on trips.
Hopefully we don’t break the bank this time. We managed to maintain in 2 months away over winter 2 years ago. Summer might be harder.
Watch this space! P
We have always eaten breakfast. I asked my husband if he eats breakfast because he is hungry or because it is ‘expected.’ [his father cooked breakfasts for the family and was rather dictatorial]. My ODH said that indeed he is very hungry upon arising, hence breakfast. We do very nicely on Fast Days replicating meal patterns from our previous life: breakfast at around 8 am [<300 calories on Fast Days] then a dinner [<300 calories} at 4:30 pm. And this works. Never would get my ODH to go sans food for an entire day!
I do know several women who are happy not to eat breakfast, taking their first food of the day at 11 am or so. I’m not usually hungry at breakfast time, except for after a Fast Day. But breakfasting does not cause me to be hungrier later.
On Slow Days, we have greatly reduced what we eat. Lunch now is an ounce of cheese and some pretzels for ODH, milk and cheese for me. formerly I would cook 5-6 oz pasta for the 2 of us, now it is 3 oz.
I lost 1/2 a pound yesterday and ODH lost 1.5 pounds! Guess it works.
It obviously works for you FM. 😊
I had always been fond of cooked breakfasts. My dad, who grew up on a farm, loved to do a “cookup” in the morning.
When I worked out, 5 years ago, that I should only eat 370 cals on fast days, and I don’t sleep if my stomach is empty, I realised I had to drop breakfast, so that I could have all 370 cals in the evening.
Mr P was actually the first to drop breakfast. I took months longer, but now find that even a single nut, eaten during the 24 hours of fasting, causes me to crumble.
I am rarely hungry for breakfast the morning after a fast. It somehow seems easier, perhaps due to the habit of fasting the day before. The biggest problem I have is if Mr P cooks some toast when I am planning to not eat!!
A big drink of water, a black coffee, clean my teeth and get busy is how I kid myself that I have eaten.
What techniques do others use? P😊
I don’t do breakfast either on FD as it awakens the hunger genie! FD have become such a way of life now most times, apart from the odd hunger pain I hardly notice I’m fasting. If I’m busy I notice the hunger pains less. Occasionally I have a FD that is hard to do because I’m hungry all day but don’t know why that happens.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!😊
Three days of Grand Jury duty makes for a good Fast Day today — no snacks or cookie jar to tempt me. Plus the experience is a real eye-opener to how our judicial system works. Some people dread jury duty, but I would definitely do Grand Jury again.
Fasting today: Tomatosauce/ cheese omelette with mango for breakfast. Chicken Quesadillas + small salad for dinner.
We’re off for the weekend tomorrow. Will meet up with ODH’s brother + his wife for dinner on Friday, then stay on for another night in Portland, Maine. Dinning out twice, so must be careful!
Grand Jury sounds interesting and very demanding, FM.
Do you have two meals a day, breakfast and dinner? We ate out last night, a test run for friends’ U3A booking at a pub which had recently changed hands. It was super – decent portions, all the basic, plus quite a few imaginative dishes. Pleased to see no weight gain, maintaineatly at 127lbs.
As someone who dislikes almost every vegetable, loves fruit and has been on 5:2 for 280 weeks (almost 5.5 years) I guess some people may be interested in what I do. Clearly it has worked for me but I’m sure it won’t suit everyone.
My fasting days have always consisted of the following meals:
Breakfast: a small helping of either porridge or granola with natural yoghurt
Lunch: a small helping of fruit – 2 kiwis, or some strawberries most commonly
Dinner: 1 day two poached eggs on unbuttered wholegrain toast; the other day 2 rashers of bacon with a small helping of baked beans on unbuttered wholegrain toast – then an apple on both days
During the fasting days I’ll drink either water or black coffee except at dinner when I’ll have a zero calorie coke because I really need to taste a different flavour.
At my max (19 weeks in) I’d lost 17.6kg from a starting point of 94.3kg. Today I was at 81.1kg, so still 13.2kg lower than when I began and currently in a good phase of regular weight loss. I suspect the salads for dinner at this time of year on the normal 5 days are helping a lot with that (I will eat lettuce, tomato and cucumber). Having said that yesterday evening we were celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary and the meal in the restaurant certainly wasn’t salad. The gin, Amarone and port to help the food go down don’t usually appear in most diet books either.
I do still go through some periods when I feel hungry on Fast Days, but most of the time I barely notice them now. I really don’t know why some days seem harder than others. The busier I am the less likely it is I’ll notice being hungry, but even that isn’t 100% consistent. Getting a drink usually helps with any hunger pangs.
Good luck to everyone. As all Maintainers will know, it’s a marathon not a sprint. You just have to keep doing it consistently in a way that suits you whilst achieving the desired results.
Great to hear your story, Mr Data. Glad you spoke up.
Yes, Polly, we eat 2 meals a day, Fast and Slow Days. On Slow Days, ‘lunch’ = 1 oz cheese + Green Milk. ODH will sometimes have more for lunch but can monitor himself fairly well.
For dining out, I start with a glass of sparkling wine. That will last me through an appetizer. Then another choice from the “Starters” section of the menu, more likely involving meat which is enjoyed with a glass of red wine. Dessert shared with ODH. This works quite well, unless we do the Chef’s Tasting Menu…..
We did that last night and do not regret it! 7 courses of tiny plates, each paired with a delightful wine [we shared the wine portions, otherwise would have been too blotto to walk.] Hope it didn’t do too much damage.
tomorrow we Fast.
Hope you each had a fabulous weekend.
I started the 5:2 diet about 3 years ago. I lost 25 lbs (about 11 kg?) and have pretty much kept it off. The last year was very stressful, and I didn’t always fast 2 days a week, so I’ve put on about 3-4 pounds. Now that it is summer, it is a less stressful time for me (I’m a teacher), and I’d like to lose those 3-4 pounds plus about 5-10 more.
I have modified the 5:2 in that, although I’m a woman, I go a little bit above 500 calories. I can’t drink black coffee, so I allow myself a carb free coconut-based creamer in 2 cups of coffee. I also allow myself lots of low-cal veggies (things like steamed kale, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms). I exercise a lot–6 days a week of 45 min HIT cardio and a bit of weight lifting on 2 days, so even if I get to 700 calories, my exercise uses up most of it.
The difficulty I’m having is that I’ve come to dread fast days, on the day before. I don’t count calories on NFD (one of my fav things), and I worry that I eat too much the day before because of that dread. Once i’m in the middle of a FD, I’m fine.
I am wondering about switching to a daily fast that simply involves skipping breakfast and eating only two meals. In the morning I would simply have the non-dairy, coconut based creamer with 2 cups of coffee. I imagine that on some days, I might eat “lunch” as early as 10:30 or 11, but I don’t normally have problems going for 7-8 hours without eating (i.e., until dinner at 6 pm).
I’m wondering if anyone else has been successful with the diet, but then found it a little tiring, as I have. Thanks in advance for your advice!
Hi, Italian gal. I maintain on two meals a day, ie 16:8 although I didn’t know that term before I found it was my best method.
We have breakfast around 1pm and dinner about 6.30. Like you, I can’t stomach black coffee, but my bit of milk hasn’t made any difference. I rarely managed 500, too, usually around 600 and I’m only 5’3”.
I was a teacher and thought that I ate healthily, but our portions were too big and my lunchtime sandwich, with cheese and, often chutney, didn’t help. I also used to reward myself with a large glass of wine when finished my marking!
Good luck.
Pol.
Hi girls
We eat 2 meals a day while travelling as regular fasts becomes difficult. A late brunch, which is consciously veg and protein based, and a mindful dinner. Wine with both, but dessert with one. Dessert for us is usually plain full fat yohurt (which satiates), berries and nuts.
We are travelling at present, so this is our regime. Eating only a small porrion of the emtre on the long haul plane trip worked really well. We just had to demand more frequent water!
We left home at 6 deg, are having a few days at 30+ and very humid, in Asia, then Europe with milder temps.
This heat is easy for eating lightly, although a cold wine is obligatory.
We always drink black coffee, so our 18:6 is a genuine no calories.
We both lost about 30kgs each, 5 years ago. Regular fasting really seems to be the answer for good maintenance, but for brief periods careful eating on 18:6 will work.
Good luck.
P
Italian gal, you can do it. You are talking yourself out of it for no reason. Talk yourself into a different mindset so that you look forward to Fasting. We love our eggs on a Fast Day for the first meal and really do look forward to them. Fast dinners are sometimes so good that we repeat them on Slow Days.
The plan you describe should work, and if it gets you out of your pit, then hooray! Try it and let us know how it works.
Hi FM and Poll
I have escaped the winter…currently in Cornwall. The weather is perfect 22-25 deg, gentle breeze. I am having trouble coping with the long hours of sunlight, though.
Just shared a fabulous platter of lobster, crab, prawns, mussles and smoked salmon. Delicious!
We don’t fast, per se, while travelling, but carefully choose our 2 meals a day. It is important to try local delicacies, after all. 😊
I’m watching Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall on tv reinventing breakfast. His line “think outside the cereal box” is great! P
The talk of food and balmy weather is inspiring! Have just finished my FD in cold cold Adelaide! However, cold mornings and evenings mean sunshine during the day so can’t complain. My poor garden is totally confused – roses blooming on every bush 😳
10 days and we go to Canada for our sons wedding. I’m hoping to be warmed up once we arrive there.
Polly I appreciate your excitement at having grandchildren to yourselves for a few days – it’s just so different to when the parents are around. 😊
Too cold to get out of bed yet, laying here thinking about my breakfast – yum!
Winter is as variable as usual, Fasting. At least today’s icy blast hasn’t turned up yet, but the high temp is 8!
You are inspiring me to consider Cornwall when we are in the NH in two years’ time, P, and I have already spoken to my (retired, London-based) brother about accompanying us. The next holiday is Hawai’i in September, so just a couple of months to get through before tropical heat, fragrances wafting…
Is you son marrying a local, Carol? I’m sure you will be lovely and warm when you are there, enjoy.
I am going to be sneaky tonight with dinner, blend cauliflower with onion, garlic, lots of cheeses, butter and cream. Here’s hoping I can disguise the cauli enough to get past OH 🙂 . He still struggles to believe that he is eating the dreaded cabbage every time he is enjoying my lovely cole slaw!
AM temps in the 40s today! [that’s 5-9C]!! But then up to the low 80s [25-29 C] later in the day. Very low humidity and slight breezes. The peonies and mock orange are done. Now the lavender along the terrace is starting, and the daylily borders are yellow with a little orange for contrast. Beautiful outside, but far too cold for breakfast on the porch.
Barata, you clever girl! Lately, if I need a potato topping [cottage pie. shepherd’s pie], I use 1/2 mashed potato and 1/2 mashed cauliflower. ODH never noticed. Told our son about the idea and he was very excited to try it. You will be in “NH” in 2 years??? Unless NH means something different to you, I assume you mean “UK”?? But if you ever get to New Hampshire, come see me!! lol
Nice that PVE + Carolan have joined Pol and me in the Northern Hemisphere.
Pol, I can tell by the way the words vibrate that you are so excited to host your G-sons. What fun you’ll have!
For those of you who want a good way to get veg into family, try this recipe. My ODH enjoys it a lot. I even gave jars of it to friends at Christmas and it was well-received.
MEXICAN PICKLED VEGETABLES:
NB: keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks. The longer it sits, the spicier it gets. Superb as side dish; a nibble; an ingredient. Doubles or triples as you wish.
2 cups cauliflower florets 1 and ¼ cup carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4” thick on the diagonal ½ cup zucchini, sliced into 1/3” rounds 3 jalapeno peppers, sliced thinly ½ cup white vinegar 1 cup cider vinegar 1 cup water 3 Tbsp sugar 1 Tbsp kosher salt 1.5 tsp dried oregano, Mexican if you can get it ¾ tsp peppercorns ½ tsp coriander seeds ½ tsp dried thyme 1.5 bay leaves, crumbled ½ large onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, halved
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the cauliflower and carrot. When the water returns to a boil, boil the vegetables for 2 minutes. Drain the vegetables and refresh under cold water. Put the cooked vegetables in a large bowl with the zucchini and jalapenos and stir to combine. Put into a heat-proof one quart glass jar [ex: a Mason jar], and set aside on a cutting board. In a sauce pan, combine the vinegars, water, and all remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Take off the heat and immediately pour over the vegetables in the jar. [I had a little left over, which I saved to pour in later] Let cool to room temperature, then put a lid on it and refrigerate until cold.
That recipe sounds nice fastingme.
I’ve been mixing potato with sweet potato or cauli when I make mash these days as I have sort of given up potatoes but my OH still likes them with his meal. DIL introduced me to the sweet potato mix.she did trying to get the kids to eat sweet potato and now they love it and SoDo we!
I’ve got Jamie Oliver’s 5 ingredients cookbook and cooked an interesting meal from that last night. It was interesting because cauli was served on the side. Raw cauli, processed in your whizz and then you add fresh mint,microwave (without water) for 4 minutes and you’re done. It tasted really nice! Plenty left over so I’ll think of some way to have it for my lunch today.
Fastingme, to us down under NH means northern hemisphere 😊
Yes Barata, our son is marrying a local so unlikely he’ll ome back to aus to live. I have hopes they might come for a year or two if they have children but she already has 2 so is pretty much tied to Canada at least while they’re young. 😞
The way of the world these days isn’t it – not like my parents generation when families mainly lived in the same area as each other.
Fasting, my usual mash is potato (a little) with mostly golden kumara (sweet potato), but I can see my adding cauliflower to this, too.
For us southerners, NH is indeed the northern half of our planet! 🙂
We did have a quick run through Cornwall over a long weekend when we lived in England, Carol. OH had an itch to see both Land’s End and John O Groats – successfully achieved. We called in at the Eden Project, boated around St Michael’s Mont, walked out on the cliffs at Tintagel, found some distant relatives in a Sommerset graveyard, and fought the holiday traffic!
My mother lost all her sons, two permanently to the UK and USA, two to Australia who did come home again. And that was in the pre-Skype / FB / social media communication options, so she relied on letters, and you know what lads are like 🙁 At least you will have an excuse for NH travel when the chill sets in here.
Cornwall is indeed lovely. The weather, at present, is superb, but even in mid winter I love it. The scenery is spectacular (think Poldark) and the people incredibly friendly. The exceptionally narrow, hedge lined roads can be a lot of fun when faced with a large truck coming the other way, but that’s all part of being here!! The view of the full moon over the sea last night, as we sat watching a play performed in the theatre carved into the cliffs, was one of life’s great experiences.
Don’t tell too many people though. It is already very popular 😉😉
Re potato, I never eat it at home, but have had a couple of meals with it here. Ok in moderation, just like most things really. P 😊
Come to North Wales! Daughter-in-law was amazed both st the beauty and the variety of landscape in what she vondicers a small area. The Clwydian Range, where we live, is softer and not overwhelmed with tourists. The west is more mountainous, where Edmund Hillary trained fir Everest.
I’ll try the boys with sweet potatoes and ordinary.
Have lots of fun, Polly, with those grand-boys.
Purple, you are in Cornwall, so it is mid-SUMMER. We were in Cornwall 5 yrs ago. When we were on the Tintagel cliff, a bird flew up on an up-draft to eye level before it soared away. And what was the bird? The most appropriate species of all for Tintagel: it was a Merlin!
We stayed in the B&B where “Rosemary Lawn” ?? was filmed. Never saw it myself, but here it is famous.
Carolann, thank you for setting me straight on “NH.” I was being parochial. Again. Where in Canada will the wedding be and will they live there or elsewhere in the Land of the Maple Leaf?
Raining now. Won’t see the full moon tonight, tho it was lovely last night. Rain is much needed as we are in a ‘moderate drought’ condition.
Hi, everyone. We had a wonderful week with the boys. Caernarfon Castle was a hit and we called at Colwyn Bay on the way home. It was heavenly, even the sea was warm. Chester Zoo on Friday was too hot, so that most animals hid away in the afternoon. The boys were so good and we walked miles, I’m sure.
We walked to town on Saturday to buy a present and have ice cream in the fabulous sweet shop, before my daughter and her partner came. Then yet another Castle, Denbigh. All the family on Sunday, with my sister and co meeting the boys for the first time.
Good 5:2 news – OH has lost 6lbs! 😁😁😁 I am also 2lbs below lower wriggle in spite of a daily ice cream!
It’s an indication that our less active retired lives don’t help.
We are basking in the sun here. Very unusual for an extended period.
Pol.
Oh, Polly, what a wonderful time you must have had — such memories for the children to have! Kudos to Mr P for his losses. whew. You should walk to town everyday for ice-cream, if it helps you both to keep you weight down.
Kelowna, BC — is that near the Aluminum works? Seems to me I know people who know Kelowna… Have a smooth trip, Carolann, and a wonderful time a ‘Mother of the Groom.’
Very hot here in NH [that’s New Hampshire] this week. So glad we don’t live in the cities where there is record heat. Only in the high 80s [31C] but the humidity has been high and the air doesn’t cool off enough at night.
Change is predicted tomorrow, with attendant thunder storms as the front moves through. I have kept the same weight all week — very odd. Spot on the Target Weight. ODH loses 1.5 pounds every Fast day, then gains back a little. Polly’s husband needs to explain a few things to him!
I wanted to diet in a way that was healthy as possible and also manage to help me keep the weight off for good I lost 40 pounds in total and have been learning balance to keep it that way I used a combo of these 2 things lately I just have some of the tea on occasion now a days not even so much for weight loss I just like it as a nice healthy detox for my body now a days https://best2weekdiet.wordpress.com
@dietgogood. Really?? Why not try fasting, its a great detox and it costs nothing. Please peddle you tea somewhere else. If you genuinely want to contribute then great. If you want to push some magical potion onto people then please do so somewhere else.
Good morning, all. We’ve gone quiet, so I missed your disaster at the airport, Carol. How on earth did you manage?
I recall one of my maintenance friends having a nasty stomach upset recently (Purple?). Went to an afternoon school retirement tea yesterday: no coffee, only tea or orange juice. Yea, gods, I was in trouble after the orange juice and two thin scones.
Also wondering whether my scales are broken, as I be been exactly 126lbs for four days. OH is trying hard again and losing slowly. We’ve had two programmes featuring diabetes 2 reversal on TV. recently, with prospects of the plan being rolled out to GPS around the country.
Absolutely agree that no magic potions needed to either lose weight or maintain. IF is by far the best, as it allows for special occasions and changes eating habits.
Pol.
Wow, Pol, we do need that in Kiwiland, particularly for the Polynesian population which is particularly susceptible to the carb/processed food/sugar junk that is too easily available to them, especially in the lower socio-economic areas. 🙁
How did you manage, Carol, with your card-less episode? Was that when you were flying out to the wedding? How was disaster averted?
Traveling without credit cards would be a daunting proposition!
On BBC’s news app, there are so many stories about trying to cut obesity in Scotland; in Wales. Have you recently seen any of the WW2-era films? When the actors take off their shirts, their ribs show. Now that would be considered too skinny and insufficiently muscular. I think that the pain-killer epidemic and obesity are related: in the ’90s the idea was that no one ever need be in pain [we have pills for that] and that food was readily available and no reason we shouldn’t eat it.
Barata, Carolan, PVE: how is winter treating you? Have you hit the cold temps yet? I heard that Sydney set a heat record recently. Do you get rains in the winter?
HOT and HUMID here. Tomorrow we go to our vacation home until Fall. It is cooler there, although they don’t have any more rain than we have. Hope it doesn’t hurt the strawberries and peaches. Selfish of me.
Good Fast Day yesterday — we both lost 1+ pounds.
I’m at the point now that when I see a post like Olivia’s, I report it. So misleading.
Hi all, I’m over here in Canada and spending well 😊. I’m using one of my husbands cards. My other son will bring my wallet with him when he arrives in a couple of weeks. We’ve had nothing but dramas lately!
Fastingme all I know about Kelowna is that it’s in the Lake District of BC and a popular holiday destination.
No winter for Purple or I being the other side of the globe. 32 degrees here yesterday! ☀️
Lovely rain today!! Started after noon, continuing off and on all afternoon as a front comes through. Grand to hear the rain on the roof. Air is cooling, tho the humidity is still high. Tonight should bring clearing and drier air. Hooray!
Glad they still take credit cards in BC, Carolann! How is the exchange rate vs your currency? Unfortunately for Canada, the US Dollar is usually stronger.
Hi fm
Sydney has had record heatwaves during the last 2 summers (Christmas time). As I’m currently in Europe, I don’t know how it is at home. I believe cold and dry. We usually get rain in autumn (April) but had none this year. It seems everywhere around the world is looking for rain.
As Carol says, we are both escaping winter at present. P
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