I know what you mean Bay – there is no such things as plain anything over there – it has other food such as cheese, sour cream piled on top. The only good thing is in Canada we are with our son and his partner. She has australianised her taste after living here for a while and his taste is very Aussie so they tend to choose the restaurants which I would describe as more healthy, so a bit easier for us!

Happy what do you do with the courgette(zucchini) and feta – is it cooked? I love fetta and don’t mind zucchini but find it a little bland. Zucchini are always cheap to buy so would welcome a new way of cooking/eating it. We used to grow our own too but now there are only two of us we have decided the bounty is too prolific for us to cope with. No DILs here anymore to give produce to 🙁

Hi everyone, yes, my weight predicament is wholly sugar induced. Like you Fast, I could really do with using the few calories my body is allowed on good nutritious food. When doing proper fasts, I automatically don’t eat sugar or even carbs – so some regular fast days will re-set my system again and hopefully get me off my sugar slippery slope.

Happy and Fast, it looks like you have to take your holidays between October and March when your garden conscience allows you some time away from home.

I am not a fan of courgettes but really like them as pureed soup. Strange. Maybe I overcook them as they become watery and a bit flavourless. A ton of cheese and tomatoes seems to be the only thing that seems to rescue them.

Sliced longwise and lightly grilled, with a quick spray of olive oil and some thyme or a few cumin seeds, seems to be the consensus favourite here. One that got away to marrow status got simply halved long wise, baked till still Al dente and filled with Dahl – that was nice, as the blandness balanced the spicy Dahl. Then there’s good old ratatouille, courgette cake…and if all else fails, you can call in the Marrow Fairy, who anonymously deposits a marrow on every neighbour’s doorstep in the wee small hours…..She charges, though: you usually find a similar deposit, with interest, on your own doorstep come pumpkin time – and anyone who goes away comes back to find they got double. Oh, for the deep country times, when it was pheasant or rabbit – or plums – hanging on the door handle, and moles – brought in by the cats – running round the downstairs loo!

Casserole it in a LOT of red wine!!

Talking about sweet. Just finished a 24 hour complete fast with a vegie cookup and a large strawberry each with a teaspoon of yoghurt. The strawberries were magnificent! SO sweet. Considering it is midwinter here, the low price and stunning taste was a big surprise. How good is natural sweetness? (Especially on a fast day) P

Hi Lichtle – me too, though not as strictly as you. I had some Greek yoghurt with raspberries and blueberries at lunchtime, and have just had some ratatouille – gotta use those courgettes somehow! Glad the sweetie craving hasn’t bothered you – well done! Good luck with the rest of the day, and we’ll do another sugar challenge soon.
My big achievement today is to have walked 4 miles – no, not the distance, but the fact that I walked 4 miles knowing there were three toffees in my coat pocket – and they’re still there!!

Jayney, Tanita scales register stones/lbs/ozs, and also record body fat %age, muscle mass and bone density – I don’t know whether they do travel scales (mine are full size) but worth a look.

Wow, congratulations – think how much you enjoyed the last wedding, and start looking forward….. And Bristol again – wonderful! Thanks for the ‘incredible’: I admit I was rather proud of myself – only another Sugar Beast will really understand just how proud!
I agree with you about the need to continue fasting; quite apart from the other benefits, I still find a x2 per week fast (or, more truthfully, a x 1.5 one, as I don’t want to lose more weight, just to maintain) is useful to re-set my tastebuds, as well as my portion control, appetite etc. Monday is strict, Thursday is lenient and a bit cheaty, but I’m still committed to them.

Jayney – I think you’re the expert on psyllium husks: can you tell me more, please? Specifically: I bought some as an aid to the one problem I find the 5:2 WOE seems to give me – in my DH’s phrase (forgive the graphic expression, please everyone) – ‘rabbit pellet poos’. Now I find the literature is full of dire warnings about possible nasty effects unless they’re taken with vast quantities of water, or at the right interval before meals. Do I need to be worried about them? What’s your experience? Can I pick your brains, please? (And anyone else finding the same problem – any useful solutions?)

Hi All,

Not much to report, as still no fasting since the stomach bug. Now that really was a fast that reset my system! I’m much less hungry and haven’t been a ‘constant crater’ since.

I probably ought to fast again soon though as I’ve got a couple of weeks off now, and the weather’s only fit for baking 🙂

Fast,
Good job ignoring the toffees. Now that is willpower. Was that a Nordic walk (just thinking perhaps you couldn’t get to your pockets or mouth for sticks?!)

Sorry, no husk experience here!

Lichtle,
Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials! Even if you didn’t already have a thin dress, I think you wouldn’t want to eat yourself fat agwin?!

Purple, DD nr 1 got married last month and DD nr 2 is due next year. I have told DS that he now has to wait in line until 2017 :-))

Happy you are so right. No way do I want to put on weight again – dress or no dress. Still, every bit of motivation is good.

Jayney,

Re: scales and ounces. I did think of kitchen scales… We may be light now, but not that light!

My scales are supposed to do kilos and lbs, but I can’t make them switch to lbs. I guess if I could, they’d probably do 10ths of a lb too. Just as well, I think I’d spend my time mentally converting to ounces 🙂

On the subject of psyllium, and without being too indelicate! Does it help?

Just realised the link does not work. Try this one and click on the pdf:

http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au/R?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=172316

If this does not work google “Curtain University Psyllium”. There is a 12 week psyllium fibre supplementation study.

Fast, as I don’t have any particular issues re digestion I am careful to take any such supplementation on a regular basis – however safe it is. But if you suffer then it is a different matter.

Ha Fast,

Only 30%? Perhaps that’s why I eat 3 x more than I ought 🙂

Diet experiment quoted: 2 groups of people, eating their normal, unrestricted diet – only difference was one group had to substitute 300 cals per day of something else with 300 cals worth of nuts. All the nut group lost weight, none of the others did. Interesting…

I really am going to bed. You are all too, too fascinating…

Hi everyone, lots of interesting posts on here!

Fast re rabbit pellets, I was the same way on 5:2 initially and had increased my consumption of seed products nuts all those things with extra fibre but the secret was definitely the water. I have to drink at least one litre a day not to have any issues.
I will be interested to see Jayneys reply re psyllium. Jayney BTW we are not in Canada yet, we go in six weeks. At this stage it seems highly unlikely we will make it to Seattle – a shame, would have been great to catch up! We have booked San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Lichtle wonderful news!

P amazed at your control – only one strawberry that’s impressive!

Hi Fast, Well done on resisting the toffees. I need to drink two litres of water a day to keep regular. Nothing else has the impact that adequate water intake has. Plus lots of green vegetables.

I also eat raw nuts most days, Brazil or almonds or macadamias.

Fasted for 23 hours yesterday. I’m the same as Purple carrying too much weight. Because it’s Winter I have indulged in too many home made treats like Apple crumble, and bread and butter pudding with cream. Ah, me! I was mooching along at 2 kg above PB and yesterday’s fast has helped remove one of those kg. Tomorrows fast will get rid of the next one just in time before we go to Croatia.

I will fast one day a week while away. And eat lightly on one other day. Mostly I choose to fast on the long travel days when all I need is water and access to facilities. Airline food is pretty awful so this makes the first choice of light eating day easy. So long as I minimise all grain intake and stay as sugar free as possible, I can enjoy the whole six weeks. If I gain 1-2 kg by the end, I can lose it quickly.

Cheers, Bay 🙂

Hi Lichtle

Congratulations on nuptials all round. Enjoy the wedding in your slim dress. Next thing you will be waiting the arrival of lovely grandchildren. One of the best things that can happen as you get older.

Fast, Lichtle, When shall we begin the next sugar free challenge? We are away until mid September. I guess six weeks prior to Christmas is doable, given what we achieved in Lent.

Cheers, Bay :).

Thanks, Purple 😉

Purple it’s all about the presentation isn’t it – tricking the mind into thinking we are not missing out. Since 5:2 I now use an entree size plate for all our main meals and a b&b plate on fast days.

I guess every cloud has a silver lining Happy – even a stomach bug! 🙂

Hi All,

FastFastSlow, regarding your comment about Tanita scales I did see one with a handle, but it seems to be the size of a regular bathroom scale, which I don’t think would travel well, but I’ll certainly take another look.

However, I’m far from an expert on psyllium husks, as I have only ever used this psyllium powder:
http://www.supersup.com/now-foods-psyllium-apple-12-oz-powder-340-g-733739059208

Regarding the ‘rabbit pellet poos’, I haven’t really had an issue with that (though on days when I mostly have protein drinks, I either don’t poo much at all, or they are small, but I wouldn’t call them rabbit pellets). According to the directions for the product above, 1 Tablespoon is to be taken with 8-12 oz. water (I generally use 7-8 oz.). It also says it’s important to drink lots of fluid throughout the day. Best practice seems to be to mix it up and drink it right down in one go (pretty much what I do). The guy I spoke with at the store where I buy it does this as well, and then immediately has another 12 oz. water in the same glass to drink down the residue left on the glass from mixing it up. I haven’t been doing that though.

I’ve been using psyllium since about three weeks or so after I started 5:2. I experimented with other fibre products first, but psyllium has fewer calories. I haven’t had any adverse effects (including the poos you mention). I generally take the psyllium right before breakfast and dinner, but not too late in the day before dinner or there might be a risk of getting up in the middle of the night to go to the loo. I don’t think you need to be worried about anything, but then again, as I’ve said, I only use psyllium powder–not husks. Feel free to pick my brains if you have more questions. Sorry it too me so long to reply.

Purple Vegie Eater that’s interesting that you weigh on 4 different sets of scales in different places. You mean different places where you travel, or different rooms in your home? It makes sense that you’d be comfortable with both imperial and metric after your explanation. Thanks for clarifying that.

HappyNow Re: scales and ounces. I did think of kitchen scales… We may be light now, but not that light! No kidding!

On the subject of psyllium, and without being too indelicate! Does it help? It’s difficult to say, since I’ve generally not had issues with being irregular. Then again, I still have no issues with being irregular, so it doesn’t hurt, and it might well help. At the time I started buying it, the powder was on sale and before maintenance I was taking it thrice daily, so went through over two jars a month. Now I’m taking it twice daily and go through more than one jar a month. Even though the price has gone up, it’s still relatively cheap for the amount I use, so there’s no reason to stop using it from what I can tell. I hope this is helpful.

Carol, I’m sorry to hear you won’t be in Seattle after all. Please let me know if your travel plans change for any reason and you end up being able to make it.

Great chatting with you all!

Jayney

And 5280 feet, P – but that was a long time ago for me, so perhaps the world’s dimensions have changed…

Thanks to so many of you for you interest in the lower regions of my gut, and
psyllium – not sure whether to be glad or sorry that I mentioned it! It’s not a regular problem (no pun intended) and normally I’m not obsessive but just – was going to say ‘go with the flow’ – now frantically scrabbling for a more delicate / suitable alternative – just an occasional annoyance. Given my occasional swallowing problems, I think I’m probably better just making a mental note to drink more water – I’ve been told since childhood that I should drink more, but just don’t seem to have the volume for large amounts. ( odd, how large amounts of fruit, chocolate, nuts, veg, cake, ice cream etc all fit, but not fluid….!). Perhaps I should programme the fancy Fitbit to remind me…

Perhaps we could now forget I asked — please?

Thanks, Lichtie. I have set the Fitbit to buzz me every 2 hours – it might as well earn its living!

I remember that study, P: I was doing my health ed training at the time and found it fascinating. I’m also aware of the smaller amounts of food in transit- I feel a bit like a breastfed baby (back to that – sorry, folks!) – do you remember, those of you who had those, that they go through a phase of one dirty nappy a week (though plenty of wet ones, obv) but that one is actually a neck-to-toes job? It was explained to me at the time that because the milk is so perfectly suited to them there is very little waste, and it has to build up to a certain quantity before it stimulates the bowel to empty. So maybe my diet is just perfect now?? But I’ll still drink the glass of water DH has just brought – and if I’m up five times tonight, it’s your fault, Lichtle!

I just love the breadth of topics on this thread. Somebody start another one, please!

… three children and thirty years later someone finally explains to me the mystery of the exploding nappy :-))

Ha ha, Fast you are bringing out some more or less hidden juvenile humour here.

Hello everybody 🙂

I am new to this thread and very happy to enter maintenance mode 🙂 To share with you and give you an impression about my new WON (way of nutrition) I sum up my past year for you.

I have started in August 2014, pretty exactly one year ago. Had 83,5 kg on 1st of August, waist circumference of 98 cm, age 51, now 52 and 1,72 m. (The other 3 kg I had carried before August I lost by doing a fruit day once a week between February and June 2014. Tested the waters so to speak.)

Started out with lots of sports like biking/walking and food combining (here they call it “Slim in Sleep” SiS). Then, in November, after a weight-loss of about 10 kg I heard of 5:2 FD for the first time at a party. That resonated instantly and I got some books and started four days later. Since 18th of November I have been doing FDs consequently. 5:2 in the beginning, 3:4 from January ’til April 2015, in May I returned to 5:2. I had a very long plateau between February and June. No more results on the scales. I sticked to my plan anyway. Not gaining back is and was a success for me. I was a bit sad yet coped with the stagnation. (Today I know that I ate too much calories and was unaware of it).

I did not drink alcohol most of the time (only on very few occasions). Daily sports were on my schedule, too.

From last Saturday until yesterday I did a water- and tea-fast for four days. Today I am breaking that fast. Was a totally new experience for me to live on water and tea only. My fruit plate this morning was just: wonderful 😉 and like an explosion in my mouth, really. That delight alone and the joy of eating again was worth it.

Now my results: weigh-in after the W/TF this morning: 61,6 kg, WC 70 cm. My goal was 63 kg. I am prepared to swing around 65 kg in the long run and that is perfect for me. My last weigh-in was 65,9 kg on 21st of July.

I am sure I did not lose 4 kg fat in four days, of course. But that gave me an idea what a full digesting system may weigh. (Hope I did not lose too much muscles in these days!)

Anyway, I am wondering now how to start the maintenance for myself. I will have another weigh-in on 1st of August, my anniversary. I have gotten used to the FDs and am not sure whether I shall skip one day at once or go on with 5:2 for a few more weeks first and then see… I will decide this after reading more in this thread or listening to your experiences that you may like to share with me.

I am happy to be here and hope this post is of use/support for its readers.

Cheers and a wonderful day – be it fast or feast
M

Welcome Mahalo
Congratulations. You set a goal, stuck with it and achieved. Feels fabulous, this wonderful smaller body, doesn’t it?
I think, like most of us, you will play around with various eating patterns to maintain. My main advice is to weigh often (daily) so that you can monitor what’s happening and set an upper limit that you will NEVER exceed.
How is your new wardrobe going? Don’t forget to wear clothes that flatter your new look 😉
Cheers PVE

Hey Everyone,

Just FYI, regarding water, there are hydration calculators online. There used to be a great one that was taken down some time ago, but I was thinking ahead and got the readings for how much water I should have when on maintenance and have been using that. I also have three water bottles I use daily (in addition to the shaker bottle for the psyllium). All I do is fill those bottles to the brim (and 8 oz. twice daily in the shaker bottle with the psyllium) and I’ve got my goal done. I flavour the water with either fruit flavoured stevia, FRS, and/or Nuun Energy tablets. I can’t drink water straight or I’d never drink my quota. I also don’t have any other drinks until I’ve had my water quota for the day, just FYI.

Welcome Mahalo. When I first reached goal I had about a week and a half’s worth of events featuring food in succession, so bearing that in mind I kept fasting for two days those weeks (and sometimes three). However, after the first two weeks I started my present program varying the TDEE with my activity/inactivity levels, and having one fast day and two refeed days weekly. Depending on the week, sometimes I restrict calories on the regular feast days and might have water/psyllium/supplements only fast days. I generally do this either when the weight is higher than I’d like, or when I’m approaching a day with a food event. This seems to be a good way to prepare. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of this, and welcome once again!

Jayney