Starting on Monday - anyone want to be my buddy?

[SpanielFace]

I'm planning on starting next week - it's my birthday on Thursday so want to wait until after then!

I'm 32, 5'7 and have about 5 stone to lose. I have a 10 month old DS and I have recently been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid gland, which slows the metabolism and makes it harder to lose weight - I started treatment 2 weeks ago and am already feeling much better, so I'm hoping to find losing weight a bit easier. 2 stone of this weight has been gained since having DS, which I feel ashamed about, but have been feeling exhausted and depressed (due mostly to the thyroid, it turns out) and have compensated by comfort eating.

I really hope this will be a solution to 8 years of yo-yo dieting, which have taken me from a size 10 to a size 18 A little nervous of the hunger, but I know it won't kill me.

Does anyone want to be my buddy, for a bit of mutual support?

[Curioustiger]

I was just posting on another thread that I've plateaued. Very annoying. I seem to be stuck in aband of about three pounds. I guess I just have to stick with it and hope to see that downward movement again!

[AphraBehn]

I'm back in the saddle! Had to take a few weeks off 5:2 and regained a bit but started again last week and have dropped 2lbs .

FD today.

[Luvvies]

Heck I've got stones to lose still, no stealth boasting here. I'm 18st 3 still! No shame saying that. But a lot of it is boob! I've just tried on a pair of trousers I am working towards and I could probably wear them tomorrow, but it's a risk, so I'm going to stick with some unflattering-because-they're-too-baggy-now ones.

FD here, too busy to notice, on a crazy work thing still (do I keep moaning about that?). I'm freelance, and you have to do it when it's there, done about 5 allnighters in the last month. Madness in your mid 40s. But there may be precious little for a while after the next fortnight, so I'll rest up and sleep then. Going away on business tomorrow, will have a lovely little picnic in my hotel room tomorrow night (walk past Waitrose when I leave the office yippee), then I will fast again Thurs, so that will fit in nicely. This is the first week I've been able to get my head back into it really - plans got scuppered last week by lunching with clients on the wrong days, oops.

[Curioustiger]

I agree, it's easy to sound a bit like you're stealth boasting if you only have a small amount to lose. Even when that is not the case at all. Sadly not the case for me as a healthy BMI is a little way off yet but this WOE is helping tremendously!

[becky78]

Ha ha, I know curious, it is a strange thing and I never know what the etiquette is on forums like this. I don't actually have that much to lose in the big scheme of things, 4lbs and my bmi would be normal, but always feels a bit of a taboo to use actual numbers. Maybe the anonymous thing is worse in some ways as I'm more aware of being misinterpreted or inadvertently offending someone - silly really!!

Anyway planning FDs for Mon and Thurs this week - good luck everyone. Gator, Luvvies etc, how are you doing?

[Curioustiger]

Becky that sounds nasty but good luck for x stone!

As an aside, I love the way we're all mysterious aboit our weight (myself included) despite being anonymous and talking to Internet strangers! Even though I am relatively body confident I have never told anyone how much I weigh, not even my husband!

[becky78]

I only managed 1 official fast but then had flu and couldn't eat/stand up/speak for about 36hrs so still managed to lose 1lb which I'm happy with. If I can do another 1lb next week I'll be at x stone exactly which will be a good milestone to hit.

Hope everyone had a successful week x

[Curioustiger]

Quiet week this week! I've only managed to fit in one fast this week so will do tomorrow as well (bleurgh, hate weekend fasts). How's everyone else?

[Curioustiger]

Gator could your sleep problems be anything to do with salt? I have found I am quite sensitive to caffeine, which is pretty common, and very sensitive to salt, which never seems to be discussed re sleep. If I have a takeaway or a pizza (pizzas are particularly bad) and forget to drink a glass of water before bed, I can guarantee I will wake up ... Presumably from thirst. I then stay awake for hours.

I should note though that my DH and I hardly eat salt at all day to day, I never cook with it and always have low salt marg etc, so in a way I have sensitised myself to it, perhaps.

[Luvvies]

Can't quite work out, but I'm back to where I was before I went off the wagon, another crazzzzy week and not enough sleep, (you have to sleep to lose weight) and only one FD, so I'm happy enough with that.

Well done Tiger and Becky that's better than a gain.

Gator (still tempted to call you Bitch) I cannot fathom what's going on with your sleep either but I hope it works out soon)

[Curioustiger]

I lost one lb so now back on track. Three more to go before I meet my first goal. Would be awesome to get there before end of Nov!

[becky78]

So how did everyone get on this week? Any updates to report? No loss for me but figure there's going to be a slowdown every now and then so fingers crossed I'll be back to 1lb off again next week.

Have a good weekend all

[GatoradeMeBitch]

I had a shocker yesterday. It was a min fast then feast in one. I fasted until about 2pm then it all went out the window - and I did not sleep at all last night! I checked my phone after hours of lying there and saw it was 6am. So I just read until 8. How ironic that I posted an article about the importance of sleep yesterday

I think that may mean that I eat too much on a feast day and my body is so overwhelmed with the digesting process that I can't rest. My son made fish finger sandwiches for dinner and I had two. I could feel my stomach churning when I went to bed. I think I need to eat more moderately!

[outtolunchagain]

FD for me too , doing it differently today and have had breakfast in the hope that I won't find the afternoon so difficult .

[Curioustiger]

FD for me too today Luvvies. See you at the coffee machine clutching our water bottles!

[Luvvies]

Right, back with you today. In the scheme of things, the damage is not too great, 2 lbs on since last weigh in, which was on 4th Oct. There's been some serious cake and "need something nice to get me through this long late night of work" in that time.
FD today.

[GatoradeMeBitch]

Clicky - jezebel.com/science-we-all-need-sleep-to-clean-out-our-brain-garba-1447828445

[GatoradeMeBitch]

I'm wondering if my nails are better Tiger. I get shellac nails so I don't know, but they were weak and ridged months ago.

I have failed today. I need to be more organised. Leaving something in the fridge that needed to be eaten today has ruined my day!

I saw this article on the possible reason we need sleep so badly and it encouraged me to go to bed early last night! Re-posting here in case it strikes a chord with anyone else! jezebel.com/science-we-all-need-sleep-to-clean-out-our-brain-garba-1447828445

[Curioustiger]

Well now I am demotivated! Despite rigorously sticking to two fast days I've managed to put on a pound! That's so annoying after a week of no loss. Trying to view it as extra motivation for next week. Not quite there in my head yet though!

[Luvvies]

Oh don't worry I will, I'm not demotivated, just a series of events screwed up some eating patterns!

[Curioustiger]

Come on luvvies, you can do it. Here's a bit of a motivator / NSV... My nails are amazing since I started 5:2. I have always had nails which break easily... You should see them now! I think it must be because I drink so much water on fast days.

[Luvvies]

Becky that's a motivational thought of what can be achieved in a year!
I'm not back yet really, I'm afraid. Was going to have a FD and forgot and had toast for breakfast and gave up and the rest of the week went to pot too!!! Blame it on loss of sleep, masses of work stress

Another birthday looming on Sunday then I'm definitely back on on Monday. Will have a lot of catching up to do.

[Curioustiger]

Hi everyone, it's me under a name change (I'm sure you can guess). Still ploughing away. No loss last week due to excessive cake intake on NFDs but I am still 1 stone 1lb down. So srlf ill delighted! Hoping for an extra lb on Monday and ideally to hit my first goal by end of Nov (was Nov 5th but I don't think I'll get there in time).

[becky78]

Morning all, welcome back Luvvies and Aphra, happy belated birthday and get well soon respectively (hurrah for hospital scales!!).

Well done Gator, 2lb a week is still a healthy weight loss so don't beat yourself up, if you are only changing things on FD's and eating as before on other days (like me) then this is not a quick fix, it is a slow steady weight loss plan that doesn't impact on your life so much that after a few months you give up because either you can't cope with sticking to it, or you reach goal and celebrate by going out for the pizza you've been dying for for months and then steadily put the weight back on (in my experience). If it helps, if you stay on track you are losing at least half a stone a month so this time next year, in theory you could be 6 stone lighter (obviously depending how much you have to lose)!!

1lb off again for me. I've done some calculations and if I can maintain 1lb a week off then by DS 1st birthday (end of Nov) I should have managed 1 stone off and have normal BMI so that is my challenge.

Hope everyone else is good, have a lovely weekend xx

[GatoradeMeBitch]

I've been carrying on. I have had some very vivid dreams, including one where I was a serial killer, my son was my accomplice and we got a lift on One Directions tour bus to get to our next victim.

I've been good on fast days but eating whatever I fancy on the other days, and it turns out that two 500 cal days are not a get out of jail free card for me. I gained some weight back. I have still lost six pounds in three weeks but I'm aware it could be better!