Countdown to May...

[desikated]

Welcome old and new fasters, those on and off the wagon, those losing, gaining or maintaining for a gentle supportive countdown to May thread.

Never started a thread before copying in people so let's hope this works - some previous usernames no longer existed so had to do a cull..

@HarpQuartet

@MademoiselleFrenglish

@jane46b @TheBorderBinLiner @Crazycrazylady @Doughnutcarrotall35 @2Early4BreakfastIn2024 @TerroristToddler

Please tag in anyone else

@desikated yes I don't calorie count per se but just keep an eye on what I eat in my window and am trying to eat more protein as I'm veggie this can be tricky. My 10k is a trail/road mix one near where I live, there is also a half marathon in my city in Sept which I might go for after if this goes well.

With running I usually run during the week (3 times) as soon as I get up at 5.45 so have a black coffee and go straight out and do 5/6k. I've been doing a longer run on Sat or Sun of 8/10k so that day I don't fast and eat something when I get up like peanut butter on toast and a banana wait about an hour then run. I haven't tried a fasted longer run not sure that's a good idea or not!

How do you manage it all? I've not really taken running this seriously before as I've just run and ate when I felt like it but I'm getting a bit more into it now.

@Saraswati wow that must feel good, to be able to indulge and not put on... that's my goal but realistically not until the autumn as it usually takes the body a while to adapt to the new weight. Good luck with all the training

@HarpQuartet into the 77's is fab!! Great way to start April

@desikated so understand the dejected-ness ... have you had times when you have lost faster recently? Endo must make things challenging... it is tough to recognise that it will work but just slower than hoped... and your exercise is great!

Me this week...
1 April: 11.7 (from high of 14.2)
Today: 11.8
TW: 11.2

I am okay with this - 11.8 is where I've been for last few days with the wee dip to 11.7 only lasting 2 days...

And feels encouraging looking forward: I'm aiming for 2lbs loss in April to 11.6, and then 2lbs in May and June will take me to target for 1 July...

And I would like to add in some gentle weight training this month, realising how important building muscle/strength is both as I age and to keep my metabolic rate up.

I'm going to keep up the fantasy shopping as my go-to for when I'm wavering

I stayed within my eight-hour kitchen window both yesterday and today. Yesterday started at noon, and finished around 8pm, and woke up with ferocious indigestion in the wee small hours. Today started at 9am after an hour in the garden, and felt much more comfortable the rest of the day and this evening.

Food choices were not the best either day, although better than the past few weeks. I got lots of exercise yesterday gardening in the sun, and today on and off in the drizzle. Things are starting to look tidier already in the garden.

Tonight, I'm committing to complete one admin type task every day. I waste a lot of mental energy by procrastinating instead of tackling these tasks. Then I eat to take the edge off. Crazy!

@desikated just to say, I think your progress looks good!

@TooEarlyForBreakfastInApril what are you growing in your garden? Also, happy to buddy up and promise to do an admin task between today and next Friday - I have three things that need doing actually, all money/bank related - if that sort of commitment would be motivating? Like you, my eating habits don't happen in a vacuum, admin procrastination and lots of other everyday things all have a knock-on effect, so I don't think it's irrelevant.

hi everyone well done on loses or even maintaining. I feel a bit dejected too I was up about 5lbs yesterday (10lbs on lowest this year) but managed to shift almost 2 by fasting from late afternoon yesterday.

we are trialing hello fresh this week - it was dc3 who picked the meals so unfortunately they are not diet friendly, it also means I will need to have a late fasting window. On the upside it should encourage us to eat together.

an admin task a day is such a good idea, in that vein I am going to try this week to clear the 8 box ikea drawers which are full of crap crafting materials and admin papers in my dining room.This in turn will hopefully free up a box each for the kids to dump school stuff in so they can’t leave it on the dining table. Ds has a giant room and the girls box rooms so the idea was they would use his room for homework while he has was at uni but that hasn’t happened!

@HarpQuartet the garden is vastly overgrown after several years of neglect. One cherry tree blew down after the storms earlier this year, and now has lovely ivy growing round and round the branches. Some of the ivy is starting to flower and I'm keeping for the bees who love it. I've got some honeysuckle that looks as though there'll be lots of flowers later. I found a length of clematis running under the honeysuckle today. So that'll get pinned up against the wall when the wind calms a bit. I got whacked across the face this morning a couple of times! The peonies are in leaf, and I spotted the beginnings of wild strawberries along the path. The rest is a hideous jumble but it's mine and I enjoy being out there with a good audiobook. Oh and some buddleia. Saw a butterfly but last year the buddleia flowers and the butterflies were out of synch with each other, and it was rather sad. Hoping they do better this year.

The most important admin atm is to sort out our bank accounts as neither of us can hear well enough for phone banking and are scared of banking apps. I think the general muddle in the house are strongly related to my eating habits, and vice versa. So yes, committing to dealing with things would be great thanks 😀

Ooh, your garden sounds like a wild paradise, @TooEarlyForBreakfastInApril !

Right, I'm going to do my finance admin this week and will encourage myself by knowing others are doing it too - you have the ideal user name, @Clearingaspace !

I've been a bit upset (just normal life stuff) and my eating has deteriorated 🫣 but having the Friday check-ins does help me get back on track if I've had a wobbly weekend, so I'm keeping the faith.

Hope you are doing ok @HarpQuartet sorry if you have had a tough time lately. It is difficult when our emotions have such an impact- even just small stresses adding up. Hope you manage to relax and do something nice for yourself this evening - even cheesy bath and a candle does actually help me sometimes

Yes, all very normal life grit!

I've just been on a meditative sunset walk organised by a neighbour, and now I've got a cup of tea, so all is well with the world.

Wishing everyone here a good week ahead.

thanks for the post! im hope its ok to join in i struggle with my chronic illness and weight my diet is as irrational as me!!

Ive done them all but it seem i have the metabolism that needs no food and starve to loose weight. However i know this works its the chaos of life and inability ti parent my self well and have boundaries with myself.

so here i go maybe with the support and advice from other women i can get IF right for me and hold myself accountable. I should be asleep dir the school day ahead but chronic insomnia too. Drastic change is needed!

Thanks for letting me join and vent! x

@angeldebs444 welcome to the thread! Hope your day went ok. It’s definitely tough making healthy choices and I definitely hear you on the need to parent ourselves. I am so frustrated with my choices at the moment- need to put myself in time out 😅

sounds like a very therapeutic evening @HarpQuartet

I am fasting now for the rest of the evening and hopefully I can skip breakfast too. I need to start stretching my fasting muscle again and dc2&3 are away at a sleepover so it’s a good opportunity!

We have sped through the hello fresh box - and cancelled for next week, as one of the meals was a tiny portion and over 900 calories pp 😮

hope all doing ok

Welcome @angeldebs444

Ease in and take it a step at a time. I found the first week or two of fasting hardest as it was difficult to re adjust to hunger feelings - something that helped me was reminding myself that feeling hungry is good! (I say that in the context of knowing you can get food if you need it)

I have found fasting much much easier as time is gone by.

Keep going @Clearingaspace !! hello fresh is a nightmare. Their meals are ridiculously calorific even if easier to prep. I had a go at it trying to balance toddler / family / work life - but the calories put me off big time.

I'm on holiday (in the very rainy lakes) have basically done fasting (less than 16:8 more kind of 14/15 fasting). Done a bit of rubbing. Done a lot A LOT of eating. Please someone reassure me that a cheat week isn't going to be irredeemable!

@desikated when I’ve been on holiday in past years I’ve found I don’t lose weight but am happy not to gain weight. I’m hoping this will still be the case for me too.

@desikated I'm sorry about the rain, hope you get some clear days and can go on long walks, I find walking and talking often means I am nicely distracted and don't get hungry. When you say rubbing, is that like brass rubbing?

@HarpQuartet hahahaha. No. That's a massive typo! ruNNing. Not rubbing. That would be quite a niche activity!

My downfall, always, is evenings after toddler is in bed. I can just eat and eat and am very bad at stopping (lol of course!)

oh no, I thought if I started rubbing my legs they would magically shrink.

Running 🤣🤣🤣 v funny. BUT... you have been running! Which is excellent and earns you a gold star ⭐

For the post-toddler eat-a-thon, could you try putting in a 12 minute gap e.g. bag of crisps, 12 minute timer, 4squares of chocolate, 12 minute timer...

Hi all...I've just popped back in to see how everyone is doing and find that motivation I lost about 2 weeks ago 😞
I'm out today for lunch/theatre/wine and then tomorrow I'm BACK ON IT 🙌🏼

Well done to all you folks still going and getting nearer your goals. I'm not going to weigh in tomorrow as I think it'll depress me, I'll wait till next Friday.

Have a fabby day 😀

Howdy, IF-ers, Friday check-in!

Week 2
77.8kg (last week 77.9)

This tiny loss, 0.1kg is actually a bigger win than it looks! I've had days this week where I've been really pleased because my fast has felt effortless and I haven't gone off the deep end during my eating window... and I've had The Other sort of day, eating rubbish chocolate to deal with my emotions.

I've managed to adopt something of a mindful/curious/observational stance and I've also thrown in a couple of episodes of "glass of water, set a timer for twelve minutes and see if you still want it."

So I'm at ease with a small loss. Onwards and upwards.

Happy Friday all and welcome new members!

So after a super shitty week some good news - I reached my target! Weighed in at 9st 7lb this morning down from 10st 4 (or 5?) can't remember exactly but it was the beginning of January.

I'd love to say I've had a super healthy fasting week but I've had tonsillitis so when I have managed to eat its just been porridge or soup. So I've barely moved and didn't fast as needed to take painkillers (which make me vom on an empty stomach). I'm feeling much better today despite the early start today after I woke up coughing so I need to think about what to do next!

Next week I am away mon-thurs with work so fasting will be tricky but I will try and make healthy choices. I'm taking my running gear with me so want to do 2 runs whilst away which should be manageable. My 10k race is on 19th May so my focus is on that now and getting a time I'll be pleased with, then I'm going on holiday a few days after that so I need to remember to do a bit more strength training to get my arms looking good! So less about weight and more about recomposition I guess but a few more pounds off would be nice...

A mixed bag there, @Saraswati but congratulations on reaching your target, that's really great news! I hope you have a good weekend and will be back to full strength soon.

@HarpQuartet thats really fantastic to have lost despite some not so good days - and that you managed to come up with some strategies to help with those days too

@Saraswati big well done on reaching your goal! That’s brilliant to read. Will you keep fasting to some extent? Hope you feel better and sounds like lots to look forward to over next couple of weeks.

im up again - I have done some decent fasts the last 3 days but didn’t weigh out whatever caused me to gain. Think I will need to log my food properly in the week ahead

@Clearingaspace will definitely keep fasting, I've had odd days off and eaten later in the evening and felt awful afterwards. It'll help me maintain my weight too. Feeling much better so going to try a longer run today and see how I get on.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! The sunny weather yesterday made me dive head first into some sauv blanc, woops

Makes sense @Saraswati evening eating is what I tend to cut out too. ooh lovely, warm weather always makes me fancy a cold pink g&t!

I listened to a podcast about perimenopause yesterday and I am wondering if I am on some kind of hormone swing and that’s why my weight’s not shifting? Have been consistent and skipped dinner all week, generally clean fasting from approx 3pm. Also done a little more exercise.

hope all well