Countdown to EASTER!

[tiredwitless]

We’re almost half way through February so marching on through to Easter (5th of April) as we help each other to stay focused on our fasting goals.

Come and join us!! We’re a friendly group that uses Fasting in one form or another to lose weight or maintain our weight loss. We all have our ups and downs, and welcome insights from others and laughter along the way.... pirates and dachshunds will pop their heads up, we're in awe of those shredding with Jillian and lifting significant weights (beyond our own!) and impressed when we get our steps in.
Fridays are our informal day for weighing-in (optional) and reflecting on the week – often with ideas for self-care and new goals for the coming week.
We cheer each other on, and commiserate when things don't go to plan.
If you’re new to this group, do introduce yourself and share your hopes and plans. Some of us find daily posting helpful for accountability - others just pop in every now and then.
So - how do you want the rest of February and March to look for you? Goals for Easter? And 2026? We'll look forward to hearing

I may well have missed someone so please @ people in to the thread but gathered up most I think/hope!

@loveyouradvice
@ProfessorIDareSay
@jadeVS72
@2barbieOrNot2Barbie
@NewYearNewYu
@BonBonDong
@Potterwatch89
@clearingaspace
@Diplop
@Talkinpeace
@2Early4Breakfast
@5humpedcamel

Day 9 of my pre-op bootcamp today.

Day 8 (yesterday’s) food was:

Breakfast: Half a protein bar.
Lunch: Tuna, garlic mayo, and mixed salad on a Warburtons protein pitta
Dinner: Curried lamb pasties and peas (very calorific but yum…)
Snacks: Half a protein bar and a few coffees.

That came in at 1500 calories and 97g of protein. On plan.

Day 10 of my pre-op bootcamp today; double figures came around fast!

Day 9 (yesterday’s) food was:

Breakfast: Half a protein bar.
Lunch: Omelette etc.
Dinner: Full English (was starving and DH cooked so slightly over calories)
Snacks: Half a protein bar and a few coffees.

That came in at 1550 calories and 100g of protein. On plan.

Well done @DameProfessorIDareSay on fabulous consistency this week, it should mean you’re as fit as possible for upcoming op.

Hope everyone else doing well?!

I am happy to report a good week. A couple of 22s and otherwise 16:8s and have not eaten chocolate other than a few squares of 78% dark. And thank goodness back under 12 st today just about at 11.13

i cannot believe I was doing this for months before Christmas but it has taken me from January until now to get back to doing ADF properly. And the amazing thing is I didn’t feel hungry this week. I made sure to get some salt in my coffee so no weakness either.

One week isn’t enough though, I’ve got to keep going! Have a good weekend everyone and best of luck with any planned fasting!

Thanks @tiredwitless don’t think I could have done anymore.
Started my special hair and bodywash regime today (along with nasal gel twice a day) as prescribed by the hospital; they take no chances with skin borne infections.
It feels like a full time job at the moment, don’t know how I managed all this when I was working right up until the day of the op last time, but i suppose I must have done.

Day 11 of my pre-op bootcamp today.

Day 10 (yesterday’s) food was:
Breakfast: Half a protein bar.
Lunch: Protein pancakes, strawberries, and yoghurt.
Dinner: Turkey fajita casserole with paprika potatoes.
Snacks: Half a protein bar and a few coffees.

That came in at 1530 calories and 95g of protein. On plan.

My calorie input has been lower than my output on 9 out of 10 days so far.

Day 12 of my pre-op bootcamp today.

Day 11 (yesterday’s) food was:
Breakfast: Half a protein bar.
Lunch: Spanish omelette.
Dinner: Poached eggs on toast (bit of an eggy day but I was craving toast!)
Snacks: Half a protein bar and a few coffees.

That came in at 1450 calories and 83g of protein. On plan.

Took my last painkiller last night (have to stop them before the op) so also did my last Jillian this morning. Will continue with outdoor walks and treadmill but calorie output will drop.

I’m joining.

I fasted last year and lost 6 stones. Have fallen off the wagon a bit of late and while I don’t really need to lose any weight, I felt great last year in terms of reduced inflammation, more energy, better skin etc.

I did a 19 hour fast yesterday, so am going to try to get back in the zone for a few weeks to hopefully get my zing back.

Welcome @etchedinstone those are amazing results!

Day 13 of my pre-op bootcamp today.
Day 12 (yesterday’s) food was:

Breakfast: Half a protein bar.
Lunch: Poached eggs on toast.
Dinner: Meatballs and pasta
Snacks: Half a protein bar and a few coffees.

That came in at 1560 calories and 93g of protein. On plan.

Day 14, final day of my pre-op bootcamp today.

Day 13 (yesterday’s) food was:

No idea! Had friends over for buffet lunch and I did not keep track as was too busy chatting and eating, hopefully more chatting than eating 😁
I’ll be mostly scoffing leftovers today so expect much the same intake.
I expect I went over calories, but recorded my lowest weight of the month this morning so who knows. Mind you it normally takes my body a couple of days to show the results of over eating so I’ll see what the scales say tomorrow.

Today I will potter about and get things ready for my short hospital stay. I will need to put a big post-it on the fridge: “No food after 7.30am!"

f.

Day 0, operation day!

Day 14 (yesterday’s) food was:

Breakfast: Pikelets
Lunch: Pork & pickle pie, fruit loaf
Dinner: Corned beef hash with sweet potatoes
Snacks: Couple of biscuits and a few coffees

2000 calories (call it carb loading!) and 74g protein.

Had a coffee and couple of slices of toast and marmalade (as suggested by hospital) and now fasting from food since 7.30am. Currently working my way through the 4 carb drinks I have to get down me before I check in (400 calories of lemony stuff in total). See you all on the other side!

Hope all goes well @DameProfessorIDareSay
I’m vicariously enjoying your carb loading as I go through my fast day - 4.5 hours to go! You’ll soon be out the other side and on the way to recovery 💐

Hope all went well yesterday and all is continuing to go in the right direction today @DameProfessorIDareSay

The willpower did not last for the whole holiday and I did rather indulge myself over the week. However, it could have been far, far worse! Sticking to fish and chicken and limiting carbs probably helped it not be too catastrophic. I have gained weight though and am now 67.6. I've been back on it from Monday this week and I'm sure it will soon drop off again. Fingers crossed!

SW 70 kg 12 Jan
CW 67.6 kg
TW 60 kg

Hello all and thanks for the good wishes.

I got home yesterday after a 24 hour stay. Up and about and weight bearing on one stick in the house. Carb loading successful in that I am 2kg heavier than when I went into hospital! Some of that will be due to post-op swelling but also due to the frequent meals and coffee and biscuits during my stay. 😁

I’m going to eat what I fancy for the rest of this week and then get back onto a more sensible eating regime on Monday. On numerous medications that need to be taken before, with, or after food, so fasting impossible yet but they will tail off as the days go by. All good so far.

Magnificent @DameProfessorIDareSay - how are you feeling? Great that you are going easy on yourself this week, and hope it includes lots of protein for healing. I was SO impressed by your boot camp.

Congrats on such a balanced approach to your hols @BonBonDong ... the fluff will come off, as @DameProfessorIDareSay might say.

welcome @etchedinstone - how are you approaching it this time? Any specific goals or approaches??

Sounds good @tiredwitless - not feeling hungry is just the best! How are things looking today?

Phew... I am back in that not-feeling-hungry and body happily wanting healthy food after a rollercoaster the last 5 weeks...

Very annoyingly 3 lots of gastroenteritis and now ongoing "temporary IBS"...at least I hope it is temporary, GP thinks so as I've not had it before but it has been very extreme. Any recovery tips welcome!

Lots of nausea, total debilitation and endless rather bizarre symptoms... Led to eating lots of carbs... yes, my body craved large bowls of porridge and did seem to feel better after them. But SO far from my normal low-carb diet. And yes, I did get the munchies a few times.. hoovering up chocolate and cheese at midnight in a way I haven't done for years.

Thankfully for the last three days my body seems to be settling, happily eating my more normal lots of veggies, berries and protein and feeling content with it. Not yet able to eat the sauerkraut, salad etc of my previous diet but now confident it will come.

So... given all of that... damage thankfully less than it could be. But do feel a sad yearning for my 10.12 body that felt so effortless to maintain for months... and now needs to be worked for again.

Given how badly these gut issues seem to have affected me, I'm going easy on myself.. Yes, my goal is 10.12 and feeling confident there again, but by June not earlier. And I love having an "event" to lose for... family wedding early September... so my goal is to be fitter and happily at that weight then, or even 10.10.. but relaxed about it. Im gradually building exercise up over next six weeks.. it's shrunk to nothing, and just a couple of thousand steps a day. But more than anything I want MY GORGEOUS GUT back!! I miss it... Never thought I would say that!!

Check-in Friday.. yes, I love the discipline of this, and I know Im back on track when I do it regularly, so here goes....

SW: 14.2
CW: 11.5 - so up 7lbs in just 5 weeks... but down from the 11.8 a few days ago
GW: 10.12 by end of June... Let's say 11.2 or 11.3 by end of March

Gently wondering how much of that 11.5 is fluff @DameProfessorIDareSay ... hopeful it may be a couple of pounds...

Plan for this week: gentle healthy eating in 8 hour window, increasing veggies and less carbs again... lots of protein for healing and satiety... And getting my very disturbed sleep a bit more regular.

Thanks @loveyouradvice
Your poor gut! You are right to go easy on yourself and there will definitely be fluff falling off quickly.

Recovery going as planned though I feel like I have been run into by a small elephant today! The bruising really comes out 72 hours post-op and I am feeling a little battered, moving well enough with one stick but quite stiff.
It all gets better from here. Looking forward to a shower later if I feel up to it.

I am packing in the protein but packing in lots of other stuff too; it’s tricky with so many medications to take but will get easier after the weekend when I taper off some of them. Really looking forward to a fit and mobile summer 😎

Hi all
Glad you are on the mend @DameProfessorIDareSay sounds like you’re healing well
Hi @loveyouradviceIm glad you’re feeling better and healthy eating starting to come easily again.

I weighed in on Friday and back up to 12.1 unfortunately. I had a good week from a fasting pov - did 3 x 22s and some 16s, but my eating was not good - my off switch has not been working at all so eating windows really chaotic and just ate too much. it’s like I’m trying to immediately cancel out the fast I’ve just done.
Been going for walks before work, so good on the exercise front. Sleep has been ok but feeling tired most of the time. I know I’m exhausted from work and other family stuff going on. I need to take care of myself. I’m due a trip to GP and blood test soon so will check everything ok there.
It’s a mental thing as much as physical though and I feel I don’t have much determination right now. However I’m here and checking in and that’s something..

I’ll do some planning today that’s a bit I could do better at

Love that a fit and mobile summer is int eh offing @DameProfessorIDareSay - hopefully with no more small elephants striding over you.

I so get it @tiredwitless - it's totallly a mental thing as well as a physical one. When we've less resources mentally (including too many other demands) it's absolutely more challenging. Hoping you can congratulate yourself on the exercise and come up with a good but not too demanding plan for hte coming week - what do you think it looks like?

And beginning to think about EASTER!!!

As a chocolate lover, I am very vulnerable around Easter.

My current plan is two beautiful large Lindt bunnies and their babes as "decoration"... yes, Im a sucker for them and have the reindeer out at Christmas too!! I've put the bunnies out this morning and love seeing them there. The little ones feel quite protective as having one or two in a day (from Easter Sunday) feels very modest... and my goal is to give the larger ones away after Easter, or get DH to hide them until DC home from uni.

AND I've decided to buy one beautiful box of very indulgent praline eggs... and I'll eat just one or two a day from Easter sunday.... so long as my weight is back down at 11.2/11.3, less if its not.

Then I'm crossing fingers no one gives us any, though rather suspect they will... and if they do, DH has instructions to hide them after the initial weekend... he's getting rather good at this!!

Hmm... will it work?? It did at Christmas until my health nosedived... so aiming to keep practising and make it my new normal: Having gorgeous things out to admire and enjoy with restraint.. and then hiding longer-term, recognising I'm still vulnerable to temptation. A work in progreess - a muscle I'm developing!!

Thanks @loveyouradvice really appreciate the gentle nudge towards making that plan! It’s 22s alternating with 16s again but reducing carbs compared to last week as I think they are what tips me over into loss of control - even fruit. I start with a satsuma and then can’t stop grazing. Im not eating fruit this week other than blueberries. Obviously no chocolate either. Not trying to restrict too much beyond that. Going well today..

I'm trying not to think about EASTER! It's school holidays next week, and then we have a city break with my BIL and SIL and their kids, including a birthday meal out. Temptation around every corner. Eeeek!!!

In other news the holiday weight seems to be slipping away nicely. I have hopped on the scales today even though it's not Friday.

SW 70 kg 12 Jan
CW 67 kg
TW 60 kg

Having an active dog means a good walk for me and doggo most days. Today it is hissing it down, but we shall be out in it, with all the layers on, head down and determined.

Have a great day peeps!

How's it going everyone??

Hoping the bruising is receding @DameProfessorIDareSay and you are begining to feel a bit better??

How are the reduced carbs going @tiredwitless ? And I so agree about fruit... I do eat lots of berries but find anything else challenges me

Well done on losing the holiday weight @BonBonDong - and sounds like a wonderful Easter!! Hugely enjoyable... Wondering if it helps at all to come up with some sort of a plan or something to support you before you go?

And my Friday weigh in... sadly just one pound of fluff @DameProfessorIDareSay. I swiftly came down to 11.4 and have stayed there all week...

SW: 14.2
CW: 11.4 - down 1lb
GW: 10.12 by end of June... my goals was 11.2 or 11.3 by end of March

Hmmm... having grappled with the disappointment of no more fluff I'm going to have to seriously intervene. Luckily stomach symptoms, while still there, are receding well so I feel I can ease into dieting again.

cutting back on carbs and the nuts and dark choc... hoping that might do it.

And my motivation? Being able to eat a delicious small praline egg each day from Easter Sunday!! I promised myself so long as I was back down to 11.3 that I could.... yup, it's greed and pleasure that's powering me forward!!

Ha ha @loveyouradvice it is simply greed and pleasure that makes me get off my bum and exercise every day! I was talking to the hospital physio before I was discharged last week and we were in agreement that whilst exercise is good in and of itself, in terms of staying mobile and healthy as we age, we also agreed that we were driven by enjoyment of cake and chocolate 😍

Sorry there was only a little bit of fluff initially, but now you have released that burden you know exactly what to do next and have a plan.

I am still rather battered but I am up and about with no sticks needed. Had my first foray down to the greenhouse yesterday and potted up some tiny plants which made me feel immensely better in myself. Sunshine (even when chilly) is very restorative for me, as is gardening.

I have not needed painkillers for two days now, so getting back to fasting will be much easier as I don’t need to eat to take them, and I went all day yesterday without a nap 😴😁All good so far.

Thinking ahead, I think I may pencil in 1st April as a ‘back on the wagon’ date. I’ll see how I go over the weekend pain-wise.

Look forward to hear how everyone else is doing.