Countdown to JUNE: creating bodies we will enjoy this summer ALL WELCOME

[loveyouradvice]

Gosh... the sun's coming out, and I even wore a summer dress a couple of days ago, and walked into the garden barefoot.

Let's cherish our bodies and feel powerful in them this summer.

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 would you like summer to look for you? What are your hopes and dreams? And plans for making them happen?

Come on over lovely people - and welcome to those new to us!!

@ProfessorIDareSay
@Clearingaspace

@tiredwitless
@5humpedcamel
@2Early4Breakfast
@Dliplop
@GameOfJones
@JadeVS72
@StealthSightHound
@2BarbieOrNot2Barbie

@BonBonDong
@etchedinstone
@HarmoniousHumbug
@Ilovefoodandwine
@JoelDommettsTux
@HLBug

Thanks for the new thread @loveyouradvice After a summons to the gp, I have reminders on my phone for water (two litres minimum daily), closing the kitchen window at 6pm for myself, and a mini fridge for myself to avoid gazing at the snacks in the family fridge-freezer.

I don’t discuss specific food much, only food groups. Feeling my way around higher protein requirements for older people, but also avoiding all processed and red meat. That’s going quite well while I move the balance from less chicken to more pulses.

atm, I’m judging success by how much of a struggle it is to fasten my favourite jeans. They’re definitely looser than a month ago.

For me, the summer would mean being to get into nice bermuda-style shorts to wear in the garden, and to be fit enough to take buses and walk instead of driving everywhere.

edited for clarity

Hello everyone and thank you for the new thread @loveyouradvice

I am 4 weeks post-op hip replacement today and feeling good. I will be concentrating on exercise for the rest of April as I continue my rehab with lots of strength exercises. So far so good, no pain just stiffness and lack of flexibility which I know will rapidly improve from this point. Did a 5.3km hilly walk on Monday with a total of 12k steps for the day so I’m pleased with my progress.

On the eating front, there is no ‘crap’ in the house apart from emergency ginger biscuits (I sometimes feel a bit light-headed after my exercises and they are a quick fix) but they won’t be replaced when they are gone. I have ordered extra fruit for those occasions; still a sugar fix but a slightly healthier one!
Protein intake is really good, but still too many calories for any weight loss.

As to fasting, I am still trying to build back up to 16:8. I tried exercising on an empty stomach but it did not go well so I am still at the point where I do need to eat an hour before exercise as I prefer to get it done in the morning. Previously I was even able to Jillian on an empty stomach but that ‘muscle’ needs work 😋

Anyway, I am managing 14:10 fairly well now by ensuring the kitchen closes well before 7pm, so slowly getting back in the groove.

I’ll weigh at the end of this month and then set some weight loss goals. I’m currently fluctuating a lot so hopefully that will settle down soon as healing continues.

Ha just realised I have name changed and this is a new thread 😎

Dare I say most of the regulars know who I am? 😘

Hi I aim to lose another 4 lbs before May, to make it a stone lost since I was clinically obese. I lost it all last summer but put it all back on again! I've been watching lots of videos by actual NHS doctors (not quacks) about what is happening to your body when you eat the wrong things, etc. I've cut out chocolate and cakes completely for the duration and added lots of seeds to my diet, which help me feel full. I walk about a mile twice a day, including a steep hill which gets me out of breath. I also garden and do some resistance work. I find that once I start losing I no longer crave fattening food because it's a virtuous circle and makes me feel very positive about myself and I don't want to set myself back by succumbing to the temptations all around me when I go shopping. If I buy chocolate I'll eat it all in one go, so no use recommending to me to have one square of 70% per day!

Thanks for the new thread @loveyouradvice

i would really love to be feeling full of energy this summer. This would hopefully be through a weekly fast, continuing getting outside for walks in the parks, 3 healthy planned meals a day most days, being more consistent with sleep and calorie deficit, taking my supplements, eating more fruit and veg and drinking water.

I will weigh in tomorrow- I really need to commit to Friday weighins and starting a consistent downward trend.

Mmmm... full of energy this summer @Clearingaspace sounds like a fabulous goal! And you've got a great plan... Looking forward to your coming on here today and to your strong commitment to Friday weigh-ins. They really help me, and I know if I miss them, it's such a strong signal to me that I'm going off track.

Welcome @Gresley. Good to have you on here - that sounds like a powerful loss so far! Which doctors do you like watching online? I'm keen to do a bit more of that as I find it very motivating.

@TheNoWord 14:10 sounds like a good step forward, and wow, you are powering forward with exercise post your op. I'll miss your old name - I loved the humour of it! and the No word.... do tell us more about how you plan to use it.

Wow @2Early4Breakfast a mini fridge just for you - that show serious commitment. Loving your fitness goal and those bermuda shorts! And closing your window at 6pm, that is so strong. Yup, I've found eating lots of protein and fibre makes such a difference - I feel very satisfied with the food I eat each day: such a big lifelong change for me. I'm sad that I didn't discover it earlier (my body would have been so different) and really happy that I know and understand it now.

And me... my summer goal is a fit and healthy body. My stomach virus is taking a lot of recovering from, so I'm hoping to be able to eat most foods again by the end of June. And my focus is on exercise as my energies return: 20 minutes of Tai Chi every morning, and I'm rebuilding my steps back up to 10,000 a day: on 6,000 at the moment. Im longing to be well enough to start dancing again - soon I hope!!

Friday's weigh in:
SW: 14.2
CW: 10.12 - so same as last week
GW: 10.12 - maintaining for now, as I focus on recovery, and then 10.7 in June and July, which is my end goal and will be the lightest I've been for over 20 years

Quick post - Weigh in 212.4 lbs - but I was partly dressed and had had a couple of coffees 😆 I actually skipped breakfast today and went into the office so should be breaking the sort of fast in an hour. I might re-download a fasting app to help motivate me in the future but my favourite one was closed down annoyingly.

I weigh daily and record on a Monday so planning to stick to that but almost below 12 stone now for the first time in ooohh, years? Weigh in today was 12 stone 1 and 3/4. It's certainly been pre perimenopause since I've been this light. I cannot believe how well my 1 x 24 hour fast a week is working.

I tried on a summer dress the other day that I used to be able to just about get on but didn't look good. I looked SO good in it! It made me inordinately happy! Roll on summer...

Good morning, I have dipped in and out of your threads occasionally but I need to engage my head before I go away at Whitsun. The start of the year has been very challenging with redundancy and busy life, I blinked and now it’s nearly May! I started my new job this week and I like it and I think I need to start focussing on me again now. I am training for an October marathon so traditional fasting doesn’t really fit with that, however I am going to reinvent the wheel and take little bits of everything that’s worked for me- ultimately the one thing that yields results for me is fast800. I really struggle to keep to 800 calories though.

so my plan is a whole foods mostly, more plants, more water style reset, keeping carbs as low as possible. With a couple of days a week where I really go for it, fast800 style. I naturally manage a long overnight fast, usually not eating between dinner at 6.30 to breakfast at 10 anyway.

my goal is to feel a bit energetic, and have a spring back in my step. And yes, to lose some weight. I don’t need to lose much to be back in my ideal zone, I carry a fair bit of muscle which I’d like to see again!

my problem is, and perimenopause has amplified this, that I can battle hard to lose 7lbs, eg take 3-4 months and then literally one weekend off plan sees it all go back on and it doesn’t budge like water weight, it’s then back. Repeat ad Infinitum. So I am getting really damn tired of it

If you naturally can not eat from 6:30 till 10 anyway, you're doing so much! That's virtually 16/8 and fast 800 at the same time. That sounds so hard!

@Lemonthymeto be honest I do struggle to achieve 800, I’m very active and it’s too low for me. That’s why I think I will try it just 2 days a week and on the other days aim for my normal calories but low carb.

With being so active, @thenewaveragebear1983 would aiming for 1,000 calories on those 2 days a week work better for you? I agree - Fast800 was brilliant for me to kickstart weightloss, but now when I want to lose a few pounds (yes, I too pile pounds back on if I go off piste for a couiple of days) I just do 900/1,000 for a few days in a shorter eating window, 4-6 hours and find it much easier and very effective for me.

@Lemonthyme Loving that you tried on your summer dress and looked so good in it!!! Wow - that must have felt really wonderful. I feel similar...roll on summer and all those clothes that have been sitting unloved at the back of my wardrobe.

Loving the idea of all the gorgeous summer frocks. I’m not sure I have had a great summer dress in decades to be honest.

great that you are building up your foods and exercise @loveyouradvice - I think I missed that you had been ill
Sounds like you have made really great health changes @Gresley

how have your weeks been @TheNoWord and @2Early4Breakfast

@thenewaveragebear1983 and @loveyouradvice the last time I truly successfully went from obese to healthy weight was doing the original blood sugar diet. I have never really been able to successfully do the 5:2 phase of fast 800 although I have often aimed for it, it seems such an ideal method for sustainable healthy weight loss. I would probably benefit from a stint of fast 800 to be honest but I am so one and done with diets annoyingly and just don’t seem able to do it.

welcome @Lemonthyme great that you have found a method works for you . I think that’s what rishi sunak does for health reasons - and he has the money to get the top advice I am sure so there must be something in it. In the early threads I was doing very similar successfully but lost my groove after there were studies suggesting fasting was harmful. I need to get back to it as my liver fat and cholesterol is now raised so clearly not fasting is more harmful for me than fasting!

I think my problem is right now I can’t stick to a method I keep hopping from one thing to another ! But a hopeful success is that yesterday even though I had wine and nibbles in the evening my weight was down! It must have been either a scale fluke or possibly the skipping breakfast! Think skipping breakfast on a Friday might be a good habit for me to get into.

have a great weekend all

@loveyouradvicei find if I aim for 800 I can settle at around 1000 so that could work and it’s still a huge deficit, although it definitely seems to be the carb grams that has the real impact. But then I can’t run 🤷‍♀️ woe is me 🤣

Just bought another 99p kindle book 30 g plan I am hoping it will have some useful recipes to up my fibre and protein

How’s everyone’s week gone?

Surprisingly mine has been pretty good! The perfect weather, sunny but not hot, probably helps.

new sw 212.4 cw 207.8 gw 149

fasting - I did a 17 hour fast by skipping dinner after a big Sunday roast at lunch. I am currently day on day 2 of a 3 day sardine fast (apparently they may be superior to a water fast) to be honest i will be very surprised if I even finish day 3!

new recipe goal - sort of a fail but I took some inspiration from my latest furtive 99p cookbook purchase and had pear with skyr, some psyllium husk and cinnamon. I have also been eating sardines, which I hate, by jazzing them up with lemon and chipotle flakes so I feel that counts!

hope all doing ok, particularly those recovering from ops or illness etc

Feeling proud of myself. Away from work this week for 3 days. Fasting day would have to be one of them or it would really mess up exercise so managed to fast while travelling on day 1 of the trip and with the time difference meant I could only eat at 8pm on day of arrival. I also had some big challenges in choices of food (always a problem when away) so I did a supermarket "picky bits" and fruit job for one evening meal and carefully chose my restaurant looking at options in advance for the other. Even managed to locate a smoked salmon salad in the airport with a small amount of pasta in it (which I left) but lots of vegetables, seeds and fish. Both delicious and healthy and continuing to prioritise protein and fibre so I feel both pleased and proud of my choices. Especially as where I was had A LOT of bakeries which was a temptation but one I managed to resist.

A challenge but I did it and on my return when I weighed I've continued to lose weight.

Loving the sound of a sardine fast @Clearingaspace - do tell us more!! It's my go-to when travelling as handy protein snack.... And congrats on such a positive week.

Sounding great @Lemonthyme ... I hope you are darn proud of yourself for resisting so many temptations, and had a good time as well.

So agree about those carbs being what knocks me back @thenewaveragebear1983 ... oh gosh, I would always prioritise the running... do you know what the minimum carbs you need are? And can you reduce over time??

Well, after a rather disastrous week ... involved breaking my cheekbone (operation on coming Monday) and demolishing a huge Lindt bunny and her whole family of 5 little ones (eaten in tiny pieces as I can't open my jaw properly!!)... I feel quite chuffed that I am only up by a pound.

Feeling a little sorry for myself - this was the year I expected to build glorious vibrant health!! - but I am dusting myself down and am focussing on protein and veggie soup, and how to help my bones heal fast as there's a strong risk I'll need a second op if this one doesnt hold

Friday's weigh in:
SW: 14.2
CW: 10.13 - one pound up
GW: 10.12 - maintaining for now, as I focus on recovery, and then 10.7 in June and July, which is my end goal and will be the lightest I've been for over 20 years.... Hmm, that was written last week but still holds with a recalibration of 10.7 in July and August, as my bones will have hopefully healed by late June.

Ah if I counted calories @thenewaveragebear1983 I'm sure I wouldn't be that low. I still eat carbs but not refined carbs at least not that much. I've not noticed an impact on my running since apart from on fasting days there's no way I'm putting on my trainers (still often do weights though).

Some amazing feats of fasting @Clearingaspace and @Lemonthyme 👏

Oh my goodness @loveyouradvice how on earth did you manage to break your cheekbone?! Sounds painful indeed but well done on your heroic Lindt bunny consumption 😁

Will be thinking of you on Monday, hope all goes to plan.

I am just checking in to say I will weigh next Friday, which conveniently falls on the 1st May as that is when I have promised myself to get back to losing again now that I am almost 6 weeks post-op. Still keeping to 14:10 but not limiting my eating in any way, just making sure I get my protein in.

Physio early next week and hoping she will help me start working towards regaining flexibility. I feel OK building strength, exercises going well, but would like some bendiness back!

Walked on shingle this week, and oh the bliss of being able to do that without pain! Shingle was impossible prior to the op, just too painful. Another delight is now only having to take one pill a day (my HRT)! I thoroughly enjoyed deleting all the alarms on my phone for the various medications I have had to take both pre-and post-op. I’m looking forward to returning quite a few heavy duty painkillers to the pharmacy soon.

Wishing everyone a productive last week of April 🌻

14:10 is great @TheNoWord sounds like you are in control of your eating and giving your body what it needs to recover. Also wonderful that you have been able to reduce your medication!

@Lemonthyme I am impressed, I would definitely use that type of scenario as a reason to let things slide. Amazing to have found your groove and be consistently losing weight.

@loveyouradvice you poor thing how on earth did that happen? hope it all goes well on Monday

@loveyouradvice the podcast i listened to about the sardine thing was quite long and a bit boring in places, this one is a lot shorter but a bit more bro science https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7AyKdbJeUTA&pp=ygUNZG9tIGFnb3N0aW5obw%3D%3D&ra=m

pros (not all covered in the interview above:
*lower risk way of doing a prolonged fast
*nutrient dense food at low calories
*fasting mimicking and should be enough protein to preserve muscle
*sardines are a good source of vitamins including iodine, will boost vitamin d and omega 3 levels
*small fish so mercury and arsenic are not a major concern - a couple of YouTubers have checked their levels before and after
*good for brain health
*good as a reset, brings insulin down very quickly and seems to produce more ketones than water fasting, I am hoping it will help me go a bit lower carb for a few days after
*I found I didn’t have energy to workout but I did have plenty energy for work - I found water fasting made it hard to concentrate
*low effort no need to think about choices but I wasn’t obsessed with food like sometimes on water fast
*no headache - which I would have normally and my coffee cravings were less than usual
*possible skin benefits

cons
*my family didn’t like the smell and were asking me why I am eating so many sardines 😂 this is a main reason I won’t do 3 days
*they don’t look appetising
*2 cans isnt filling enough but 3 brought my calories more towards 700-800 so not sure if that still counts!
*some debate if it could still achieve autophagy
*the posh jarred sardines are ridiculously expensive (I started with one of these before moving to cans) but cheap ones are yuk! parmentier ones in olive oil and herbs tasted pretty ok
*indigestion - but I get this when fasting any way

This was the longer interview- I think it was the visceral fat claim that made me want to watch