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?

Oops m.youtube.com/watch?v=hzU7mLn6A1A&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D&ra=m

I hope you are recovering well from your operation @loveyouradvice

Hello lovely people - yes, thanks @Clearingaspace I think I'm recovering okay... lots of lounging on sofas, eating protein and gentle pottering (not much!) so I move a bit... Frustratingly discovered op has only 65pc chance of working, and I may need a second one... so fingers crossed and being very risk-averse for next 4 weeks by when we should know....And very interesting about the sardines!! I'm eating masses as I heal...

And tomorrow @TheNoWord Welcome back to losing weight again, six weeks on from your op how are you feeling? And what a sensible approach, I think I need to do 6 weeks no weight loss (but hopefully not gaining) post op...

And very unglamourous - I broke my cheekbone by falling onto the corner of a table, I didn't faint but couldnt stop myself, just felt as if I watched it happening. I'm being sent for various tests as clearly quite significant and I had no warning.... though on one level a continuation of the low blood pressure/dizziness I've had since a teen - but I've never had no warning before! Makes me feel a bit vulnerable at the moment....

@loveyouradvice i am so glad your operation has gone ok and fingers crossed you won’t need a follow up. Good that they are looking into why you lost balance, hopefully it was just one of those weird things that happens as a one off, but sounds a horrible shock.

Sw 213 (rechecked on renpho)
cw 203.8.
tw 149

So I lost 4lbs thanks to the 2 day sardine fast. I tried a sardine fast again yesterday and it was so much harder 😂 I think partly because I was worried about indigestion so cooked them on our waffle frying pan with an egg. I also had a couple of coffees with milk and started breakfast with a small spoon of skyr. Anyway I will do it again, but not next week. I had thought I could do a version of 5:2 but no thats too much!

What a win @Clearingaspace ... 4lbs!! Congrats... those are some powerful sardines!

Friday's weigh in:
SW: 14.2
CW: 11.0 - the second pound up
GW: 10.12 for now, and 10.7 by Sept.... 6 weeks of aiming to maintain 11.0 as my bone heals (while secretly hoping that those 2lbs up are water weight I shed as anaesthetic etc leaves my system).

Hello all, checking in with my weigh in for last Friday, but I am only just beginning my attempt to get back on the wagon today after a very indulgent bank holiday weekend 😋
Will catch up the thread properly later but here’s where I am at:

Had a look back at previous threads to see where I was at various points:
60.7kg was the lowest weight I posted, just before Christmas, only for one day though!

After getting rid of the Christmas fluff, I managed to get down to 61.8kg towards the end of January but then had my nasty injury and was unable to exercise (crucial for me to lose weight I find).

By mid February I had popped into the 63’s but after getting a date for my op I put myself onto a self-designed boot camp and was 62.6kg on the day of my op.

Two days after the op I was 64.6kg and I have pottered around thereabouts ever since, unable to properly fast due to having to take various medications with food, and struggling to limit calories due to lack of sleep and generally feeling a need to heal and pamper myself with food!

On the 1st of May I was 64.7kg, pretty good maintaining really, but after a greedy weekend I am 65.5kg! Again, it will be the usual fluff, but needs to be quickly taken care of, so I am back on the wagon with another self-designed bootcamp 🤓

I see my surgeon 2 weeks today so that gives me target date to be back to within a kg of my pre-op weight so somewhere below 63.5kg will do nicely. Have made a good start today on fasting, as I am just about to eat for the first time at noon. A two week reset seems to work well for me so I’ll reassess after that.

I’m allowed to Jillian again (with limits set by my physio) but due to a hearing aid problem I can’t use the app properly at the moment so I’m doing my own weights rehab programme and getting plenty of walks in until I can shred again 😎

May the force be with us!

Looking forward to reading about your boot camp @TheNoWord ! Good luck - the force is strong, even though it’s may the fifth!

How are you feeling now @loveyouradvice

My weight is stalled at the moment, but to be fair that’s what normally happens on week 3 ish isnt it. It does seem as though I need some sort of weekly fast to actually lose weight though despite being in a deficit already, so depending how I do tomorrow morning I might either skip dinner for a water fast or open the sardines tomorrow. Or alternatively I might try protein sparing modified fast (similar to fast 800 but restricted fat) for a few days…

Summer goals - on the summer energy front, I think I am a bit less tired. I was feeling exhausted a few weeks ago, but when I actually wear my Apple Watch it seems as though my sleep is pretty good now so thats positive. I am trying to up the exercise by averaging 10,000 steps a day and doing a little cardio and Caroline Gibran weights workouts. Only twice a week or so for weights and spin bike though as have dodgy knees and ankle right now.

I have also been monitoring my food and trying to reach as many nutrition goals on chronometer as possible while staying in a decent calorie deficit. I quite enjoy being all nerdy with using chronometer at the moment but I am sure I will get bored of it soon. Things like biotin, vitamin E, iron and calcium seem to be the hardest micronutrients to meet. I have discovered that blackberries are amazing meeting fibre, thanks to watching a Źoe harcombe video on YouTube. She also recommends that if people want to keep fibre up to try alfalfa sprouts (doubt I will start sprouting stuff though!), artichoke, flax seeds, broccoli, asparagus and spinach so have had those the last few days. I made some mug bread/cake this week with flax, spinach and psyllium husk etc to help boost my fibre.

ooh one thought is I need to drink more water if upping fibre so need to be doing that and hopefully that might help flush some weight out!

Does someone mind explaining fasting 5:2 to me please?
I’m currently on a diet plan. I am skipping breakfast(I’m up at 5am) and I will eat fruit around 11-12 then dinner at 1 which will be couscous with form of fish/chicken then for tea I may have some couscous with sauce again. Trying to keep calories down. I snack on fruit regularly (dying down a bit now as my appetite dies down!)
what can I do to boost weight loss? I do feel rather tired and worn out often on what I am eating.

Here’s a helpful explanation @sodoffbeforemycupofcoff

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

There are now many variations on intermittent fasting so it’s usually easy to find one that suits. I normally (as do a few posters here) do what’s called 16:8, an eight hour eating window every day which does make it easier to limit calories and also gives you the health benefits of fasting. I have done 5:2 in the past and found it more suited to maintaining than weight loss for me. The key is to find what works for you.

Snacking on fruit is not helpful for many people as it can be high in sugar and not very satisfying; a protein snack like a hard boiled egg or a chunk of chicken can keep hunger pangs away more successfully.

Welcome to the thread 🙂

Just browsing the Fast Diet page has triggered a memory of Michael Mosley recommending that one does not resume any form of fasting until 6 to 8 weeks after major surgery (it’s in the FAQs) so that applies to both of us I think @loveyouradvice !

Hope they get to the bottom of what caused your fall. I have pretty low blood pressure so I’m long wary of standing up too quickly for example, but my German friend says low blood pressure is treated with medication there; we don’t seem to do that in the UK. I’m happy to live with it and it has gone up a bit now I’m older.
When I was younger I would have my BP taken and always get a quizzical look as it was so low; had to explain it was normal for me. The only time it has been an issue is after a general anaesthetic in day surgery when I couldn't stand up without keeling over; just meant I had to hang around for a few hours until they would let me go home.

I’m now 7 weeks post op and happy to be back to it; 16 hour fast yesterday and just completed an 18 hour one just now. DH is properly low-carbing at the moment so meal planning is out of the window, we are just muddling along.

I am glad to see the back of so much medication @Clearingaspace and not missing the side effects at all! Some long running annoying skin irritations have cleared up completely; I don’t know why I didn’t connect them to the anti-inflammatory I was taking for so long but it’s obvious now!
I can’t say I fancy a sardine fast but it certainly has worked for you 😋

Just had a very chilly walk with the dogs, it isn’t at all spring like today so I’m getting on with indoor chores, including doing some long overdue Vinted listings and sorting out a pile for the charity shop; keeps me out of the kitchen 🙄

Good luck with your sorting @TheNoWord. Actually it kind of fits you need to take a break from fasting but can clear out junk in other ways!

welcome to the thread @sodoffbeforemycupofcoff hopefully those links helps. Like @TheNoWord says there are a few ways you can try to do 5:2. The best first step might be working on 3 filling meals a day with no snacks, then add in daily or weekly fasting. I have done lots of fasting but still find that hard so need to take my own advice! With 5:2 fast days specifically you basically have 2 days per weekwhere your calories are in the 500-800 range usually split across 1 or 2 meals. This only works if your eating the rest of the week isn’t undoing the benefits.

I think if you want to try fasting, try a few different methods and see what works for you. To my mind 5:2 isn't fasting because it's not actually stopping eating for any extended period but simply cutting your calories that day. I did try it but found it much harder than not eating at all. My sister tried it and lost weight, I just maintained like a PP. I realised recently I've accidentally moved to 12-14 hours without eating overnight since introducing the 1 x 24 hour fast. I think it's just put me more in touch with what true hunger is. So I don't tend to eat breakfast so early. I have never deliberately tried 16/8 though as I just chose the 1 x 24 hour fast because of the (reported) health benefits of HGH increases at around 24 hours of fasting, autophagy and inflammation reduction (and also once a week sounded really doable.)

Congrats @TheNoWord on going on fluff-attack so fast.. and I hope it was a deeply enjoyable bank holiday weekend. Great to do the overview of how your weight has changed over the threads. You've done astonishingly well with the op and recovery to have put on so little. A 2 week rehab sounds very powerful

Great reminder on the no-fasting until 6-8 weeks after surgery @TheNoWord . I SO miss Michael Mosley, definitely one of my heroes. And yes, given the bone healing I've extended my eating window to 10 hours and am eating maintenance calories rather than less, and plan to do this for 8 weeks.

Congrats on the 10,000+ steps and weights and Caroline G @Clearingaspace ... that's a great exercise plan! I love the nerdy stuff too - I've gone serious nerd looking at bone healing and gut repair! Felt a bit overwhelming immediately post op but now reckon I have a very clear and easy to follow flexible plan, including three 30g protein hits a day. I'm finding it deeply satisfying.

Op-wise I seem to be recovering well - I felt so spacey for 9 days which I guess is a reaction to the GA, but now feel much more myself and see the surgeon tomorrow for check-up and stitches out. Fingers crossed he finds all is well!!

Welcome @sodoffbeforemycupofcoff ... agree absolutely with what others have said. Berries are really the only fruit exception we can eat a lot of - I adore my defrosted raspberries/blackcurrants and eat masses - and Raspberries are very high fibre @Clearingaspace . I'd also endorse the eating a good chunk of protein (ideally 30g or so) at every meal - cottage cheese, eggs and tins of sardines are my go-to easy top ups.

Good thinking @Lemonthyme about the weekly 24h... I used to do that too and really worked for me... I'll consider trying again once I'm through surgery recovery.

Closing the kitchen at 6pm for myself is almost automatic now, and I’m more present in the evenings and sleeping better.

I’m in a challenge with DH to see which of us lowers their BP more. He's winning right now, and I’m determined to catch up by the summer.

This is so good to hear @2Early4Breakfast. Impressed by the BP challenge - what is yours now, and where are you hoping to get it?? Good luck!

Curious @loveyouradvice , if it worked for you before, why did you stop? I actually look forward to my fasting days weirdly. Mostly because that meal at the end of the day tastes so amazing. I can't see why I'd ever stop if it works?

That's kind of what successful dieting is though I think, finding something that works for you and making it a permanent change?

Fluff removal successful, back to 64.7kg this morning. Fasting ok, but struggling with morning hunger still after quite a few weeks of having to eat breakfast in the first hour of waking to take medication. I know it will get easier, must just persevere.

My sleep is gradually improving, finally. Getting plenty of walking in (one of the dogs would have ten walks a day if she could, much to the disgust of her sister who prefers sitting on laps!)

Still no news on the bloody hearing aid so still no Jillian 🙄

Are there any rehabilitation type workouts on YouTube you could try @TheNoWord to help get ready for being shouted at by Jillian. Great work on fluff removal!

@2Early4Breakfast i am a firm believer in eating dinner early - unfortunately it tends to be more like 7/30 once I have finished work, been to the shops, worked out, cooked etc. I could rectify a lot of this with better planning though - something to work on!

@loveyouradvice I am getting a lot better with the 30g or more of protein but it usually only works if I enter my meals on chronometer in advance! I had mackerel and egg planned this morning but wasn’t in a fishy mood so swapped it for egg white and avocado with one egg and my fibre mug cake - was nice but screwed up my. Protein goal.

@Lemonthyme I lost more than 30lbs 1-2 years ago doing at least one fast a week of 24 hour to 44 hours a week - I was sold on it, but I still had the same again to lose and bad food habits started to creep in, concerns it might not be healthy because of info on the news - people like Peter Attia stopped fasting; also my weight loss slowed up, illness etc! I then found it hard to get back into and felt physically ill when I tried. People like Jason Fung and valter longo, who are experts on this, see fasting mimicking as valid so that’s what I am trying at the moment. Jason fung said he used broth and vegetables recently when doing a 5 day fast to heal tendinitis.

I’m doing my rehab programme @Clearingaspace just a bit bored of it now! Jillian is more fun and burns more calories 😄

Same problem if I use YouTube or anything else; have to have the volume up so loud that it’s annoying to anyone else in the house. Be glad to have my ‘ears’ back so I can play my phone through them as normal, that’s all that’s holding me back at the moment.

Didn't Peter Attia do 7-10 day fasts though?

Totally agree @Lemonthyme ... I did one or two 24h fasts a week until I got to goal weight (then 11.2) and then did one most weeks to keep me there... Yes I did enjoy them, I loved the simplicity. But then life got in the way - lots of things happening, including health issues which meant fasts weren't a good idea.

Once I got out of the habit I never got back into it - and when I was maintaining fairly effortlessly it didn't really seem worth it: I preferred maintaining by just eating in the occasional 3-4h window which was easier. I do utterly believe in autophagy though and have now done 14 rounds of Prolon.

Once I've recovered from broken bone (8 weeks with a longer eating window - 10h typically), I'm aiming to lose 7lbs so I may do it again but I realise I do enjoy eating more, so if the weight comes off easily with my standard regime (6-8h window, lots of protein, low carb and a day each week eating in a 2-4h window) then Im fine with that. And I'll continue with Prolon (or a self-created version) four times a year for general health.

@Lemonthyme Totally agree - successful dieting is ABSOLUTELY about what works for you... and I've realised that feeling full and satisfied is a big part of it for me. Eating lots of protein and fibre works for me. I'm shocked with how much of my 20s I spent starving myself, eating little and yoyo dieting - I really did believe it was a matter of willpower and that feeling hungry was not a big deal. AND THAT SO DID NOT WORK FOR ME... it's taken a lifetime to discover what does and I am SO grateful that I understand it now.

Congrats on the fluff removal @TheNoWord - real success! And on your determination to get back into a proper fasting regime - I can't remember, are you a 16/8 person or something else?? Good luck with hearing aid. Just wondering if Jillian with subtitles might work??? Less satisfying and more challenging but better than nowt? Especially now you are such an expert...

Agree re early suppers @Clearingaspace and @2Early4Breakfast ... In the last couple of years my body has got hungry earlier, so I've found my ideal is eating 10-6 or a variation of that. Not very sociable but DH is up for it, and we just do stuff afterwards rather than seeing supper as psychological "relaxation, welcome to the evening" ritual. And yes, when eating with friends or if I'm out rather than working from home, I just eat in a longer window, and eat my first meal a bit later.

Congrats on the protein @Clearingaspace ... I seem to just tuck into fat free greek yogourt or lactose-free cottage cheese when Im 10g under. Making such a difference to me! Great to know you're a FMD fan too.

Friday's weigh in:
SW: 14.2
CW: 11.0 - same as last week
GW: 10.12 for now, and 10.7 by Sept.... with another 6 weeks of maintaining 11.0 as my bone heals

Hmm... I know maintenance is success but I'm finding it hard to shift my mindset, given Im still 9lbs above my new (and still unexpected) target, and now that I've finally found what really works for me I'm longing just to lose it!! So I have to keep giving myself stern talking to's to really get that a strong bone is better than the scales going down!! And remind myself that for the last two decades my goal weight has been 11.2, and I've always been happy with that in the past.

@loveyouradvice fasting definitely helped me to learn how much I love food! Important to be well nourished and I don’t like being hangry either but also I believe in autophagy benefits so it’s a balance isnt it

@Lemonthyme i think Peter Attia had a regimen of different fasting lengths and long fasts were once a year or so and at the 5 day mark - but could be wrong. His reason for stopping was the amount of muscle he had lost i think. i think it was 16:8 that was being linked to heart problems thst Aldo put me off, but that could be related to people who don’t eat well and eat late at night watching Netflix rather than people fasting for health reasons. But one thing I did get with water fasting, that I am not getting at the moment, is reduction in aches and pains so I do want to build up some water fasting again!

@TheNoWord i am a Jillian fan too and have quite a lot of her dvds, i know a lot of people mute her but I quite liked some of her motivational speeches - but she is definitely hardcore, think I would need to lose weight before attempting her dvds!

@loveyouradvice well done on maintaining, and your goals are in reach!! I am up a tiny bit .2 of a lb on last week which is frustrating as should have been enough to lose a lb or so, especially given how lardy I am, but it’s the way it goes sometimes I guess. I am planning to restart creatine so will likely still be up next week too 😫