hi Ladies,
its been a couple of days since I posted, but it seems you are all doing well.

Welcome Esmi, glad its going well and the nausea has gone. i have had 1 episode myself, but it hasn't happened again. Well done for sticking with it.

Is everyone looking forward to our weigh day tomorrow? I don't mind admitting that as it gets closer I am getting a bit anxious about it- which is crazy, as I have been doing my 2 fasts each week. maybe it's because I dont feel like I'm doing enough and I don't feel deprived like i usually do on a diet.To be fair though I had such a big loss in my first 2 weeks, that even staying the same will be positive- kinda just want to get the weigh in over- just 1 more day.

its been a difficult week for me. My son has been ill and i worked my shifts around being home with him. I definitely find fasting harder when i am at home without the distractions that work brings, but I stuck to it.
I am now on a weeks annual leave but have planned my fasts around shopping trips and hairdressers! so again I wont be at home all day.

I have also realized this week, that I am going to have to incorporate some regular exercise into my life. Not to speed up the weight loss, but to improve my stamina and fitness. I played Badminton with my family yesterday and was appalled at how slow and out of breath I was.

PaintedButterfly, I think I will check out that podcast- though its snowing here in England, so today probably isnt the best time to get my trainers on and hit the road.!!

well, will post again tomorrow once I have weighed myself- fingers crossed for us all. We all deserve to see a drop in weight.
:)

thought it was time i found a picture, and of course it has to be a cow, my fav animal.
hope this works.
:)

Hi ladies,

Moozie - I am excited about the weigh in too. Isn't it cold in the UK (my hands feel freezing all the time, which can also be a side effect of ESE etc).

Although I might have lost some 'muscle weight' also, as I have had to stop the heavy lifting routine I did at the gym. I am devastated by this as I loved squatting and deadlifts etc.... but my vein surgeon has booked me in for an operation to remove varicous veins (they are very bad), and I think the pressure from lifting is making them worse:(

I have worked out that Saturday is not a good day for 'eating in a window' as this is a family day with my hubby and kids, so I like to spend my time with them at breakfast/lunch/dinner.

So today I am back on track with the Fast-5, and will let you all know my progress tomorrow!

BTW my scales measure body fat% and weight........I mostly use the boy fat % as it gives a more accurate picture of body composition, (esp as I will be loosing muslce):(

BUT, my thighs have definately lost fat, I don't think they have been as small since I was late teens?! :carrot:

All the best for tomorrow girlies, and remember it is a lifestlye change so even if you don't get the 'numbers' you were hoping, it is a gradual process and patience is key! :D

Hi Everyone!

Moozie - Love the pic!

Gamesmaster - You're doing great - thin thighs Whoo Hoo!

Esmi - You have the right attitude. It definitely gets easier.

Mellyme - I also don't feel famished when I break a fast - I did a little when I first started. It's an interesting thing. Sometimes I'll eat some fruit while I'm preparing/waiting for dinner, so that I'm getting immediate nutrition, and it takes the edge off. I also find that if I don't eat some fruit early on, I won't get it in, and I do think it's important to get in loads of fruits and vegis.

Kellyb- I do better with Fast-5 as well, after you get some traction and your body gets used to fasting you can always tuck a 24 hour fast in there every week or so, but you may find you don't need to.

Saphhiregirl - Hope you are on the mend. I'm rooting for the Giants as well (actually anyone but the Patriots would be fine with me). I'm a Packers girl, boy did they waste what should have been a beautiful season. Oh well.

I finished a 24 hour fast yesterday at 7:30. Ate a huge salad with some lean protein in it and some fresh fruit and that's about it. I hope it was enough food to hold me until later today when I open my eating window. I was actually thinking I should eat a bit more, but I just wasn't hungry - and I am trying not to eat when I'm not hungry.

Well, looking forward to the weigh-in tomorrow - I think. Have a great day, everyone!

wow it sounds like you guys are all doing pretty well with this fasting stuff, it feels good to know that we have a place to share our victories and tips..i hope everyone has a successful weigh in tomorrow..i will weigh in as well but since it hasn't been a week since I started I won't take the number as serious, unless it's really good haha.
a bit worried about my eating today since another big bkfst will happen and all the super bowl food later today..ill see how I have to tweak things..yeaterday, tho I was able to stick w my window, yay.

Hi Painted Butterfly! I'm really bottom heavy, small framed and small bust, so my goal is to shed the stubborn body fat on lower body. So I probably do seem to have a low weight, but it is just the way my body is (so petite).

This IF approach is good at combatting the subborn body fat and hopefully when I get to the stage of lower legs not bulging out of boots I can just maintain and keep fast-5/ese as a lifestyle plan.

My goal for maintenence weight/body fat % is April this year, a year from when i started!


Does anyone else get mad rumbles in stomach on your 'break-fast' meal! Mine goes mad with gurgling??

Gamesmaster, you have lost a lot of weight , very impressive, I can really relate to ur numbers..so how did you lose it exactly and how long did it take?
thnx

Thanks Esmi! Well, I got started about last April time, and got a gym membership and started to run a bit on the treamill and do squats/legs press/lower body heavy weights.

My progress was slow so I decided to 'clean' up my diet and reduce my sugar intake as well as refined carbs. I changed to brown bread and kept eating my favourite meal (baked potato) and just healthy choices, like lean meats - chicken/turkey breast/tuna etc.

Every morning I had a massive bowl of porridge - 400cals (with splenda and half milk half water) or else eggs - usually scrambled with brown toast etc.
This would usually keep me going until lunch and I would then have a tuna sandwich with l/f mayo/sweetcorn and onion etc.

Then dinner - chicken, gravy, loads of veggies, go easy on the spuds. Then I'd not eat until the next morning (no night time snacks! This was a tough one for me an one of the reasons I changed to IF and skipped breakfast to eat later in the day).

When I i got a sweet tooth, I'd have a coffee with splenda/90% chocolate/greek yogurt with diabetic jam/sugar free jelly etc.

Low Fat diets never worked for me (i was always hungry on those watery yogurts etc), so by cutting down sugar dramatically my skin cleared up, I lost weight and realised that all the sugar I was taking in before was just turning to fat in my body.... the low fat things I enjoyed had loads of sugar and made me want more and more and my cravings were a nightmare.

Also, drink........loads of water to detox an keep your body hydrated!

Don't get me wrong I still have crisps (baked ones mainly), drink a bottle of red once per week and eat the odd bit of cheesecake an sweet stuff, but I keep these to weekends mainly, and am aware they can cause me to binge so I just need to make sensible choices. I also eat full fat cheese and use 100% butter, as I just love the taste, but in moderation!

Hope this helps!

Patience is key, and I would have setbacks but focused on 'how well i had done' and not 'that's it Ive blown it now, pass me a cream bun' yo yo diet mentality that I had for years!

Thanx Moozie,
I am feeling better as I follow IF. I sure hope your son gets better, it's tough when a child is ill.

Italianne,
I've been reading your blog and I enjoy following what your going through. It makes me feel like I'm not alone on this journey,,whenever I read anyones story :).

Gamesmaster,
Thanx for sharing your weight loss journey. I've never been at 120 so it's encouraging. I hope you continue to have success.

WEIGH IN:
Start Weight with IF Dec 13 198.5
Last week 189
Today 187 (-2 this week, 11.5 since mid December)

Would like to see higher numbers, but I told myself that if I was consistently losing 1-2lbs per week that I would be happy, so I need to remind myself of that.

How did everyone else do this week?
Are we interested in doing a weekly weigh-in?

That's really great.. i keep telling myself this isn't a race. Slow and steady loss is good.

I've been doing daily weigh-ins... just cant help myself:D The anticipation of waiting a whole week would drive me bonkers!:dizzy:
As of today, down 13lb since beginning of January.:carrot:

This is the longest I've stuck to a "diet/exercise" plan. Happily I see this easily fitting into my life long term.

Congrats Italiannie!

Congratulations Mellyme! That is a huge loss!:carrot:

I do find that IF is almost effortless, once you get used to it.

3FC has helped me to stay focused and accountable.

I had my weight in and have lost 2lbs! I don't even think I started the fast 5/ese combo a fortnight ago, so I'd say in less than 2 weeks!

A more reliable indicator for me is the fat %, which has gone down from 17.5% to 16.7% which is great!

This is definately something I will keep doing, even at maintenance weight, as it feels healthier than my body constantly processing food an means I have a more relaxed approach to eating when my window is open!

Well done Italiannie, another -2 down and Melleme - what a successful January you have had!

Anyway, better go as my window is about to open lol and I've got a lovely chicken dinner ahead!

I am so amazed that I still managed to loose body fat when I had a massive eating spree the Sunday previous and still had my wee snacks and 2 bottles of red etc.
IF is really attacking my stubborn fat areas, which is a miracle, but so glad I found the 'lean gains' website along with 'fast 5' and 'eat stop eat'. Something finally I can keep at for life!:carrot:

Hello Everybody!
 

Italianne: That is so great, definately a steady weight loss,,congratulations!

Mellyme: You are like me, daily weigh ins, yay!
Congratulations as well on your weight loss.

I weighed myself and have lost 2 pounds..haha nothing compared to you all :)
(started on Wednesday 2/1/12)
So excited for changing the loop on my belt :carrot:

I would love to have a weekly weigh in!