The FastDay Forum

Very inspirational! Thank you for writing this, as a 5:2 newbie it's lovely to hear people's success stories

Thank you so much for re-posting this, especially with the P.S.!

It is extremely encouraging to see that maintenance is not only possible but very do-able! So thanks for that.

My big question to you is in regards to something you mention in your original (1-year on) post, and that is menopause. My twin sister and I are just embarking on this latest life journey. My sister is about a year or two ahead of me, and suddenly, she has developed a stomach and has gained weight. Nothing else has changed. She is still fasting and she eats well when not fasting. So of course it's hormonal. What can she (and me, too, down the short road that is ahead?) do? Any words of advice?

Thanks!

Written in your own inimitable style, my dear! You are the essence of inspiration.
I am hopeful that my own waist will ultimately shrink and you've certainly made me hopeful.

What has surprised me is how easy it was to get below target (I am now 11lbs under target) and MAINTAIN it. You're certainly managing it with ease.

Hi @Melinda_in_NC

Unfortunately there are no words of wisdom or secrets I can impart to anyone when it comes to the menopause. Like everything else in life we all have our own unique path to tread, like fasting, and you just have to experiment to find out what works for you. I tried all the usual remedies but in the end I just had to sit it out and wait until it passed. Some friends had terrible symptoms and others like me, were not too bad. The one thing I was single minded about was that I was absolutely determined not to take HRT, even when my poor OH begged me to and I've never regretted that decision.

I hope you get through it with no divorce, stab wounds, poisoned meals, only being able to communicate with each other with the aid of an electric cattle prod or any of the other things hubs threatened me with, good luck to you and everyone else who lives with you,

Ballerina x

[wildmissus]

I remember reading the original post and it's great to read it again and remind myself that I'll get to my target weight eventually. Thank you.

[carorees]

Thanks for this update @ballerina. It's so great to read how your initial success has turned into a permanent success and to see how happy you are with your new lifestyle. Loving it!

I really enjoyed reading this! I'm a similar shape to you, Ballerina, and the menopause was also unkind to me too. I'm now at my target weight, my little pot belly goes up and down as it pleases, but I feel so much better in myself. I'm glad to read of your continuing success

[Tracieknits]

What a great post! Thanks so much for sharing!

I just wanted to finish this thread by saying how grateful I am for the lovely comments but also for being reminded that 2 years is indeed a long time, in my life anyway, to follow a way of life not adhered to previously. If I'm honest, I would have been horrified and put off if told that it would take me 2 years to to reach my desired weight ( it actually took me 9 months ) and a waist size (that WAS 2 years in the making! ) that I was happy with then I imagine I would not have bothered to keep going. I definitely could not have done WW or ATKINS or any other form of calorie restricted diet for so long without losing my mind or the will to live but I can look back, always the perfect view, and say it was no real hardship. It wasn't always easy but then again it WAS spectacularly successful and still ongoing. I just want to say to anyone struggling, keep going, its not just about weight, I've not felt this well in decades. IF has changed my body, my mind, my wardrobe and, I hope, my future in ways that even a winning lottery ticket could never have done.

My love and best wishes to anyone who is starting out or already on their own exciting journey, well done for choosing to do IF, you will never regret it,

Ballerina x

Very well said Bal@Ballerina .... ...if yr words above were on the back of MM's book,the book wd sell in trillions of millions of copies ..zillions even..gazillions.
Maybe you should approach MM and suggest it,get yrself a hecka lot of commission!

Hi @Melinda_in_NC

I hope you get through it with no divorce, stab wounds, poisoned meals, only being able to communicate with each other with the aid of an electric cattle prod or any of the other things hubs threatened me with, good luck to you and everyone else who lives with you,

Ballerina x

ROFL.....
OMG! Thank goodness i got thru it easily and quickly!
I wasn't offered HRT..my GP thought i was fat enough,without HRT making me even tubbier! X

What a wonderful read your story is.
As a fellow apple, it is really encouraging to hear stories like yours.
Your energy bounces off the pages and it also acts as a reminder not to take the whole thing so seriously.
Thanks for all your contributions, you're a real inspiration