The FastDay Forum

That's just like you Candy to let everyone else share when you should be talking about yourself. You are a VIP on this forum and you make me laugh daily.
You've heard my story before but for the newbies I'd like to share what I've learned.
Result: 22 kg lost 18 KGS in 9 months last year and 5 KGS this year. ( 2 KGS regained in last 6 weeks but that's due to me doing half hearted fast days but have now realized that I am not still on holidays that ended 1 month ago!)
What I've learned-/conclusuions-
This WOE works to help lose weight but it does slow down but keep going. If you have a lot to lose like me (35kgs) it may take years but that's OK because this is not a diet that I will come off but a way of eating that I will have to tweak when I get to an optimal body composition.
Try not to get discouraged if you experience a plateau. This is normal and there's stuff going on in our bodies that means it is trying to get you to put the weight back on so if you maintain/plateau in the middle of your journey well that is a success!!!
This WOE has reset my hunger so now I feel that I eat like a naturally slim person would- I wait till I'm hungry to eat so most days don't eat till between 1-3 pm.I eat a lot less than I used to because if I eat too much I feel physically very unwell. Because I eat so late I only need 2 meals a day.
I also listen too what I'm craving because I believe that's my body telling me what nutrients I need. One day an avocado will keep popping into my head. The next day it may be a juicy steak.the next day a creamy mushroom bake.
Like Sue said white carbs make me retain water but bread especially makes me tired and I want to have alie down. If I have bread I coined the phrase that it had to be ' bread with integrity' but now I have to weigh up if its worth it due to the lethargy I feel after.
Last I love eating fewer processed packaged foods and more veges cooked in butter,coconut oil/milk macadamia and avocado oil ( no industrialized seed oils), beautiful grass fed meat, and eggs from the chooks 3 doors down the road.
Xxx julianna

Thank you for your thoughts,experiences and kind words everybody x
What a great forum this is for sharing and support.. We are all VIPs and great ambassadors for IF

@MLCDzi love your "support,silliness and science" description... sums up our forum succinctly!

@rawkarenWhat a year you've had tho with moving to the other side of the pond,and OH being unwell..you're looking wonderful on all the stress however,and you certainly don't look like you have a stone to lose Miss!

@Peebles love your honeymoon theory and think it's a great analogy!

@SSure your progress is amazing! And i love your wise words...
"Conclusions: although we share a destination, it's a different path for each of us and we all learn to design a plan that works with our lives (at this time). We need to be flexible enough to adapt that plan/schedule when circumstances change or there's a new piece of relevant information"

And @Lizbeani think my pony is really a pink unicorn!

Want to write more but will leave it til tomoz x

[Debs]

What can I say@CandiceMarie, but echo what everyone else has said. I'm glad you journey has been successful and like all of us, we have all learned so much.
Your advice and support on here is much appreciated too.

As for me, my journey hasn't been quite so successful and I am still searching for the elusive 'answer'. Everything I have tried hasn't worked as well as I would have liked and still haven't found what I am looking for (to coin a musical phrase!). A bad combination of peri-menopausal and stress has done for me so far, plus the odd holiday and working away from home has all conspired against me. Still, as someone else said, what is the alternative? Diet clubs, expensive programmes? My BP is still high,as is my cholesterol so that hasn't improved either.

The upsides? Yes, there are some believe it or not! My mind does feel clearer when fasting, I am not scared of missing a meal any more! I don't eat so much pasta, rubbish bread (only bread with integrity!), nor rice. And of course all the knowledgable and wacky, supportive and zany people on here!!!

[Tracieknits]

Happy Fastiversary to the lovely Candice Marie!!

You have such a great attitude, and you're right - without this WOE we'd surely all be even heavier!!

And without you on the forum, surely it would be less sunny and bright

Congrats from me too. I didn't realise you are on the other side of the river from me!
X B

Congratulations @CandiceMarie on your Fastiversary! Blips not withstanding (who doesn't have those?) you should be very proud of yourself for what you have achieved.

I am still three months away from my F, so won't write yet about what I've learned so far.
I'm just here to say a massive thank you to you for your constantly kind words and encouragement - which has been much appreciated by me and I am sure, many many others on this forum.

I have lost my way a little just recently & let myself off the hook fasting & forum-wise. A very slippery slope I now know.....it's just that I had lost sight of how great I feel when fasting.....and how much support I get from the wonderful people on here.

I love reading about everyone's successes and triumphs - you are all so inspirational, but most of all, I love that we are all only human & can admit it too! The falling down bit isn't what matters......it's the jumping back on that there horse & trotting back down the road....in such great company. That's what it's all about!

Thank you so much Candy for being you! You give so much to the forum & it is really noticeable. Am so looking forward to finding out what your second year brings........and I just know that you have the tenacity to keep on keeping on!

Good luck! Xx

@Slimmer i was there last week! Looking after my niece's dog..
Love Birkenhead Park..did you know Central Park NewYork was modelled on it?
I love Neston market and Parkgate icecream, and we often end up having an afternoon in West Kirby or good ole New Brighton! X

Owww my foot has gone dead while ive been sitting reading replies!
@hazelnut20so glad youre back on yr horse coz you're doing so brilliantly and feeling so happy and looking so good - it would be a terrible shame to let all that go and i know you won't let that happen!

@Debs i love yr expression " bread with integrity" . i know what you mean and i agree
I think the things you mention - not being afraid to miss a meal/ feeling great after a fast - are very big pluses that many people will never experience
If i woke tomorrow slim and well ( a girl can live in hopes! ) i wd still want that rested feeling my system has after repairing for a day...
@Wendy Darling youve learnt so much, you must be feeling so satisfied with all youve accomplished on yr journey.. You're extremely inspirational ..i can just see you in cap and gown graduating from IF University..along with @Ballerina @silverdarling..and other oldtimers here...soon to be followed by@Sue.Q and @Carieoates!
@loversghost i hadnt realised how much you have lost! You are deffo graduating with honours! X

@CandiceMarie my lovely cousin, happy anniversary to you...Please don't stay bored for long. I stopped participating in the forum and 5:2 and put weight on but now I am back because very simply 5:2 and the forum works. Maybe you need to change things up a bit. A walking plan, 4:3, eating window, new recipes for the days your not fasting, or perhaps a new outfit that's a tad small. I know, put a pic of yourself before 5:2 and a current pic on your fridge for motivation. Everyday you'll see how far you have come. Gee I might do that myself. I am looking forward to gains in friendship and losses of weight over the next year!

Hi cuz@Clairemarie thanks for the ideas..xx
I have got some new ideas for non fast days which shd help as wrong foods on NF days have been my downfall.
@Tracieknits thanks for yr kind words and your good example,keeping on keeping on..xx
after a lifetime of being " all or nothing", i now see the value of appreciating damage limitation..i shudder to think what i'd weigh now if i hadnt at least had a good stab at 5:2 over the last twelve months, and i' m focusing on that rather than berating myself for all the times this last year that ive fallen off my horse! X

Yes CandiceMarie, we are lucky to have such lovely and very different coastlines on three sides of our peninsula. Pop in for a cuppa when you are passing!
X B

Congrats CM and a stone in a year is more than a pound a month - nowt at all wrong with that! Love your cheerfulness, in spite of being ragged regularly by that terrible @Sue.Q keep going and here's wishing you yet more good results this time next year! drat that yellow banner!!

@Silverdarling

Really silv you've got nearly as much cheek as @Candicemarie
I think I'm being bullied again!!!!
Sh sh sh or I'll flyyyy away forevveerrrr

Ok @Sue.Q will shut up now as we need you here - even @CandiceMarie can't afford to have you off anywhere just yet, well not until the next holiday anyway

Talking of - has @Ballerina landed in the south of France yet? Last heard of muttering at Manchester airport. I'm sure she would want to know, and not miss, CM's fastiversary

Hi@Candice Marie,
I''ve just had my one year anniversary. Congratulations on yours.


What have I achieved?
I've lost just over four stones in weight and now have a couple of size 12 items of clothing; such a contrast from bursting out of size 18. I'm awaiting surgery to remove an abdominal tumour ( most probably non cancerous) and expect my girth to be much reduced, leading to getting well within the size 12 band very soon.

After discovering that my blood glucose levels were worryingly high and moving onto a lowish carb diet, I am no longer on the verge of type 2 diabetes.

My mood is more stable than I ever remember; I am generally content and happy with my lot.

I am able to tolerate hunger without any tendency to panic.

I don't use food to alter my mood. I don't need to comfort eat as I'm quite comfortable, whatever is happening in my life.

I am more mindful; more aware of what I'm feeling in each moment and I certainly don't eat mindlessly.

I seem to have developed a decent pair of legs! I don't know where they've come from.

What have I learnt?
I've learnt that I actually prefer to just eat one meal a day, preferably in the evening.

I've learnt that, although I have always loved starchy carbohydrates, they are not good for me, and I can cope without them. I don't feel deprived.

I definitely don't like sugary things. My tolerance for things which are sweet is now very poor, which is no bad thing at all.

My fat used to keep me warm! I need to wear more clothes.

I know that I will need to continue to focus on what I eat, but I realise that it is possible to do that without being obsessive. I have learnt about mindful eating, taking responsibility for what goes into my mouth each day. If I've had a relaxed couple of days I know that I need to throw in a couple of days where I am more focused, or I'll start moving back to the point from which I started. I've lost lots of weight over the years. It has always been easy, but I've previously always lost my focus and returned to my old way of eating. I'm convinced that I won't do that again, not least because I no longer have any large sized clothing in my wardrobe.