The FastDay Forum

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We love your honesty.

Wondering maybe if having a fasting buddy on the forum would help. Theres quite few official "buddy" groups on the site and perhaps you can join one of the existing buddy groups or team up with someone.

fastonbury-glamping-grounds-f34/fast-diet-buddies-tent-is-now-up-t11260.html

I so value all your kind replies and helpful comments. Thank you so very much everyone for taking the trouble - I really appreciate every single post xx

But please tell me you are not still aiming for 14 pounds in 6 weeks?! You were joking?
I would worry about how you might feel if you did not hit that target?

No need to worry @Annurca - I am not hardcore enough into losing weight right now that I would seriously aim to try shedding all that! The school hols are cramping my style slightly, as in, very little "me" time....so the opportunity to get any serious exercise in (even assuming the motivation was there !) is limited. Instead, I am going along the lines of "Back to basics" - throwing in two or even three proper fasts a week...& trying to watch out for self-sabotage all the time....

Keep going hazelnut and don't be too hard on yourself..... I have to work out how to keep motivated and I am hoping that it will be because I don't want to see the smug faces of people who said oh well it 's just a fad you won't keep it off etc. oh and food isn't your only friend we are all here too.

Thanks @Brand-ie - it is so easy to be hard on myself, because it is a habit - so a big thank you for reminding me that it is an unhelpful pattern. Like the majority of people, I do juggle a lot - so I am not unusual, but I guess the message there is to switch priorities every so often...so we come to the top of the pile occasionally! Also, it was really timely of you to remind me of all my friends on here - you are a wonderful bunch! I reckon I was in the midst of a little pity-party at the time of writing my post......so much so that I had forgotten about how amazingly helpful the people on here have been ever since I joined.....

Also, I gave up visiting the forum..as I was no longer a participant in the 5:2 WOL.

Well Hazel, as the text below your avatar indicates: you are a 5:2 faster for life! Even if there are some periods where you feel this is not appropriate, you still are in a situation where life is changed by fasting

Thanks for that reminder @P-JK - it really got to the heart of the matter and resonated strongly with me. My life has so changed due to fasting and I would be a total madwoman to throw it all away. So....I have filed my recent mini-crisis under the "Blip" category...and will say no more about it! Thank you.

@Sue.Q - you continue to inspire me with your determination and views on things. Thank you for helping me get a better perspective on it all - you are a legend!

But it is probably as important to stop judging yourself by your weight as it is to get back on your diet. It's just plain self-destructive to use such a superficial gauge of value. Separate out old, outgrown negative ways of thinking about yourself from the simple practical task of adjusting what you eat!

Ladies & Gentlemen: I nominate @peebles for "Quote of the year". Enough said....except thanks a million for being so wise & helpful!

@MLCDz- thanks so much for the boost, right when I needed it. So grateful x

@Debs - ditto. The depth & knowledge that you share with us all on here is soooo helpful...I know I don't eat purely out of hunger a lot of the time, so it is always great to read your insights as to why we do what we do. Thanks for sharing...

@HazelnutWe are all allowed a pity party I am in the throws of one myself all my clothes for posh wedding make me look 5 months pregnant!!. I have just got to that wrong shape at the wrong time. So £47 on underwear that could hold up Stonehenge and hopefully something will look right. if not it's t-shirt and leggings and to hell with it !!

Fabulous, reflective post,@Hazelnut20. You have so much awareness and wisdom about your situation. Thank God you came back, took stock and you're with us again. It isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle and I have to tell myself that every fasting day. I fondly imagined that by doing this I sould get so slim that I would have to go to 6:1 but that isn't happening. If I want to eat what I like on my non-fasting days, I have to do 500 cals twice a week. That's just how it is. If I don't lose any more weight, at leastr I've lost what I have and I'm only a little bit over weigh now, and not obese which I was when I started. I know that if I stopped doing 5:2 I would put back on all the weight I have lost. No thankyou. Thank you for writing this and helping us all stay on track.

Hazelnut20, just the time it took to compose a message mentioning so many illustrates your thoughtfulness & that is surely a better measure of who you are than any number on a scale. Peebles is spot on.
Uhm, Brand-ie, where can one find some Stonehenge strength foundation-wear? You had me lol at that one.

I can't imagine why I stopped fasting & coming here for a few weeks...when you are all so amazing....

@Brand-ie - I have followed your progress right from the start and have always been so thrilled for you. 23.13kg lost to date?????? That is the stuff of dreams! You have come so far and definitely deserve to hold your head up high and enjoy every minute of the wedding. Yes, invest in some helpful underpinning (!) as it can work wonders....but at the same time, ask yourself how you would be feeling if you had not started 5:2 at all. I can answer that one for you.....if you are anything like me, you would be standing apologetically at the back, desperately trying not to be noticed, feeling decidedly second-class...and not enjoying yourself one little bit. That scenario is not remotely how I see the day going for you now!!!!!

I know many of us wish we had found 5:2 years and years ago (I definitely do!) - but we are where we are...and look how far you have come! It's also very exciting to think of where we will be this time next year, isn't it? Don't wish the time away though, because 5:2 has given us so much freedom to live and enjoy our lives right now....whilst steadily dropping the pounds. How amazing is that?! Sending hugs xx

Thanks @Sallyo for sharing your wisdom. I so relate to it and will re-read what you have said often because it makes so much sense. 2 or so fast days are the price we pay for the other days - it's all about balance. Speaking as someone with a tendency towards mindless eating....it is so helpful to be given a sensible perspective - thank you! Xx

Hi Hazelnut20
A 3lb gain in a couple of weeks is actually amazing.
I gained 5lbs on my 2 weeks hols and wouldn't let it upset me cause I had a fab time.
You'll probably lose it quite quickly now that you're back fasting.
Your overall success has been amazing and very inspiring to a lot of us here.
We all hit blips along the way (it's called life )
The important thing is coming back before the damage is dramatic,
And you did, so Yyyyeeeaaaaaahhhhhh YOU!!!

Good luck with the rest of your journey. You know you can do it

@MLCDzI bought a very nice smoothing under slip with tummy control panel from a shop called Yours in the UK and some support tights in nude and black depending what dress I will wear.
@Hazelnut I am no way disappionted in what I have achieved in the 7 months 50lb loss and running every other day I would not have believed it possible back in the beginning of the year. DH showed me photo's on his phone from our holiday last year and the difference is amazing. I will post them here when he gets them off his phone It's down to the support here the micro group on FB and my core family that have kept me going.

[wildmissus]

@Hazelnut20, I can relate to what you have said and could probably have written much of it myself.

I think that there are quite a few of us that haven't had that psychological change that many have had where appetite has reduced and they are eating healthily. I've been on holiday for the last two weeks and yes I am concerned about getting on the scales which I will do on Saturday after fasting tomorrow but I'm not concerned about losing the weight because I know that will happen eventually.

I have been 5:2ing for a year and eight months and still haven't reached my target weight and whilst I used to obsess about that I don't any more, I just remind myself how much I have lost and kept off. I do however think that for the majority of us the key to fasting is that it is a way of life for the rest of our lives. And, remember the health benefits!!!

I am only a few years younger than you Hazelnut and it has taken me to very recently to realise how important I am! I am not much use to anyone if I don't look after me and my needs! You've been 5:2ing, looking after yourself, thinking about you and you were happy doing that and the minute you sabotage fasting you are unhappy! I know how difficult it is but put yourself first... at least some of the time!

Now for a big telling off! It does annoy me that 'lifers' who fall of the wagon disappear from the forum. What is the point of the forum, are we all not here to help each other through hard times and keep each other going. Don't disappear from the forum again. There you are - told off .

Keep plodding on. Patience and persistence.

Niceto see your smiling face @wildmissus!X

Thanks @wildmissus for a great post - most insightful.

You are totally right in everything you say. You even have a nice way of telling me off & I fully understand your point and appreciate the sentiment! The only thing I would say is that as a person, I do have a tendency to withdraw when I am sabotaging - as in, it didn't even occur to me to seek help or support....and then, the worse I felt, the less likely I was to reach out...Bit of a vicious circle really.

I am looking upon this recent "blip" as a very valuable lesson though...and will definitely keep up with the forum in future...I promise!

Thank you so much x

Wow 17kg lost @wildmissus.. That's fantastic. Lovely post too

Yes @wildmissus. What a result!

[carieoates]

Hazelnut. Take a look at my tracker.........say no more. But yes stay with is, we will keep you going.

The only thing I would say is that as a person, I do have a tendency to withdraw when I am sabotaging - as in, it didn't even occur to me to seek help or support....and then, the worse I felt, the less likely I was to reach out...Bit of a vicious circle really.

This seems to be a frequent response that lots of people have and there doesn't seem to be a supportive, non-intrusive way of helping anyone with it. (My DH is the same: withdraws completely when stressed to the point where he can be incapable of conversing/communicating which makes matters worse as other people have no idea what's happening or what has/not been done.)

If you discover something that works for you, please speak up and I'll try it out on my DH.

As it is, it's delightful to see you back where you so obviously belong, amongst your friends and supporters.