The FastDay Forum

Health reasons and as I have never felt so good moving more and eating less which is uncharacteristic of me.
Naturally I just want to curl up with a book with a cuppa and a snack. I can't do that anymore.
Just determined now I can get fit and have a healthier BMI. People on this forum also keep me going.

This is not who I am, this overweight, recently obese, person. I've always been athletic and muscular (so the upper end of the normal BMI range is more realistic for me). Now I can't run far and fast because of what the weight does to my knees. I want to do a half marathon in the fall. That's who I am. Not this overweight person.

I put 70lbs on about 15 years ago after a serious illness. Have tried EVERYTHING and I mean every diet to take it off. I gained weight on Atkins, Weight Watchers took my money and I'd gain and lose the same 10 lbs month after month. Exercise is difficult for me due to health reasons.

I have been doing this for 10 weeks and have lost close to 18 pounds. It's the easiest "diet" I've ever tried and it fits into my life.

So I guess my answer about what keeps me going is that it's easy and it's working! I so want to be healthy and feel better - already my knees have stopped hurting me. Once the hip pain goes away I may just be able to get back to hiking and biking.

I want to have fabulous bloods especially glucose.

I want to feel good in my own skin - confident, energetic, strong, flexible.

I want to rock gorgeous dresses with tiny waists like I used to.

But most of all I want sex with the lights on

Would like to have a waist that's in proportion with the rest of me, and is half my height or less ...

A well cut pair of (expensive) size 12 jeans would do me ...

Be able to wear a favourite Monsoon dress after 15 years (yes it is still fashionable!)

And of course, improved health, peace of mind, not forgetting longevity and general all round sense of bonhomie

(Not a lot then )

BTW Merlin - love those ears

1. The results
2. The ease of just really thinking about it 2 days a week
3. Want my old knees to last as long as possible before replacement
4. Really don't want to be a burden to someone else if I couldn't get around
5. Just being happier with myself

WooHoo!

I love feeling energetic and healthy and comfortable in my clothes, and catching a sight of myself in a mirror - there is nothing that tastes good enough to beat that!

There are two things that keep me going. The first is that I am feeling good, and don't want to need to fall asleep in the afternoons at work in the way I used to. Also, when I catch sight of myself in a mirror or a window, there's not a wee fat man looking back at me. Ok that's three things...I'll learn to count some day!!!

What keeps me going is that I don't want to go back to constant dieting and feeling guilty about food.

I have a few reasons myself. First of all, i want to keep feeling as fit as i feel right now after being on the 5:2 for a couple of weekes. I cant recall when i wasnt feeling tired all day long. I have RA and it drained me of my energy. Second, i dont want to be the fat mom and i want to be able to go shopping with my daughter and not end up buying nothing cause nothing fits me. Maybe some day i will even be able to fit the outfit i wore on my wedding day 22 yrs ago, but i still have 25 kg to lose befote that will happen

Great thread. Short term, on a fast day the thoughts that keep me from slipping are mainly that I've got to half way in the day and I don't want to have to do it all again tomorrow if I fail. And also planning tomorrow's food. Long term, it's those clothes I madly bought around the time of my wedding when I was slim and now I can't wear them.

Strange phenomenon - I lose weight over time IN PHOTOS. If I see a recent photo of me, I'll almost always think I look fat. If I see a photo from some years ago, even though I am now much slimmer, I will see myself more objectively and be able to see that, really, I wasn't as disgustingly obese as I thought I was and actually looked ok!

Not sure what that has to do with keeping me going, but someone mentioned photos and it just got me thinking.

Some thoughts here I really identify with.
Long term, it's health that's keeping me going and both hub and I are now into our third stone of loss each. He's lost 31lbs and I have lost 29lbs - that's the size of a small child EACH!
I want to be able to wear nice clothes without feeling 'frumpy' and to play with grandchildren without having to sit down to do it!
I also like the thought of being in control as I get older; the thought of not doing anything (and therefore probably continuing to pile on weight) is quite frightening.
Plus, of course, I might have mentioned that we're off to France this week and I have a lovely 'new' wardrobe of much loved 'old' clothes!!!

Can identify with a lot of the posts on ths topic. Aren't we clever to be able to quietly adopt this way of life without any fanfare and make big changes to our waistlines and general feelings of well being as a result?! I've had a few comments already on how I look although I've got a wee way to go yet!
I enjoy the general feeling of well being this woe brings me.
Fasting days - the thought that tomorrow is a normal eating day.
Somehow this woe just makes me feel alert and alive!
Strange but true!

I need to live as long as possible - my OH still hasn't figured out how to work the washing machine!

And I want to be the old "me" again - I'm fed up with this supersized version!!

I concur izzy

Great thread, love it. What keeps me going is feeling a lot more like the girl I was years ago - looking a bit more like her too, though a tad older Wanting my family to be proud to be seen with me (though they've never hinted that they didn't anyway!!), gaining the health benefits of a new hip, new WOL, new/old ME - loving it! Also with Izzy in that my wonderful, wonderful OH can't work washing machine either, so I need to stick around a lot longer

I think there is some element of fear in keeping 5:2ing because I never want to put back on the weight I have so far lost. Until I started losing weight & recognising that I had to lose weight I didn't really realise how large I had become!
There are also the health benefits with helping arthritic knees & I do not want to relapse back to breast cancer or in the future acquire dementia.
This is the only WOE I have found that is manageable & allows me to continue to eat normal food & go out to dinner without the worry of constantly calorie counting. Other diets are all about deprivation 5:2ing is also about enjoying life & still losing weight, albeit slowly in my case. A couple of fast days are worth it.