The FastDay Forum

[janeg]

Oh @Hazelnut How sorry I am that I haven't mentioned you being missing in action. Your cheeriness and optimism and sheer joy lifts a body so it does.
Now, what is going on? What's happening that you've lost your bounce? It is so sad to hear especially if your ripping your nails and hurting yourself.
You need to have that conversation with yourself - only you can do that. Be kind to yourself . Lok at what's going on and try to get back into the positive spiral. What's good and going well? Build on that.
And good on you for getting back to the forum. The support is here for you
(and so is the wet fish)

[carieoates]

Whoops - a - daisy @Hazelnut20 I did miss you, things have been a bit hectic around here with newbies needing help and holidays being taken. You looked amazing in your outfit, and that's something you can always celebrate.

Just take a look at my tracker, tells a story too. That's why it's great to have it there, to be able to look back and see how good thongs were and strive to get back there.
Reaching goals can be fantastic, but when you've got more to lose, and another goal to reach sometimes the extra pressure can be too much.
At least you've been doing a mini fast every day by using the eating window method. If I'm floundering I go for an eating window for a week or so just to take the pressure off.
That feeling of being in control is fab, but we are all here for a reason. "We overeat" to relieve stress, for boredem (that's my one), lack of self esteem, time, because we don't know how to make good/ nice stuff.

So have a old weekend, eat what you want and join us all for the Monday fast. I started back this week with a 4.3 after a few weeks off for wedding and a holiday. @nursebeanis returning on Monday aswell. So let's get this party started together.

Ps I have gel nails now. Can't hurt them.

@hazelnut20 Sorry to hear you are so down in the dumps. <hugs>

I suppose after all your cheery upbeat posts we thought you were well on the way to your goals and assumed that you were going from strength to strength. It's a real downer to find out you are not. We're still here to support you, but we don't know you well enough to tell you why you as, as you say, self-sabotaging. Would it be possible for you to see a flesh and blood counsellor to help yourself find out?

@hazelnut20. Sorry you have been MIA. Now come on - look at how much you have lost - it is so fabulous!. Great that you have changed your eating patterns though.

I suppose you know that crappy carbs and sugar can trigger low moods http://wellnesswordworks.com/food-and-mood/. So you have got yourself in a doom loop. It's not too late. I have not been around here much either, but I do miss your posts so come back to us! @juliana.rivers will soon be whipping us into shape for the Christmas goal in no time

Hazelnut,I remember you and your gorgeous smile
Sounds like you have been going through a really tough time but welcome back.it takes courage to share as you have.
Everyone here is so lovely and supportive so you did the right thing coming back
Dieting is so hard and losing weight is such a complex issue. But you are not alone
The first step is coming back here.just enjoy the support and then slowly slowly come back to fasting
Big hugs and welcome back

Oh dear @hazelnut20 how awful you must be feeling, poor you. I don't know what to suggest as only you can sort this out but you are such a positive person that I have every confidence that you will indeed pull up your boot straps and get back to the cheery hazelnut whom we all know and love. As others have said, be kind to yourself, take a deep breath and just plunge straight back in again, at least you have stuck with 16/8 so all is not lost, many hugs on their way to you, xxx

Ballerina x

@rawkaren
Thank you so much for taking the time to compose such a thoughtful reply! I really appreciate receiving your perspective. You are absolutely right about food labeling and additives here. It's criminal. I have to laugh too at your comment about one too many ingredients. Sometimes I feel like I need a dictionary to understand the menu here. Blame it on "fusion cuisine" - everyone is trying to take the best flavors from an ethnic favorite and put them all together at once. As they said in the movie Big Night "sometimes the pasta - it wants to be alone".

For the most part I stay away from sugar and most wheat based starches, but I will make a risotto here and there and salted caramel ice cream is a big problem for me.

@GMH
I'm with you on living to 80 something while having been a little naughty but healthy. When you talk about eating more veggies are you into the juicing craze or is that just here? I do not have a Vitamix because I cannot stomach the idea of spending that much money for what is essentially a fancy blender.

I don't know who goes to Starbuck's but there is always a line!

I hadn't forgotten you either, @Hazelnut20, just thought you must be on holiday. Sounds like your initial euphoria at your fantastic weight loss has disappeared but nil desperandum, you WILL get your mojo back and start losing again if you re-commit to your regular fasts as you did before. Just keep reminding yourself how well you have done and how great you feel and look when you are in control of your eating. Keep coming back to the forum for support and you'll soon be back on track. Best of luck!

@mouse. You mean one of these (Ghiradelli Choc Factory) . You will be pleased to know I shared it

@Hazelnut20
Yes I did wonder where you were but with so many people either on holiday or having trouble posting, it is not unusual for somebody not to be around. Sorry you are having a difficult time as I remember your happy photos of a few weeks ago. I hope you can find that place again soon.

@hazelnut20 I've just seen your post. Sorry to hear you've had such a miserable few weeks.
Your tracker line was almost too good to be true, and now you've been shown to be human! You know you were doing so well. You looked so good on that graduation photo!
I hope your mojo returns very soon.

Hi @hazelnut20 your lovely smiley face WAS missed x
Many of us find we A) can slip all too easily back into bad habits
and B) wonder why oh why do we do it? What makes us self-sabotage?
I guess the answers are varied and very complex...arising from emotional and physiological reasons
We are all human at the end of the day but each morning is a new one..
I' m doing a few 16:8 days..Monday will be fasting afresh along with @Carieoates
@Nursebean and others
@rawkaren has passed on to me some helpful ideas for replenishing well on feed days. Thanks Karen x
We may have fallen off our hosses but we can pony up and ride again! X X

@Hazelnut20,

Step 1: Don't take it personally. This is not a sign that you are a deeply flawed person. It probably is your brain responding to the change in weight.

I spent some time reading up about how the hypothalamus (a part of the brain) interacts with all the other factors involved in weight regulation. It is not very well understood at all, but what you learn is that there are dozens of hormones all interacting. Insulin, yes, and leptin, which you might have heard of, and then a whole lot of other hormones like GLP-1, GIP, PYY, Ghrelin, adiponectin, etc, etc.

And here's the thing. Many of the studies you see cited in diet books which talk about how diets affect these hormones last only a few weeks. Often they show dramatic improvements. But the few studies where the researchers follow people for many months find something entirely different. Once weight loss gets to a certain point, the hormones change in ways that make people eat no matter what the diet.

These hormones are affecting mood, motivation, all kinds of things we think of as psychological, but they have one goal: to get that weight back on your body so that you will survive this famine that is lasting longer than expected.

Some years ago I communicated with someone who had lost a lot of weight (well over 100 lbs.) She was involved in a clinical trial of injected leptin, which was supposed to see if it helped maintain weight. With the leptin injections she said she felt mentally normal for the first time since losing the weight. Unfortunately, the study found other problems so they didn't go forward with using leptin injections to help people who had lost a lot of weight.

But that tells you what you are up against. And the key here is to step back, look at what is happening, assume it is brain chemistry fighting for regain not personal weakness, and hang in there!

@hazelnut ((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))) I agree the forum has had some very quiet moments lately. A variety of reasons but we seem to be all returning here to keep up on the journey. I have to say it is lovely you are back and wishing you all the best on the next part of your fasting odyssey. You have done an amazing effort so far.

Personally I could not go too long without going onto the scales they are my weight conscience. You still have a few weeks to spring comp. then it's will be the Christmas one. Watch out for Janet and that wet fish

I am finding it is the keeping on keeping on which really tests our mettle and resolve. So dust yourself off, pat yourself on your back as you really have done an amazing job thus far and keep posting as you are an important member of this forum

Just read @peebles post and it make sense to me and we can do this longer journey

@Mouse no I don't juice, that was a fad for me 30 years ago. I believe the fibre is good for you. I eat veggies as they come. I am a vegetarian (for 25 years) so it's either eat vegetables or carbs, tho I am lacto-novo. I try not to go the white poison route too often (white rice, sugar, flour). Tho I will buy things with these in, I can never cook them. Funny that..