The FastDay Forum

Hi Steph
Just a quick heloooooooo from Germany. The weather has been wonderfully hot this last week (between 30 and 39 degrees Celsius) which has really subdued my appetetite and I don't think I have put on any weight. It is definitely easier to not over eat in hot weather although I have had my fair share of Schnitzel

It is beautiful here in the mountains and I have been doing daily very early morning walks (before the heat set in) of 1 and a half hours. DH still suffering from bad back which is a great shame.

I have been thinking of you and hope that you too find it easier to fast in the summer. How is the weather in Canada?

@Juliana.Rivers thanks for popping in - we hope @coffeetime is ok. All the best.

@Juliana.Rivers as far as I know coffee is fine. Fasting just wasn't fitting her lifestyle when she was on the site. Hopefully, she is doing well.

Hello Ieramul, lovely to see you. I hear Germany has had some very hot weather, up to 40 C. Is that true for where you are? My friend tells me not many people have air conditioners. Do businesses and offices have central air?

Glad to hear you are doing well in terms of eating. You'll come home without an ounce gained! The weather here has been cool for the last while, only in the low to mid 20s. Today it is raining again. We have been having sunny days followed by a day or two of rain all of June. Now it is July with the same pattern. The farmers are not happy as the crops need some dry and hot weather to thrive. I don't mind this weather, though.

I still haven't been eating properly. I go to the small farmer's market in town on Saturday mornings and buy healthy vegetables then come home and they sit in my fridge for days because I have no desire to cook them. Last night, though, I had a healthy dinner of new potatoes, carrots and an omelette. Unfortunately I ate 4 slices of toast afterwards! I did stop after that which is a minor miracle as I've beem bingeing terribly of late. Haven't really fasted in weeks and have gained weight. don't know what is happening in terms of my eating behaviour. I'm hoping I will eventually change it, just don't know how. Will power doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. Anyway, other than that I am doing well. I am taking an online course on Human Anatomy and Physiology which is terrific. Learning and relearning a lot and it is all such interesting subject matter. That said, I better get to work on this week's lesson!

Enjoy your time with your family! so sorry to hear of your hubby's bad back. Chronic pain can be debilitating and take all the pleasure out of life. Hopefully, he is enjoying himself a little despite the pain.

Take care, big hugs!

Hi Steph, buddy, how are you? I am sure I posted you a reply on the 9th but just saw that it never went. Sorry for that. I see that you were having some problems with motivation for fasting and I wondered if you have given yourself a planned short break of a few weeks as I did a few weeks ago. The summer is a good time to take a break as we naturally don't eat as much anyway.

I have been back for a few days but not really feeling well. My glands are swollen and I seem to have some kind of viral infection, not bad enough not to go to work but just to make you feel off kilter.

Luckily I have not gained any weight these past two weeks and my motivation for fasting has come back after I declared a short break from fasting in June. Well I am back and I did a 600 cal fast on Monday and will do a better fast tomorrow, I hope. Last month, before I went on holiday, I was 1lb above my goal weight and I want to get back to my maintenance weight range by the end of the week and next week I want to fast myself into some wiggle room.

Steph, what can I do to help? Let me know how you are doing. Big Hug. Take care

Oh my goodness Ieramul. you must think I've abandoned you! I thought I had replied to this and have been waiting for a response LOL.

I hope you are feeling better and have gotten over your illness. Good for you for getting back into fasting. I'm still not doing well with my eating. Yesterday I ate thousands of calories worth of cheese bread and gyros and cinnamon bun. All crazy food. I have gained 10 lbs in the last few months! and still can't seem to stop eating. I've just checked my sugars and they are high this morning. My digestion is still slow and I think that is what is causing the morning spike, the food from yesterday is still in my system, slowly being absorbed and causing higher than normal blood sugar. I know I should be eating smaller meals but I just don't put that into practice. I see my doctor next week for my 3 month diabetes check up. I'll be surprised if my blood tests are normal. Maybe I will be scared into eating properly! Crikey.

I will be going to see my Mom in the next few weeks. I'm still trying to finalize the details of the trip. I was going to take the train and then buses but a friend of mine wants to go up to see her mom, in the same general direction as my destination so I may hitch a ride with her. A long car ride, 9 hours! but a lot less money than the train. I wanted to see my brother in Ottawa, where the train would arrive (then I'd have to take a bus on the next leg of the journey). I would have a few hours free in the evening when I would arrive in Ottawa and my brother is unwilling to meet me and is insisting I go out of my way to see him and then he may be working anyway. He makes everything so complicated and I don't even know if he is keen to see me. Oh well, if I go by car with my friend I won't be going to Ottawa at all as my ride takes me to my step-mom's instead, a two hour drive in the wrong direction from Ottawa. I will find out today, hopefully, if my friend is going.

Time to do last night's dishes and get on with the day, perhaps take a walk while it is still cool outside. It's been hot the last few days.

I hope this finds you well!
Your long lost buddy!

Hi Steph, how glad am I to hear from you, I must admit, I was getting a bit worried - wondering if you were OK. Can I ask you a favour? If you ever don't want to post anymore, would you just tell me so that I don't have to fret? It is quite normal that people want to take a break from fasting sometimes. Should this be the case, I will then pm you my e-mail address, so that you can contact me when and if you want to take up fasting again, so that I can be there for you.
In fact I will pm you my e-mail address anyhow.

I am so sorry, you are having such a bad time with your eating and don't really have any advise for you. Are you still going to the meetings?

Hopefully your trip to your mother will give you a will deserved break and you can enjoy other surroundings. Is Adam coming with you?

Family visits can be stressful too, because when we live apart we forget the difficult situations and when we get together it all comes back - all the old little niggles and problems seem to re-surface. It happened to me this last holiday - when I realised that my relationship with my mother is so much better long distance. I love her to bits but we have our problems, which have never been worked through or really discussed.

I am still not feeling 100% and I too have been eating quite badly, mainly sugar. I think my bad diet is the cause that I am not getting better. So as of this week, I am trying to cut out the unhealthy food and come down to my goal weight again ( I am still one lb over). So on my fast days I don't eat until I get home from work and then have a normal meal without stuffing myself and no desert of course. I think no more than 600 cals.

Anyhow, I must stop, will get back to you later on.

Take Care BIG HUG

Sorry to hear you are still not feeling up to snuff. Did you manage a good fast? yesterday was a pretty good day. I joined Marion for dinner at the senior's residence. I think she really enjoyed the company and was pleased to be able to "give" me something in return for all my visits. I had shepherd's pie, not my favorite so just a small portion with brussel sprouts which I haven't eaten in years. I love them, but don't think to buy them. Then, of course, they were serving dessert and I just HAD to have a small piece of pecan pie with a bit of ice cream. When I came home I had some blueberries and that was about it. Don't know how many calories it all was but it was just one small meal. Today I opted for salad for my meal after work and blueberries for dessert. So far so good.

My trip is finalized. We go on Monday with my friend, Theresa. I've booked the hotels and the bus tickets., so we're all set. Went out yesterday and bought a backpack and a jacket. We will be travelling light, Adam and I. We will each just have a backpack as we are only going for 5 days. Must remember to pack bathing suits! the beaches on the river are gorgeous and the water warm. My mom is thrilled that we are coming and is planning bbqs on the beach. I'm not looking forward to the long ride in the car but am planning a fast that day. We will arrive in Pembroke around 6:30 or 7 and that is when I will have a meal, same on the way home on Friday. Perhaps this trip I will lose a lb LOL.

I'm headed for a nap now. I couldn't get to sleep until 2 this morning and had to get up at 7:30. I'm pooped . Take care, be well, BIG HUGS.

Hi Steph, well done for being moderate at your friend's house. If only we could do this all the time.

It is lovely that you visit your friend so regularly - it must be such a joy when someone from outside the residential home comes in and changes the conversation for a while. My old friend has moved to a senior resident's home a bit further away and it is more of an effort to find the time outside of work. I am finding it harder and harder to visit her as she seems to just wait until she can "go". I have known her for over 20 years and she always impressed me by her "can-do" spirit, but at 97 you can't blame her.

I haven't had a great week, doing a 22hr fast and then a normal meal with DH 600-700cals. I had planned another one like it this week, but I had to go to a conference in London and stay in a hotel over night and all my good intentions left me. So, next week I will try and do two fast days.

How wonderful to be able to go with Adam to see your mother and I hope the 9 hr journey won't be to strenuous. I wish you a lovely time with your mother and anybody else you manage to see from your past. Try and be moderate and don't worry about fasting.
BIG HUG and take care

Hello Ieramul, we're back. I had a wonderful time with my mom. She is such a character with her big black floppy plastic hat and alien looking sunglasses. She pushes a shopping cart around town instead of using a walker. It is hysterical. She is only 73 but looks 83. It was too hot for her to go to the beach and the one day Adam and I went the water was dirty with little dead minnows on the surface. We walked out in the water, it was very shallow and then walked right out again. So disappointed Adam had a bad experience. It is usually so lovely. We had to run to our clothes on the beach, the sand was scorching hot LOL.

I didn't do too well with my food choices while away. The drive there turned out to be a fast which was great but the rest of the time I ate junk food in the evenings. I have no desire now for junk, though, which is a good thing. I ate mostly healthy stuff yesterday but too much rye bread and cream cheese. Messed up my stomach.

I broke a tooth eating peanuts on the trip! I think I will lose it as it was a very big chunk that I spit out and the filling that is in it was already coming out. Don't know how it will all turn out but I am seeing the dentist on Wednesday. Thankfully, there is no pain!

Time for me to buckle down and finish the last two lessons of my course so I can do the exam. I am so behind and I only have until the 7th to do the exam and then the course is over.

I hope all is well with you! big hugs!

Hi Steph, sorry, I was away and posted a quick message but evidently it got lost. Glad you are safely back home and I loved your description of your mum. I hope you managed to get back into fasting.

I will write a longer post as soon as possible. Take care, BIG HUG

Hi Steph, I wonder how you are doing. are you OK?

I loved reading you account of your holiday especially your mother, she seems a character. It is a shame that you can't be with her more often.

This holiday season I am 2lb above my goal weight and don't seem to be able to do anything about it. Also in the last few days I have not been feeling well and don't want to go hungry on top of feeling unwell - not that my appetite is great anyway.

I have resolved to do two strict fasts again, starting next week, as we are visiting in-laws tomorrow and for the weekend.

Next weekend I am hoping my DS will come home to visit and then at the end of the month, I am hoping to see/visit DDno2. The weather here is not too great and I am still cold at 18- 20Degrees I hope you are a bit warmer. Take Care BIG HUG

Hi Ieramul!
I hope you are having a grand time with the inlaws, enjoying yourself and the food .

The last few days have proved to be easier to eat well. I did still have a chocolate bar last night, stupid choice as I wasn't craving it. I ate below my TDEE today, choosing only soft foods to eat. The dentist fixed my tooth, put in a new filling and built up the tooth where the piece had broken off. Since, though, it has been hurting to chew and floss. I went back to see her yesterday and she ground down the filling a bit to make the bite better. Hasn't helped with the pain. So, soft, easy foods to eat until I can see her next week. I'm thinking the filling has to be redone. I was proud of myself with the first filling. I'm normally terrified and anxious going to the dentist but have been working on not feeling that way. I was actually not nervous at all. When the freezing goes in my cheek really hurts, for some people it doesn't, so instead of wincing and tensing up which makes it worse, apparently, I counted down slowly from 100. By 85 it was over. I will use this trick again! I think it also helped that I went in thinking the worst would happen, I'd lose the tooth, which made a simple filling a great relief. Anyway, not a big deal, just a nuisance.

A 2 lb gain is disappointing but a couple of good fasts should fix that. I have a ways to go to lose the 10 lbs I've gained since May. I am still hoping I can get back on track. I could go to the OA meeting tomorrow morning but I haven't been in over a month. Odd that with all the talked about support other members have had no one has called to see how I'm doing. A bit disappointing. Oh well, it's up to me to get my eating under control.

It has been lovely weather this past week. Between 22 and 28 degrees every day with a nice cool breeze overnight. I was just sitting outside with my neighbours having a cup of tea and it was pleasant. Didn't stay out long because the mosquitoes buzzing.

I think I will go watch an episode of Rosemary and Thyme. I borrowed three discs from the library the other day. Do you know this tv series? It is a British show about two gardeners who encounter murder victims while on the job and deduce "who done it". I am thoroughly enjoying the little plots.

I had a nap this afternoon so will be up late tonight. I shouldn't have napped at all. Time for another cup of tea. I will dig through my cupboard to see if I have some decaf. No need to keep myself up even later with caffeine .

Are you feeling any better? Rotten to feel sick but maybe you've lost a lb or two?

Take care! big hug!

Hi Steph, what a brave girl you are. I hope your tooth won't give you any more trouble from now on.
Did you go to the OA meeting in the end?

I know Rosemary and Thyme well and I, too like it a lot. I do love murder mysteries.

Today was a fast day and I managed to stay just below 600 cals. I will try again on Thursday and hope to stay below 400cals. In the meantime I need to be vigilant and try to stay within TDEE. I hope you find your eating rhythm soon and manage to get in a few fasts.

Take Care. BIG HUGS

You're doing so well Ieramul! keep it up! Have you lost one or two of those pesky lbs?

I actually had a real meal last night complete with vegetables. I stayed under my TDEE as I've been doing for the past few days and thankfully I haven't gained anything in a week. Now if only I could lose a bit. Had to go out and buy new pants . Took me forever to hem them yesterday LOL but they turned out ok. Got them for a song at a thrift store.

Nope, I didn' t go to the OA meeting. Just couldn't sit through another one voicing the sad affair of my eating habits. I know that is probably when I should be looking for support but oh well.

Time to get on with the day. Am hunting for plant stands for my living room. My sisters each gave me plant arrangements and I haven't killed them and they are thriving. Feel like I could possibly take care of some more and make my living space more "alive". Ille will be giving me one of hers and I will buy a few once I have the stands.

Take care Ieramul! I'll be rooting for you on Thursday.