The FastDay Forum

By popular demand...not to mention need....and following on from @isis's Back to Basics thread....here is the place to hang out whenever you are feeling a bit wobbly and in need of some extra support. Everyone is welcome here - returning fasters, plateauers, self-sabotagers, maintaineers, newbies....and everyone in between!

Sometimes, you just can't see the wood for the trees, yet a few words from another forum member can really help give you a much-needed new perspective. A little empathy also goes a very long way....and I have seen for myself, time after time, what a very supportive bunch you are! So, feel free to drop in here any time.....and, if you haven't already, take a look at the Back to Basics thread because it will give you a good idea of how this new thread came about...

Now, I am about to go off on a mini break for a few days with a bunch of girlfriends....where fasting will not be figuring prominently. I will therefore be back on this thread next weekend...totally bemoaning the weight gain, full of the usual amount of self-loathing and seeking absolution! Feel free to tell me my fortune...because I know it is for my own good.......

Thank you @Hazelnut what a great idea. I'm a self saboteur so am more "wobbly" than I would like. I will visit this tent often. Enjoy your mini break.

@Hazelnut20 thank you, your words are diamonds to me I think it's time I dig up our happy tent from last year
Can you make our meet up with Debs in London Saturday 11 July? Special day for sure.
Liz

Thanks for kicking this off @Hazelnut I am sure I will be a frequent visitor. Have a great mini break and I will be on standby with a bucket of wet fish for your return at the weekend!

Oh this is a great tent idea...thanks,Hazlenut! I will definitely be popping in here, no doubt on a regular basis! Remember the key words are protein, fats...and no breakfasts! Yes, I think I'll give it a whirl, starting with today's fast. Here we go...

Thanks Haze! I' m sure i' ll have lots to write on here... Xx

Ooh, great stuff! Thanks everyone!

Will look forward to catching up with you all at the weekend. Do hope you all have a great week xxx

Thank you for setting this up Hazelnut
It's good to feel free to be able to own ones wobbles & I will certainly take on board reducing my carb intake & also making sure that my OH & I eat enough protein. We already prefer butter & have a long time ago thrown out all low fat stuff that often includes lots of sugar.
Good luck to everyone joining in overcoming their daily wobbles

I shall be setting up a permanent spot over in the corner. I've been doing 5:2 since January with only a few pounds to show for it. My shape has changed, but the pounds hang on. I do boot camp, so some muscle building has been happening as well. Why don't I give up? Hmmm......what are my options? This WOE suits me quite well and the remaining 25 lbs I want to lose will either come off, or not! I seem to have a rather severe Swiss cheese addiction that keeps the pounds on, I believe. I have to decide which I want more. Weight loss, or cheese?

Anyway, all that to say that I will be here to cheer you all on!

@hazelnut This is just what I needed today..... defo will be setting up tent here after my downfall last week.
Thanks so much for setting it up and have a great break with you girlfriends

Hi @lori don't dispair, a lot of folk, myself included, went through the strange phase initially of getting thinner but no lighter, your weight will catch up, honestly. The other thing to bear in mind is that if you are a LOT more active than you were then you are probably converting fat to muscle and as everyone on this site knows, muscle weighs more than fat, so........don't give up, you are doing your general health a power of good and any weight loss when it comes, and believe me it WILL come, is a huge bonus. If you can imagine that you are improving your body from the inside out, rather than the other way round then that might help you to soldier on. Keep it up you can only make your future healthier and happier,

Ballerina x

I need a bit of a wobble this morning
Been doing 5:2 on and off for the last year and a half and have lost 5 ish kilos, which, when you take into account that I only wanted to lose 10 in total, is not bad going. I have taken a few breaks from 5:2 (going on holiday and not really coming off holiday mode when back in real life) so it's understandable, I guess.
When I first did the 5:2 the weight just fell off. I lost around 7 kilos in the first few months and was averaging around 1 kilo a week, and I wasn't even really trying. I have obviously put back on the 2/3 kilos gradually since being inconsistent. However I have been completely and utterly dedicated since the beginning of the year (so 4 months now) and the scales are just not.going.down. at all (not going up either but still)! And I don't feel like I'm changing shape or anything. I know everyone talks about the plateau and that's the only thing that's kept me going, the thought that one day it'll start edging down again, but my faith is starting to waver now.
I'm leaving Melbourne and moving back home to London after 4 years in a few weeks and at the beginning of the year I had it in my head that I would go back a few kilos lighter. Obviously that's not going to happen now, particularly with my cheeky NYC trip for a week in between. So I'm feeling a bit blurgh.
There's my whinge of the year!
Thanks for just being there to read my whinge!

You've a lot going on there @Kelkelkelster, stress may be playing a part in that stall.
All shall be well :0)
Maybe a small change of methodology might help but anyway enjoy yourself, lots of good things happening, have a great time travelling and welcome back to Blighty \*/

Welcome back to the UK kelkelkester for when you get back!
Well done with sticking with fasting & not going up in weight is good but I share your frustration in not going down. I wonder if we plateau because our eating days creep towards eating more & not really recognising that even though fast days remain the same? At the beginning of any new venture it is novel & exciting & then complacency, some boredom & sloth creep in? But according to Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis who has written a book about the plateau effect from a biochemical perspective eating more for a short time can be helpful. So after completing your travels get stuck back in to strictly keeping to fast days & your TDEE with Ballerina & Carorees eating guidelines & see how that goes.
I am 16/8ing today & trying to really reduce carbohydrates this week & only ate one slice of wholemeal bread yesterday plus some mashed potato on a fish pie so feeling pleased with myself
Good luck fellow wobblers with trying to get back on track!

[Debs]

Hi All,
I haven't been here for a while as I have had a major wobble that has lasted all year so far. Now I am a major wobble
It is purely down to stress at work which has made it impossible for me to fast successfully. I do know though that sugar, carbs etc do have a bad effect on me these days and it is very noticeable when I over eat them. I have three weeks off before I head off to the Middle East to work but hopefully it will be in a less stressful environment than where I have been; I do know that working three weeks non stop isn't much of a life!

We've had several iterations of this tent over the last couple of years where people can come and let off steam when things aren't going as well as they could do, so I am grateful for this one!

Debs