The FastDay Forum

:grin: welcome new posters Old Nog especially a fellow Rugby Nut - I also can't stand football and have no interest in it despite it being rammed down my throat on every paper & new bulletin.

Week 8 finished & another 2lb lost making 18lb in 8 weeks (2.25lb/wk which I think is fairly typical for 'the lads')

So, what do you think would improve the scrum as a contest?

Hi Beagle, yes a long time union player then follower, there's got to be some way of allowing the scum to flow, I think they're trying to eliminate serious injury by slowing down the impact of the scrum coming together, (wanting a slow 'engage' then push) but they've just got it too slow now. Not sure what the answer is !

Well done on the 18 lbs I've only just started 2 weeks ago, but lost 3lbs and gut has definitely gone down, so looking forward to the weigh in in a fortnights time

Stowgateresident,
Thanks. I ave already PM'ed Moogie about resetting that first day.

Just survived my second fast day. Another 2 hours and it will be 36 hours on the reduced caloric intake of 600 calories!

BruceE: I think I am about as tall (5-10) and I started my 5:2 experience at 150 lbs, aiming for 144. I am now doing maintenance at around 138 lbs and feel great. We are all different, you pair probably have muscles & do real work, but I could pinch rolls of fat and was recently happy at 144 lbs so knew I had scope to get rid of some, as well as pick up the benefits of fasting re IGF-1 etc plus less load on my knackered hips. Get to your target & re-assess, as I did, when that happy day comes!

Thanks for the kind words and wish you all the best in reaching your goals.
I chose my target weight purely on wanting my BMI in the 'Healthy weight' region. I also want a few pounds to play with and hope to keep between 11 and a half and 12 stone.

Thanks CreakyPete and bycress16! I was playing around with numbers and found that us 5'10" peeps have almost exactly half a stone per BMI point. Being in the states I never used stones before, but with that coincidence it seems I might want to use them.

My current target was based on hitting a modified BMI of 25 using the more-friendly (to people over 5'6" tall) 1.2*m/h^2.5 instead of the standard m/h^2. What I'm thinking now is to maybe target a standard BMI of 24 (12 stone) and try to maintain a range of +/-1 BMI point (+/- half a stone). That's 161 to 175 pounds, which is a nice wide range (maybe too wide), and I haven't seen those weights since high school. Back when I weighed 175 in high school I wanted to weigh 225 because I was an offensive lineman on my school's American football team. Talk about full-circle!

I'm also considering finding a place that can give me an accurate body fat percentage reading (full immersion in water, for example) once I get below about 14 stone and figure out a target based on that. For some reason, even though I'm no longer powerlifting like I was in high school, I still consider myself one of the "exceptions" to the BMI recommendations and question whether or not I should be targeting the standard 25 or below...

I've never pictured myself as mid-to-lower end of the recommended BMI, Pete, but I gotta admit I could see some advantages to pushing myself down to the ~10 stone range like you.

For now I'll stick with my target and see how I feel after I lose another stone or so. Thanks for the replies!

Morning Chaps, welcome to another week on 5:2

Apologies in advance if this post seems a little "girly" ...

I'm 5:2 (ing) to lose weight before a big holiday in June. Still have 5 weeks to go but we felt we'd best get on top of the holiday shopping on Saturday so trekked into Birmingham for Summer clothes.

Anyway, cut to the chase, whilst my wife bought next to nothing, I came back laden with new purchases all at smaller sizes (girly bit) than previously and at or around the smallest I owned previously. Happy days & still a few weeks before we fly so chance for a bit more of a loss still.

Have a good week all

Congratulations - you big Jessie!

[janeg]

Nice one Beagle and not at all girlie- we all need to wear clothes (most of the time) and why shouldn't they fit?
Congrats.

Old Nog and Beagle - I just saw the comments re the scrum and hope you don't mind my two cents worth - I'm sick of time wasting scrums. As an ex-prop I suspect that 4 things have happened in an order that has created a "perfect storm".
1) An adoption of the All Blacks 1990s scrum which was widely ignored by the ref - they were contesting the scrum before the ball was put in.
2) Tight Jerseys! How can a pack bind effectively when the props can't bind on properly due to the there being no material to grab onto? The scrum becomes more unstable.
3) Weak reffing, If the scrum collapses before the ball goes in, it is invariably the team going backwards that gets penalised (this was at the heart of the NZ scrum theory - to force a penalty). BUT surely, if the scrum is being pushed back it is because one of the teams is challenging early - normally the team with the put in. The ref should show some leadership here.
4) Weight and strength. The average weight of an England forward has increased by 20KGs since 1962 - even when I was playing in the late 1970s I was "only" 13 stone 7 pounds, Deacon Manu the Scarlets prop weighs over 18 stone!

The solution? Well not get back to smaller players and I suspect "fashion" dictates the modern jersey so we need a return to a strict interpretation of the rule book with no push until the ball is put in STRAIGHT. The scrum needs to be formed by the front rows engaging before the 2nd rows and number 8s join - the ref needs to take control of this. This will help stop the early push and create a more stable scrum.

Cheers guys.

Thanks All

Beachbum, former hooker here (no, never been exactly 'slim').

Couldn't agree more. There's little needed to sort the issue out other than firm refereeing of the laws as they currently stand.

Ball in straight
Hookers hooking
no push until ball is in
back row 'engaged'

Now I quite like the 'hit' that's crept in but its not in the laws and as such should be removed - all problems (except tight jersey) solved.

IRB will never do it though, personally I think they's rather de-power the scrum & move towards a league style game so suited to the Southern Hemisphere teams

[that's' better, proper bloke talk]

Slightly off topic to previous stuff, but any gents here doing Tough Mudder this year while fasting?

Yes I think we're all of the same opinion about the rugby, just a shame they can't get a grip, keep it simple but please don't go down the uncontested scrum route, it would seem rather pointless then ?

Slightly off topic to previous stuff, but any gents here doing Tough Mudder this year while fasting?

Don't think there's a particular topic on this thread, we seem to wander about a bit (no one to tidy up after us lads see )

I agree re the Southern Hemisphere stuff - the IRB are too scared to upset the applecart.

Old Nog, re the wandering around on this thread, maybe it should be renamed "The Boozer" to reflect the range of intelligent manly conversation found here (any cyclists wishing to discuss leg shaving please go elsewhere )

Old Nog, re the wandering around on this thread, maybe it should be renamed "The Boozer" to reflect the range of intelligent manly conversation found here (any cyclists wishing to discuss leg shaving please go elsewhere )

I'd be careful suggesting that there's 'intelligent' manly conversation in this thread, it could go south very quickly

.... and I don't cycle either hang on this seems to indicate I shave the legs oh ell, told you the thread could go south rapidly eh

I do cycle but don't shave my legs. NB, this is not a conversation, just an important thing to set straight. Going to retreat to the shed now to play with the lawn mower and some WD40.

Cheers,

Going to retreat to the shed now to play with the lawn mower and some WD40.

Isn't that aftershave ?

[carorees]

Going to retreat to the shed now to play with the lawn mower and some WD40.

Cheers,

Couldn't resist...