The FastDay Forum

[wildmissus]

@Hazelnut20, is this your weekly weigh in day? Can't wait to here your results.

I caught up on the chat on the bsd thread and realised that just like @justdee, I was/am tired and it is so much easier to grab a carb or three mindlessly. @Tracieknits, I am going to go up to Sainsbury's in a minute and see what the cherries are like. We have cheese strings here but the are processed cheese aimed at kids but we do have Baby Bell which is little cheeses in wax so that's also on my list. Thanks for the ideas and well done on the chocolate front

I weighed myself this morning after yesterday's fast and I was 1.8lbs down so almost back to Fridays weigh in which I'm really pleased about as I always expect to be up after a weekend as Fri and Sat are heavy food days. Mon, Tues, Wed are light days and today has been a great success. I've beaten my demons. Chris has just put a packet of chocolate hobnobs between us on the couch. My demons said 'go on, you can just have two' but I know those little blighters better than that, they'll make me eat more than two so I haven't had any. Here's for another good day tomorrow.

Hello buddy!

Well done on seeing those devious little blighters for what they are!! They hook you in and cause you to crave more of them...so you are well rid! Humour aside, it is mega to be able to turn them down when they are wafting up at you on the sofa. Once you can master going without such things for the greater good (that bikini, that holiday in July!), you will be totally unmoved about what Chris or your girls eat in front of you. Or anyone else, for that matter. Please know that I am only speaking based on these past 6 weeks. Somehow, my attitude to food, including goodies, seems to have changed beyond all measure. Everyone can go ahead and eat whatever they like...I'll even watch them...but nobody can make me give up what I'm doing...or persuade me to eat something I'd rather not eat. That just about sums up my attitude right now....and all fingers are crossed that it stays like that....

You is cooking on gas, Missy! So very proud of you! It is a total thrill to read your very positive posts and to know you are very much in control of your mojo these days. It's never about what happens...it's always about what you do about it and girl, you are developing strategies right, left and centre! And very good strategies they are too....all about planning food and anticipating hunger. Glad to hear you're down after the weekend too - this bodes very well for Friday!! Tomorrow will be a good day....and so will Wednesday for that matter. Are you back to working your normal hours this week? If you are, there's no reason why Thursday shouldn't be brilliant either, because you'll have some busy hours at work to deal with.

Wow @tracieknits - going without chocolate eh? For days on end? Total respect! I know just how significant that is, because for the past 8 months or so, I ate chocolate, tons of it, every day. Good job I'm not a betting woman - coz I'd definitely have bet against the odds of me giving up chocolate for even one day! Now, I hardly think about it - other than to wonder what damage it was doing to my body...Talk about a turnaround.

Forgot to answer your question @wildmissus - sorry!

I lost 4.8lbs last week, bringing the total to 26lbs! It's the start of week 7 today and I honestly don't know where the past 6 weeks have gone. The weeks stretched ahead of me when I started on May 9th - now here I am almost done. Just goes to show how right that saying is about "The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step" or some such. If you let the timings bother you, you might never start anything - better to grit your teeth and get on with it and just see where you can get to.....

[Tracieknits]

@Wildmissus good on you for avoiding the hobnobs!! Sounds like you're doing well and on track.

Here in the US, string cheese is marketed to children, but it's still real cheese, not processed. It's allowed to have the words "natural cheese" which in the US is one of the only times "natural" means something in relation to food. https://www.sargento.com/our-cheese/sna ... ese-snacks Now I always assumed baby-bel cheeses were super processed, but I just looked them up and you're right, they're also "natural cheese" - I'll have to add them to my shopping list. Perhaps I'm confusing them with Laughing Cow wedges, which imho are disgusting.

I ended up having a wee bit of chocolate last night. I had 18 points left that were going to disappear at midnight, so I ended up having five points of cookies I've been wanting. I still left 13 points uneaten for the week, so I'm proud of that. All in all I had a healthy week last week.

I have some major PMS, so I'm not sure if I'll cave this evening or not. I have 16 points left for today, and my goal is to save 10 of them towards Wednesday. I've actually eaten so little it could almost be an only slightly naughty fast day if I stopped now. 14 points eaten is about 700 calories.

[wildmissus]

@Hazelnut20, I am blown away with another 4.8lb off. I really thought that your losses would start slowing down. Well done you, you are amazing.

I weighed a little bit down today which is very pleasing and of course motivated me for today. Breakfast, greek yogurt, raspberries, chopped nut and mixed seeds. Lunch, chargrill chicken caeser salad bowl, 2 oatcakes, cherries. Dinner, chilli, salad, one piece of garlic bread, yogurt and two chocolate hobnobs with my cuppa. The hobnobs I hear you asking? Well, I bought two packets on Friday and I had a look in the cupboard to find that there was only two left. It turns out that husband and youngest daughter have demolished them. I made the decision (not my demons decision) to have them after my dinner. Pretty pleased with that today.

@Tracieknits, this is our cheese string http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/cheestrings-original-8x20g and now that I look at it , it appears to be real cheese. I'll have a look at the packaging for real as I'm not convinced but it would be another thing to add to my small list of 'healthy' snacks. The cherries I bought last night are scrumptious, they won't last long. I also have some 10cal jellies in the cupboard but I am trying to keep away from things that are too sweet or are unnaturally sweet. I hope you get through your PMS without too many dramas and remember I'm still up for the chocolate challenge.

[Tracieknits]

I think you're doing really well! I think we need to learn how to have our treats, in moderation. Certainly deciding to have 2 hobnobs with your tea is fine. The next part is to sit and really enjoy them as you eat them. I think this is what prevents us (me) from devouring an entire packet.

On that note, I think I'm going to attempt to keep going in the way I have been with chocolate. I think limiting my chocolate to my splurge days, or no more than 3 times per week, is certainly a reasonable goal and one I easily met last week. So that's my new goal -- for life! Yesterday and Monday I was all clear, so tonight I may allow myself a treat. Then no more treats until Saturday. Maybe an additional on Sunday

and last but not least - Dang @Hazelnut20!!! Great job!!!! you must feel so very pleased

[wildmissus]

I am feeling miserable and sorry for myself tonight. When I was at wok last night doing the stock taking my throat started to get sore, my sinuses hurt and my nose became blocked, yep, I have a good old fashioned stinker of a cold. I got through today, my last eight hour shift, by filling up on ibuprofen. This is the first cold I've had in at least three and a half years, since starting 5:2.

This week I was losing a little weight eat day so already knew that I was 2lb down yesterday. As yesterday was a fast day, and a successful fast, could I lose another pound or even two. Sadly not my official weigh in the morning was 172.0lb, a loss of 2lb. I am happy with that and would be delighted if I could lose 2lb every week. Being a daily weigher I have noticed in the past that if I take ibuprofen I hold onto the weight, it is a bit like having a salty meal.

@Tracieknits, I completely agree regarding treats/snacks. These 'naughty' foods are all around us and won't be going away. We really need to make it a habit to keep them to a minimum for the rest of our lives otherwise what we are doing now will be just like any other diet. @Hazelnut20, was just saying something similar. Do you ever hide food. I have done, usually chocolate in my chest of drawers. Everybody likes chocolate, biscuits, sweets and crisps in our house and as the saying goes 'if you're not fast, you're last'. It is silly really because if I really want something I can jump in the car and 5mins later I'm at Sainsbury's or a five minute walk takes me to the corner shop.

The hobnob saga continued, Chris came home with 2 packets of chocolate hobnobs and a 750g bag of American Mega marshmallows on Wednesday. That evening I decided to have 3 marshmallows and that is what I had, it was more than enough. I noticed this evening that there is not many left which is fine because they haven't gone in my mouth and if I really want more I can go and buy more.

As it is Friday I have had a few treats - a buttered croissant, three digestive biscuits with caramelised onion cheddar and a slice of chocolate cheesecake. Looks a lot when written down but for me it really isn't and it is nowhere near what I had last weekend. I am happy as I ate mindfully.

I hope you all have a good weekend, I might spend quite a bit of time in bed!

[Tracieknits]

I don't know if it's really hiding food, but I put chocolate in one spot in the laundry room on the top shelf. (the pantry is off the laundry room, so it's really not that bonkers, and I do keep two other baskets of food related items on those shelves - baking supplies and spices.) Anyhow, both Aidan and Bruce know full well where the stash is kept. It's more of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing. As in I often forget it's there.

I *have* asked Aidan to hide food from me before. He'll ask for crisps, or I'll do something silly like order 30 curly wurly's from the UK, and I'll give them to him with strict orders to hide them from me. Or I bought him a case of kinder bueno as his easter "basket" and I put it in his game room, next to his computer monitor. I'll feel too guilty wandering into his lair to steal his treats, so that one's actually safe from me.

I hope you are over your cold quickly - those are always such a bummer.

Great to hear you enjoyed your treats mindfully. I love that caramelised onion cheddar -- I can get an English one at Trader Joe's and it's delightful

Hello Buddy!

Just checking in with you quickly to see how you're doing....good I hope!

My sister is with me today - she lives in Mauritius & I rarely see her - so today is very precious! I'll check back in much later if I get a chance, but meanwhile, sending hugs xxx

[wildmissus]

@Hazelnut20, I hope you have a fabulous day with your sister. Will you only just get to see her today?

I've not a lot to report, I feel worse than ever today, I've got the shakes now but I know it will all pass so I'm doing a little as possible but still plodding on. Working 5pm-9pm today but I should just be left alone to get on with what I need to do. I weighed down yesterday but 2lbs up today which is weird because I've not been eating much. However, I'm popping lots of pain killers and I realised that I can't remember the last time I got rid of my food waste! I've also not been drinking much which doesn't help.

Can't wait to hear how you got on with your sister

[Tracieknits]

Ugh, I hope you feel better soon!!

I was also up 2 pounds today, but my bodyfat was down 0.4%, which is a LOT. So I'm sure it's water from bloat, painkillers and a similar problem with waste. Hopefully a good night's sleep will make everything better for you

[wildmissus]

There is a saying - 'feed a cold, starve the flu'. I should have known better because the shakes stopped after I ate my fast day meal. Today I made Hairy Dieters Tarragon Chicken and had it with broccoli, it is normally very yummy but I can't taste or smell anything at the moment so was wasted on me today. I had a babybel cheese yesterday and it was most unpleasant as I couldn't taste it.

So sorry that you're still feeling unwell, my dear buddy @wildmissus - hope these make you feel better - but don't take too many pills at once!

Do you know how strong you sound though? Despite feeling total rubbish, you're still pushing through. That is so impressive - speaking as I am a total "giver-inner"! I've noticed how you deal with setbacks in such a practical and positive way - whatever happens...you are resourceful...and you always have a plan. That's so admirable. Head down...and get on with it - what a motto.

That little gain can easily be down to all of the things you've mentioned - so definitely don't worry a jot about it. Tomorrow, I'll publish my daily weighings over the past 2 weeks (need Monday's figure first) along with my feelings about them - but they do go to show that we should never stress about a particular day's reading. We need to move more into the area of acceptance that we naturally fluctuate!!

I hope you can shake this off very soon and feel much better shortly. This coming week is much calmer, so I hope to be able to write more - especially if the forum is now playing ball!

I haven't seen my sister since 2014 when she came over to celebrate our mother's 80th birthday. Yesterday, I was helping at a cream tea fundraiser at my friend's house and had asked my mother to bring my sister to it. My autistic son Adam (or Fred as he prefers to be called) had just been dropped off to me by my husband (his step-Dad) and I had put him to work, serving people their scones. Honestly, it was priceless! Ad would run outside from the house with his tray of scones...shouting "watch me, I've got your scones! Look sir, I'm helping!" Or words to that effect....People were so lovely about him and happily, my sister arrived in time to watch her nephew working the marquee beautifully. Which made me very happy. She came back to mine after helping to take the massive marquee down - and had tea here. This morning, she came back for the day with my mother...but left in a hurry this evening as they were due to go on a road trip tomorrow to Liverpool and Blackpool......but realised that Glastonbury traffic would mess things up enormously in the morning, so decided to pack hurriedly and set off tonight! Happily, she is coming back to Somerset on Thursday night and I will have Friday morning with her at my mother's before she speeds off somewhere by train in the afternoon. And that will be that. In a sense, quite a flying visit...but of the type I'm used to. On the horizon is the possibility of travelling to Mauritius in November for my niece's wedding - I may have mentioned that before - though I am scared of flying and don't really have the money to fund a visit anyway...so we'll have to see. I'd love to take both daughters with me....as it would undoubtedly be a wonderful family occasion. Sure I'll write more about it in due course.....but for now, I have to say I'm really pleased I've started to tackle my weight in good time (though I didn't know the date of the wedding until very recently)...just in case I go!!!

Well, buddy, without wishing to harp back to the pros and cons of Jaffa cakes......I would say that in my opinion, you were most fortunate not to have to taste the tarragon in your chicken....every cloud...and all that!

I have nothing to say on the Babybel front....on account of never having eaten one.....xxx

[wildmissus]

@Hazelnut20, OMG, I can't believe you don't like tarragon but I'll get over it! I'm so glad you had a good time with your sister and Fred sounded like he was having a ball. How long has your sister lived in Mauritius and have you ever been? I think it would be something well worth saving up for, think of the cost of all the food you are not eating anymore.

I don't really have much of a choice but to get my head down and get on with things or as they say at work 'head down, a*se up'. My husband is a very competitive and controlling person so if anyone gets a cold or any ailment then no-one will get it as bad as him. I know that is a man thing but he wouldn't even leave me alone in bed to sleep yesterday afternoon. He kept coming into the room really noisily doing things he didn't need to do. I know it's a bad thing to say but I hope he gets this cold and has it worse. He is being a real pain at the moment as he thinks he does everything around the house which couldn't be any further from the truth but probably stems from me working lots of overtime and leaving them instructions for meals which I know he gets the girls to do. I've learned over the years just to keep out of his way when he's like this and he'll eventually tell me he is sorry. You have made me think though that with that head down, get on with it attitude, why I'm not as good as applying it to my eating habits.

I forgot to tell you a funny and pleasing story that happened on Friday. I was do my food shopping where I work. my sister-in-law also works there on the checkouts as does my daughter who is just about to move over to the 'counters' on meat and fish but that is another story. Anyway I was just about to pay for my shopping and my sister in law, who was the checkout supervisor and the new guy on the checkout were having a bit of banter. My SIL said to the guy, 'it's ok she (as in me) knows what I'm like. she's family'. My SIL wandered off and the guy asked me if she was my mother!!! My SIL is a year and a half older than me, he certainly made me feel young and no, I haven't told my SIL.

Did you notice I wrote quite a lot but have't mentioned food...mmm, maybe later! I'll be looking out for your weigh-ins later.