The FastDay Forum

Hey!, I'm still alive.
I haven't been posting because I'm where I want to be, weight wise. BP pretty much normal now 120s over 70s and 80s ... weight this morning 168 lbs. That put me at the bottom of over weight but I'm comfortable with it and mobility is good. I go up and down the stairs like I could 20 or 30 years ago. I'll probably go down a couple of more pounds over summer and NO more 10 lb sacks of potatoes next fall and winter... or ever.
I'm still 99.9% vegetarian, I did the annual blood tests a week or two ago and everything was in the normal range. A1C was 5.1 I've never been diabetic so it's never been a problem and I don't want it to ever be a problem. The blood bank did cut me off for a while due to low iron but the blood test from the doctor shows it's in the normal range now. Frequent blood donations can be a cause of low iron and I suppose that's what caused it, that and not eating red meat like most people do.
Mom is still in the nursing home and I still go visit her about every 10 day and it's still a 148 mile round trip each time. I'm 70 now and mom is 95. Her dementia seems to be getting better, she almost makes a little sense at times.
Dogs are fine, Maggie and I walk the same old mile most every day, We walk early in the morning this time of year.
I've been going to Overeaters Anonymous, it's only an hour a week and I go for preventive maintenance reasons. There are only 4 or 5 of us at the meetings now and the others are diabetic, some with serious health conditions.
All in all it's been a great trip losing the weight and regaining mobility back to what it was years ago. I haven't taken a nitrostat for chest discomfort in a long time now. I always carry it with me though.
I've been pretty busy fixing neighbourhood lawnmowers and keeping those running. That's a hobby of mine.
I'll post more often, it's not about progress now so much as not slipping backwards. I've though about going down to 150 or 155 lbs but I'm doing pretty well as long as I'm below 170. It seems to be about right for me but the BMI says I'm over weight, not by a whole lot but that's what it says.
I've got some tires to switch around on the car, I guess I'd better go do it.
Later, Folks and thanks for this website, it was one of the things that kept me motivated.
Roscoe

Hi Roscoe!

Unfortunately I learned first-hand about iron count and blood donations. A 24-hour, "I-can't-stop-it!" nose bleed lead eventually to a diagnosis of too much donating for me! The official definition of frequent donor is more than two per year and I've been averaging 6 and a half – that's every 56 days - for far more than 15 years! Seems that good deeds can be punished!

With a sizeable iron supplement twice a day (and NO donations for at least 5 months!) a variety of aches and issues are gone. My weight is up a bit too, but hey, I know how to fix that!

The tracker is BACK !
I'm still here! Today's weight 170 the other day it was 168 ... it bounces around and unless I decide to go down 10 lbs this is probably were I'll stay, IF I keep doing what I know I need to do. One thing I'm changing this fall and winter .... no more 10 lb sacks of potatoes. I kept telling myself last winter I could eat just one a day and be OK with it. Nope, it didn't work out. It's just to easy to put one in the microwave and then of course gotta butter it up and salt and .... well we know how it goes.
Mom is still about the same and I still go see her at the nursing home every 10 days. Maggie and I are getting ready for our almost daily walk. The weather is cooling down so we can go later in the day now. Pecan are starting to fall, healthy eating along the way. I remember when I was losing the weight and 10 calories per pecan ... I could gain calories when walking if I wasn't careful.
The blood bank sent me a text, they want more blood, I should be OK to donate. Free t-shirt, and they have a lot of junk food and sodas. I'll find something healthy to bring home from their selection. So many temptations everywhere, If I'll just stop and think, of the big picture before grabbing something I can handle the "I want that, it would taste so good" thought in my head. A little self control goes a long ways, but we have to learn to use it.
A big thanks for fixing the tracker. The scales don't lie and the tracker doesn't either. Something about logging on here and punching in the numbers keeps me ..... on track? I guess that's why it's called a tracker.
I turned 71 a couple of weeks ago, I think back to 7 1/2 years ago, that's when the heart problems showed up. I went from 250lbs down to 195-200 and started walking. No stents or by-pass, change in diet and exercise was my self directed treatment. Then I finally got ride of another 30-40 lbs when I learned about fasting. So far it's worked out really well. I rode the bike shortly after my birthday, 11.5 miles, that's a goal of mine, to see how many years I can still ride the bike 10 miles each birthday. It was an easy ride so hopefully I'll still be able to do that for a few more years.
That's about it for now... since the tracker is working again I'll be checking in more often.
A link..... I really like watching these success stories, although I'm not diabetic I still enjoy hearing how others have taken steps to avoid the complication of diabetes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHTxgsABmjI Let food be they medicine.
Later, and Thanks for being here.
Roscoe

No real plans, I'm just doing what feels comfortable and what seems to work for me. The idea is to get the pounds off and reset what my brain and the rest of my body consider normal. That's it in a nut shell, thus far 12 lbs in the two weeks and 34 more pounds to go. We'll see what happens when I get there. I know the first pounds are easiest but that's what I like about fasting, it is or it isn't. I feel fine today so I might shoot for 5 days this go around.

I'm still here, Yesterday's numbers weight 170 lb BP 130ish/83 at 5 PM
I've been keeping busy, as busy as I want to be. We had some really cold weather and one of the struts on my old car froze solid because it was worn out and had gotten water in it. I replaced that last week, not the easiest job for an of guy like me but I took my time and enjoyed doing it, and especially "being" able to do it. Taking care of my health has become a priority now and seeing how long I can stay active and be able to do the things I like to do. I'm trying to eat healthy, problem is there are so many experts telling us what is and isn't healthy. Eat bread instead of sugar, then eat whole grain instead of processed flour bread, then eat no grains at all, meat is good, meat is bad. If I listen to all the experts there isn't anything left to eat at all. One thing they all agree on is sugar is bad. So I read the labels decide what isn't to bad and eat a lot of veggies, and watch the sugars.
All in all things are going pretty well, I donated blood again yesterday, my iron level was good and I got the T-shirt for donating... a long sleeved T-shirt ! Thanksgiving here in the states is coming up in 3 days. It's almost a non event for me, Mom is still in the nursing home so I'll go see her. Lots of visitors on Thanksgiving day there. Mom turned 95 a couple of weeks ago. Visiting mom at the nursing home has brought to my attention how important it is to take care on one's health. Many in the nursing home are there because of strokes, lack of mobility, dementia, dialysis. Much of it due to lifestyle choices or just not knowing any better.
So I'm trying to do what I can to last as long as I can and be healthy as I can in the process. If I ever make it to the nursing home I've told myself to be one of the nice old people and not the cantankerous type like mom.
That's about it for now, all is well and I'm holding steady on the weight, fasting a little now and then and enjoying life more than ever.
Later,
Folks.
Roscoe
P.S. And a link I was able to do 3 push ups, probably could have done a couple more but I had a full day ahead of me and didn't want push things to much.... https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... bmi/592834

Hi, Roscoe. I hope that your Thanksgiving and Christmas were happy and that your mother is doing as well as she can. It sounds as if you are keeping yourself busy, as usual, and still managing to keep an eye on your food intake and weight, so well done!

My husband and I went on a cruise to Norway at the end of November and I came back a few pounds heavier - added to that was the Christmas/New Year weight so I am now fasting a couple of days a week to get rid of the excess! It's working, so a few more weeks should see me back to my target. I love this WOL! At the end of this month I will have been following it for seven years!

I just thought that I would drop in here to catch up and saw your post, so thought that I would just touch base with you. I tend to use a Facebook 5:2 group now for news and views. It has members from all over the world so is pretty busy - unlike this group nowadays. It's a shame it's not used more because there are so many resources on here which would still be relevant to old and new 5:2-ers alike. There's nothing we can do about it though so I congratulate you on your persistence in visiting now and then.

Have a good 2020! Valerie

@StowgateResident - could you share the name of the Facebook group you are a part of?

Facebook groups can really be helpful when it comes to information especially about health. There is so much information that couldn't be accessed on mainstream websites. from people who have actually tried it.

@Rosco sorry to have highjacked your post!

@cblasz and @Fanwear Sorry that I have not responded earlier. I have only just come on the Fast Day forum today and seen your posts. The Facebook group that I am a member of is called '5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet'. It has members from all over the world and has a daily check in for general chat, a daily "Fast Train" for those fasting on any particular day, an exercise thread and a lot of resources.
It is strictly 5:2, based on Michael Mosley's book, and encourages those with other variation of IF to go elsewhere. There are members from all over the world and they are a friendly bunch. Give t a try if you are still interested - only a few months since you posted!
Hope that you are keeping well and are surviving Covid 19 and lockdown.
Valerie

thanks, Valerie. Following here

Thanks for sharing, I will check out that Facebook group

Hello Roscoe, I am Gyan. New here from US.
Welcome!