The FastDay Forum

[wildmissus]

Keihira, how are you getting on now.

I have been the same weight for the last 7 weeks. Depends on the mood I'm in as to how I feel about it. Sometimes I'm really disheartened but at the moment I'm looking on the positives - I have lost a stone and a half and maintained that for 7 weeks, not bad at all. I still have a stone/stone and a half to lose and this weekend I'm giving TML's Dukan Attack idea a try to kick start the weight loss again. There is no way I would do that for long but I can 5:2 for ever.

Keihera,

Sorry, I'm late to the party (again)...

If you're still craving 'bread' please PM me - I've just spent many of the last 24 hours looking for low-carb bread recipes (in anticipation of hitting a low-carb diet at the end of next week) and I could send you my list of links (none tested yet, but most have comments where others have tried them)!

And your food intake sounds saintly - wish I could be so good. Maybe t'others are right and you need a bloomin' good blow-out!

And the scientists might know what the xxxx is going on with the niceties of T4/T3 etc. but most GPs seem woefully inadequate when it comes to thyroid stuff - so Carorees is a good person to listen to!

Much sympathy, FatDog.

@wildmissus Thanks for your concern
I have taken a break from fasting/dieting/calorie restriction since I threw my toys out of the pram!
(my weight is still fluctuating within the same range, so no loss and no gain.)
I realised that this had become too much of an obsession and the way I approached it was too much like hard work rather than a way of life. Somehow, in my quest to get myself off the plateau, I made things much too complicated and confusing. So I stepped back and I am going back to 5:2 basics from tomorrow.

After all, I did manage to lose 13 kg/2 st/29 lbs, so something has been working somewhere along the lines!

@FatDog
Very curious about low-carb bread (sounds like a contradiction in terms ) and I'll be sending you a PM shortly.
I had a very satisfying home-made pizza last night, the first I've had for a long, long time! Though I must admit I still feel bloated by it this morning...



In other news...
I seem to sleep a bit more soundly since I started drinking Nigari salt (= magnesium chloride) every day.
I still wake up early, but I don't seem to toss and turn so much, so I don't feel quite so tired in the morning. Of course, that might just be a placebo effect...
I have cycled less but I managed to get in the water a couple of times and it's been sunny enough for me to get sunburn! (I do holiday rental during the summer and we have a small raised-pool in the garden)
Unfortunately the weather has deteriorated now and the water temperature has dropped considerably! It is 14°C/57°F and my limit is 20°C/68°F!
I also try to remind myself to get up and move instead of losing track of time in front of the laptop.

So it's back on tomorrow!

[wildmissus]

Keihira, you sound a lot more positive now. You've done really well taking a step back and maintaining your weight loss. I am beginning to think that people like you and me are going through a reset phase and the key to this is patience and persistence.

Despite losing a stone and a half no-one seems to have noticed but yesterday a neighbour who is very shy/quiet and normally doesn't say anything other than hello commented on how slim I looked. Now, I try my hardest to not concern myself by what other people do or say (or not do or say) but it was really important for me to hear that and I was on top of the world and still am today.

This is the third day of the Dukan attack and it is going ok - it is easy to do but not the most enjoyable way of eating. Only today to go and the scales have been very kind.

The beauty of 5:2 is that we can tweak, take time off, etc. I hope everything goes well for you and I'll be watching your progress. If I get stuck again it might be easier/nicer for me to take a week off like other people suggested.

Go for it girl.

I've lost weight a few times and it's around about 2 stone off that people notice. I've just passed that and it's still true, people are commenting now. Must learn to say thanks, not launch into a full description of WoE!

Even I have had occasional comments / compliments, generally from people who haven't seen me for a while! I've lost about 1 1/2 stone (21lbs).

Keihira, I'm pleased to hear that you are feeling a bit better about things now. And that the magnesium seems to be helping. I am still taking my MgO tablets when I remember at 8pm and they do seem to help, I'm not sure why as absorption of MgO is not meant to be too good.

Re inactivity when set in front of a screen, and trying to increase NEAT: suggestions I've seen here are to get a stand for the laptop (or put the desk on chocs!) and work at it standing up (it's not so much the standing up that uses more calories but that you can move around a bit more while standing), or a pedal exerciser. Can't say I have tried either though...

Did you check out the Thyroid and IF topic and/or change your thyroid meds?

Keihira, you sound more relaxed. I'm sure this will be the key to your success!

Carb cravings can be caused by an overgrowth of Candida (thrush fungi) in the gut. The Candida grows on the carbs producing alcohol which then send your blood sugar sky high.

I have known on young man that was so badly affected that when tested after eating a two slice sandwich, was pushed over the legal drink drive limit with alcohol in his bloodstream.

Treatment is stravation of the Candida with as close to zero carbs as possible and Diflucen tablets.

Hey Keihira,
I hear your frustration. I believe our bodies are not so great at change and a weight loss is change. I also think and have read that having a small break in between weight loss is good for our bodies to get used to new weight. If you had lots to lose, break it into say 3 part and give your body a chance at getting used to the new you. I may end up doing the same, I have an inkling I'm going in for plateau as I am sort of near not having lose lots more, maybe 4 kilos to go and its a stubborn 4, up down up down. If I get stuck I may sit on it for about month and then try again, like a new go at it.
I wish you the best whatever you chose.

Hi Keihira - I also spend (too much) time on my laptop - I've moved it from my kitchen table to my kitchen work top, so stand all day, and consequently move and walk lots more. I've moved from being a slow loser to being a relatively fast loser in the last few weeks, largely down to this change I think, along with trying to make sure I go out for a walk/errand after dinner every evening, so I dont just flop.

Oooohh... pizza... yes... found these whilst hunting for bread (duplicates on different sites kept because the comments below were oft enlightening):

http://yourlighterside.com/2009/05/reci ... a-dough-2/
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01 ... crust.html
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/09 ... ust-2.html
http://www.kimkins.com/kimkins-cheesy-c ... wer-pizza/
http://ginnyslowcarbkitchen.blogspot.co ... otato.html
http://accordingtojolene.blogspot.ca/20 ... pizza.html

Sadly, low-carb *does not equal* low-cal

I just found this thread and just wanted to say to you that people indeed lose weight on other diets. If you fancy your friend's diet, why don't you try it for a while ( I would add some excercise to that, at last walking 30 min. Several times a week ) and if you'll get bored start again with the 5:2. I agree that CR is not great for maintaining your weight in the long term, but for maintanance you can certainly do 5:2, which is what I am doing. In summary most people are successful in losing weight on many types of diets- low carb, WW, CR, you name it. The biggest challenge is maintanance and this is when 5:2 can help since it is sustainable so for all of those who are losing weight on 5:2 go on but for those who get stuck in long platoue, why don't you try something else for a while?

[carorees]

I completely agree that the real challenge is the maintenance and that 5:2 offers probably the best hope for success due, as you say, to not being constantly deprived. I've posted a few times in the 5:2 labs about why maintenance is so hard, including a study showing that after a year of maintenance after having lost weight on a low calorie diet, the participants were still constantly hungry. The way that 5:2 affects appetite on the feed days suggests that it may avoid this problem. We're all hoping so!

Caroline, this is my experience. I lost about 30 pounds 8 years ago and gradually about 5 pounds more and have been maintaining on CR and physical activity since. In the first 1.5-2 years. I struggled but then I didn't anymore. One of the key things was finding food that will fill me up- complex carbs did it for me. (I am not a big protein eater). I was not hungry at all. My only problem was having to plan everything and particularly the issue of socializing around food. When I started the 5:2 WOL after a couple of weeks I started experiencing some loss of control and cravings that I didn't have for years. I think it was because I allowed myself to eat food that was high glycemic such as cake etc...so I went back to eat my good food and I'm happy and in control again. The bottom line is that I think that the way to keep yourself satisfied with smaller amounts of food is to choose the right food- veggies, complex carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats. This is also better for everyone's health. Occasionally I do indulge, when invited for dinner but not on a regular basis.

I still eat chocolate and sometimes biscuits, but I skip a meal to compensate if I do. I don't eat carbs in the evening ever, just fill up on salad or veg. That *seems* to be working. Bur I still haven't weaned myself completely off sweet things or red wine (although consumption has reduced).