The FastDay Forum

Oh well done Manderley, both those recipes sound delicious and very nutritious. Un petit pas chaque jour et tu arriveras a ton bout!x

Hi Manderley

Congratulations on your award! You have definitely been an inspiration to me. I love to read your posts.

I can really identify with what you say about adjusting to maintenance. I'm also having to re-educate myself about foods that have been my bogeymen. For the first time in years I have nuts in the house. (They are pistachios because the time needed to shell them does reduce the possibility of gobbling them. So I'm proceeding with caution!) Reading the scientific studies is a big help. It's OK to eat butter! Who knew?!! But you know, all those years when I thought that fats etc were bad, I was still eating them, and worse things.

I too feel a pull to keep losing. Unlike you, I have quite a buffer on the lower side. At a BMI of about 23 I could safely let the pounds creep down if that's what they want to do. And the temptation is to do that, because, let's face it, it is impossible to maintain any weight to the precise gram. There are going to be fluctuations, and that means, gulp, there are going to be gains. I have gained a pound in the third month of maintenance, and I admit I would like to see that pound gone again. But I was already 2 pounds under goal. Am I going to keep re-setting my goal downwards every time I happen to reach a new minimum?

I know I have to learn to trust that the weight has truly gone, now I am maintaining. So if I see losses continuing, that means I have to change what I do. Either I will stop one of my lean days, ie go 6:1, or I will increase the calorie intake on the 2 lean days.

After all, what is there to be scared of? If I miscalculate and find myself above goal, I know getting back onto 5:2 will take care of it.

So I'm not going to be scared about getting fat again. It ain't going to happen! But if I found myself at a BMI of 18 and still losing, well, I'd want someome to wake me up, because I think at that point I might be sleepwalking into something that I should be scared of. That's just me, and I'm not for a moment wanting to suggest that there aren't people with BMI below 19 who are very healthy. But I'm hoping you will think about what I say Manderley and see if it might apply to you. If it doesn't, then I hope you'll forgive me for butting in. I'm really wishing you all the very best, and I so much admire what you have achieved.

What an inspiration reading back though these past posts - seems this is going to take up a LOT of my time. will save them for my fast days LOL.. mandalay - are those your kitties - one looks just like my boy Toby - a seal point Birman - have a photo of him adopting just the same pose !!!

Hi @Manderley We at last but had to have help from @moogie. And he should be "rocking" and doesn't appear to be never mind he is dead cute

@Callyanna, I was a bit shocked to read you wrote in French (not used to it) and then, I saw in the survey you used to be a French teacher....

@Sue.Q Your kitten is cute as a button

For those you worry a bit about my weight, I had to go to my GP this week after a bit of a bronchitis who took my blood pressure, etc and, even if he was quite shocked by the new me (poor him, he's still in shock about the fact that I am nearly 40 ) he didn't seem to be concerned as, for him, it's part of the adjustment. My body is not used to this weight and frame yet and everything has to find a balance. I don't look gaunt or older, have a lot of energy, eat sensible things and, yes, I still do 3 fasts a week but I don't look at the calories anymore.

My tastes have changed. A lot. Plus, I feel full much more quicker now. Imagine, now I can serve my meals in a dessert plate and that will be plenty. I still eat what I like, even carbs and fat.

Let's not forget I am fairly small so, yes, I am at a 18 BMI and still a tiny bit underweight but I need to gain only 0.13 points to be in the healthy range so about 2 kilos. My new goal is to be at a healthy BMI, so to reach 18.50.

Give it time

Ca me fait grand plaisir de t'écrire en francais de temps en temps Manderley!

Hi @Manderley Hope your bronchitis is under control and you sound so positive + confident these days that's good So now could be the time to finish the off the toblerone have a treat or two on non fastdays to get your BMO where you want it to be.

I was doing some cleaning up on my computer and I found these. That may give you an idea of what I look like, even if I am not ready to take some new pics yet

Quelle mignonne petite fille! Manderley, you look such a beautiful young woman with glorious hair, please consider posting a recent photo of yourself.

Wow @Manderley Lovely photographs of you at differing ages and very sofisticated looking
Yes we want more of the petite young French lady

You are just how I imagined. Beautiful. Come on, don't be shy.

Thanks your kind words , unfortunately you'll have to wait a bit more for a new pic as it's still impossible. Still self concious, still having a radar that tell me if anyone is trying to take a pic and still chase them after to have that pic destroyed...... I even try with on e of my furry babies in my arms, as a distraction, but no can't do......

About that, I don't know if I answered to the question about my avatar, yes all these beauties are mine. Unfortunately, 2 of them are no longer with us for several years now (the 2 sisters paws in paws) . The tabby one, Boo, is 5 going 6 in July and I found her when she was 3 weeks old. I gave her the bottle, educated her and we are really really close, a bit freaky close in fact. She rules the house even if she's a tiny little thing

The other one is Sitaëlle and she's born in my car in August 2010. I helped her mom gave birth, rubbed her after and I was supposed to keep her sister, not her, but the young lady decided to change my plans and chose me...

About the fasts now... As I said, I changed a lot of things in my way of doing them. I don't count calories but stay around 1000 cal. My big issue is with cold, I am freezing so have to take coffee, tea and even hot cocoa during the day to keep warm.

Fun fact, my foot are one size down and OH even told me I have small feet

All is good.....

In 2 days there will be a year since I decided to go on a diet. Not my fastanniversary, it will be in June, but when I began the most tasteless diet ever/ Can you imagine eating only grilled and steamed things, and not red meat because it's bad for you, no chocolate at all or nothing that will give you a bit of pleasure ?

Sure, it's how I lost nearly half the weight I had to lose but I didn't see myself doing that forever and knew, deep inside, that I would put the weight back on as soon as I would go back to a more "normal" WOE.

That was until I met 5:2 and I began to fast... Now I see myself doing that or something like that for the rest of my life.

One thing I learned is to know why one put the weight on and deal with it. In my case, there was 2 things, the rape when I was 18 and the lost of my best friend from cystic fibrosis when I was 9. I never really grieved and, years later, it was still the biggest lost of my life. Once I knew the reasons of why I put the weight on, deal with them, things were really easier. Not a breeze, though, but still.

Now I have to deal with the fear of losing the new me and becoming the chubby woman I hated again. And I have to learn to relax. I repeat : I have to learn to relax. I am a tiny thing now and I am kind like somebody who was amputated and still can feel the missing leg or arm, in my case I still can feel the kilos I lost. Silly, I know...

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart for all your help, your kicks in the butt, your cheering. It's been a huge help and a huge part of this victory. I will say it again and again, it's a team effort

And it's a work in progress....

[Debs]

Thank you for sharing Manderley, you truly are an inspiration, certainly to me. I wonder how much of that clinging to the idea of the old weight is to do with the fear of being seen as a beautiful, slim and desirable woman again, so we sabotage ourselves? Like buying the large belt.

I am putting my hand up for a picture of THAT corset!!!

Hello Manderley I have just read your amazingly honest posts & felt that I so wanted to congratulate you on your marvellous weight loss but also on your personal journey on the way. You have kept on going through your ups & downs & coped with them all which is very inspiring to me, as has been your personal insights & sharing & writing all that in English
I hope that you will now be able to enjoy the new you, although of course your body is also still adjusting as well, & that the New Year will bring you all that you are hoping for