The FastDay Forum

I haven't posted in a while because I've been really busy with my 2 jobs. One of them ends next Saturday though and the other one on June 25th.

One of the nice things about this diet is it's not hard to stick with, even when you are busy. In fact being busy makes it easier! I had to shift a fast day here or there, but other than that, no big deal.

I have not exercised though since my 5K. Unfortunately it seems I may have done something to my knee/leg while running. It hurts whenever I get up from sitting for a while. I'm hoping it gets better soon. I will start walking again tomorrow, but not sure what the future holds for my running career!

But, in good news I lost a pound today! I'm back to my lowest weight (since starting this WOE) which is what I was on March 22nd. I'm at 170.2 lbs, I'm SO close to getting below 170. Yesterday I actually was slightly under, but that not my official WI day! I hope I can keep it up though. As long as I lose a little bit every week (or every other week) I'm happy.

I am a little worried about being off for the summer. (I'm a teacher.) It's so easy to fast at school, but I'm afraid it will be harder when I'm home, even though I have plenty to do to keep me busy. Also, I'll probably go out to eat more, since I'll have more free time. But, I guess I'll worry about that when it gets here. Right now, I'm just happy to be losing again, slow as it may be!

Well, I had another really busy and somewhat stressful week. I did fast 2 days, but they were both sort of half-assed. On Monday, it was really bad and I probably ended up having about 1000 calories. Still better than a regular day, but not a very successful fast. Then I fasted again on Thursday and probably was close to the 500 calories, but they were not very nutritious. On my non-fast days I didn't have much time to eat, and my dinners were not that healthy. Also, it is that TOM.

But I still managed to lose another pound! That's two weeks in a row and I finally got under 170 lbs!

I have to say I'm a bit concerned because I haven't exercise in 3 weeks (except for being on my feet all day at work) and yet, I've had better weight loss than when I was doing C25K. I know people say exercise doesn't really help with weight loss, but I'd sure hate to believe that it hinders it.

I also haven't really done much to reduce my carbs. I've been a little more aware of it and cut back a little, but not drastically and not so much this week.

I was very good this week about putting the scale away. And that made it even more fun to see the pound down this morning, especially since I really had no idea what it was going to say!

So, I don't know what did it, but I'll take it and hope it keeps up. I am going to start walking tomorrow. I'm meeting a friend in the morning. And we'll see what happens next week!

I know people say exercise doesn't really help with weight loss, but I'd sure hate to believe that it hinders it.

I think exercise flattens the weight loss curve in the beginning, but the long term benefits will surely help lose more fat (but gain muscle and thus weight) and support the body in being healthy.

Take care with your knee! Is the walking going on

Thanks RunningOlsen! My knee/leg is feeling better, but I want to give it a little more time. I did walk 4 miles last week with a friend and will be walking again today. I do think exercise is the way to go in the long run, if only for the health and stress relief benefits. I am a teacher and I'm taking the summer off for the first time ever, so I plan to get in some exercise almost every day. We'll see how it goes!

I've had a few crazy busy weeks lately, including a short trip to Florida for my godson's graduation from high school. I have fasted, but I haven't been great at sticking to 500 calories. But, I guess I've also been so busy that I haven't had much time to eat a lot on my non-fast days either. I also haven't exercised much.

My normal weigh in day is Saturday, but I'm going out tonight for pizza, beer and frozen yogurt, so I figured I'd go with today's WI! And I'm happy to say that I'm down 2 lbs. since my last WI 2 weeks ago! This makes 11 pounds since January. So, I guess I'm averaging 2 lbs. a month, which considering I am not really deprived and get to splurge on weekends is pretty good!

You are going great @cblasz! We both have the couple of lbs to make the solstice challenge. Are people starting to notice you new figure now? Hope the knee is on the mend.

Thanks @scubachick! I've only lost 11 lbs, I've got a long way to go to get to my final goal of around 140. My mom (who I hadn't seen in a few months) said it looked like I lost weight. I'm hoping to really get things in high gear when I'm off for the summer! My knee is feeling better for the most part. I do hope to start running again, maybe just a couple times a week for a few miles. I'll supplement with walking, rollerblading and maybe some swimming or something.

Well, not only did I not lose the 2 pounds that I needed to, to meet my Solstice Challenge goal, I gained almost 2 pounds this week!!!

I did have social events the last 2 nights, and I had a drink or two at both of them. I did skip lunch those days to try to make up for it, but maybe the alcohol is affecting the scale. I might weigh myself again tomorrow.

But, truth be told, it's been a busy couple of weeks and I have probably been a little lax and I have definitely not exercised much at all. I also still struggle a bit on fast days. I do fine during the day, but then once I eat dinner, I feel like I need something sweet afterwards and I end up going over the 500 calories. I know many people just eat dinner. I wonder if anyone eats just breakfast. I almost think I might do better with that approach. I might try it out at some point.

My school year ends on Weds. and I will have the summer off. I have plenty to do to keep me busy, and my goal is to get in exercise every day. However I also worry about the unstructured time. But, we'll see. It seems that I might be running the next challenge, so hopefully that will keep me motivated!

Well, this was the last week of school and it was a little crazy. My eating was TERRIBLE! I only fasted on Monday and even that wasn't 100% successful. I actually ate pizza 3 times this week!!!

However, I'm also finding that I can skip a meal once in a while, even if it's not a fast day. If I know I'm having a big meal at some point, or had a lot the day before, I might skip either breakfast or lunch or even dinner, if I ate a lot for lunch.

So, despite the terrible eating, I'm down .2 lbs. It's not much, but I was afraid of having a gain. I better get back on track or that will be the case!

Today is not the day though, because I'm going to an outdoor concert at a brewery and planning to celebrate the end of my school year and the start of my first summer ever not working! I am meeting a friend for a walk first though, so maybe that'll help offset the indulgences a little!

Enjoy the day and not working but walking with a friend. Hope knee feels better and keep up the good losses

I am up almost 2 lbs. this morning, but I blame it on that TOTM! Or maybe the week before caught up with me. Also, I started exercising regularly again this week and started the C25K program again (at week 2) and last time I did that my weight got stuck for a bit. So, while it's a bit discouraging I will just keep going. I have to do a little better on my fast days still. I do not always stick to the 500 calories. I do pretty well on non-fast days though. And I'm sure eventually the exercise will be a help not a hindrance. Tomorrow I hope to go rollerblading and next week I plan to start swimming laps at least once a week at a community pool.

I'll probably weigh myself again tomorrow to see if today is just a bad fluctuation, but I will still keep today's weight in the tracker!

UGH! I'm up almost another pound! And the worst part is when I first weighed in this morning that put me back at 170. But, I went and did my walk/jog and weighed myself again and it's around 169.8, which is a little better. I'll probably wait until tomorrow and weigh myself one more time before I call it official.

I'm really not sure why I would gain weight. I have increased my exercise a lot since I'm off for the summer. This week I exercised 5 days, burning around 2000 calories. I know that exercise has slowed down my weight loss before, so maybe it's happening again. But, I refuse to believe that it won't pay off in the long run.

I haven't been tracking my food faithfully, but still don't think I've gone overboard. I only had one really good fast day this week. Here's how my week went:

Saturday/Sunday - didn't do anything social just ate at home, didn't count calories. Walked 4 miles with a friend on Sunday.

Monday - took my niece and nephew to the zoo. Had a skim chai and a croissant from Starbucks, a cheeseburger at lunch and a few fries and a slurpee in the afternoon. When I took the kids to dinner, I wasn't hungry so got an unsweetened iced tea and then had a small snack when I got home. We were there 6 hours, much of which was walking. (I'd say at least 3 hours of it.)

Tuesday - I had a drs. appt and went into work for a bit. I didn't track my calories and really don't remember what I ate, but I ate at home, so it should've been ok.

Wednesday - skipped breakfast, went on a 2 hour hike with my friend, counted my calories for a total of 1460.

Thurs. I fasted - banana and p.b. mid morning, grilled chicken salad for dinner, small square of dark chocolate for dessert. 575 calories. Also did my C25K work out.

Fri - stayed home, counted calories 1900 (thanks to 1 cup of ice cream at 500 cals.)

My TDEE is 1700. I try to stay at 1500 during the week on non-fast days, so I can splurge on the weekends. My days are a little messed up since it's summer and I'm not working and doing more social things during the week. And while I want to lose weight of course, I do also want to enjoy my time off.

I can see not losing, but not sure why I would gain. I think maybe I need to try to drink more water to counterbalance the exercise and be stricter with counting my calories (when I can). And try to get 2 fast days in. This week is going to be tough though, because I have a lot of social plans. I do think I will throw in a few 16:8s and I'll definitely fast on Weds.

Well, I guess I'll just keep at it. Maybe I'll have one of those weeks where I lose 3 lbs. in one week!

Fingers crossed for a good loss this week xxx xxx

Thanks Karen!

In posting this, I've reflected a bit and I realize that I have to try to make healthier choices on my non-fast days. I can't splurge every day! For example, I could've actually gotten something healthier at the zoo, they had a good selection. So, this week I will work on that and getting more water in!

Well done @cblasz - how wonderful to have the summer off - there seems to be a likeminded conversation -between holiday good times and dealing with busy stressful times that arrive, they push or pull us off centre from being mindful Good luck with the week ahead. We can enjoy but I guess it is about making the right choices. My TDEE is 1380 and fast is from 340-500 - I don't count calories, but do think a lot Oh yes, drink lots of water too.