The FastDay Forum

Tuesday 4th - March 2014
Thanks @carorees - Was very interesting. Hoping this grass season will be a lot easier.
Allright, so this is the day after a fast day. Drop in weight, but not lower than "lowest" ever - grrr. Then this post @Runners World helped:

Tough runs paired with continued activity will lead to muscle inflammation. Inflammation will cause your muscles to store more water. Your body wants to store more water after hard workouts anyways to help with recovery.

Also more runners reported their hands swell up after long runs. I know what they mean now, though not in any extreme way.
Anyway I should be celebrating! I realized I have not been under 72 kilos since 1998'ish (Yes, last Milennium).
Also ordered Jillian Michaels "Ripped in 30" last night because of recommendations here (for her, not Ripped especially). I have tried some (great) free videos @LiveStrong, but I like the team around "Biggest Loser" and can also recommend "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper. Only stupid thing they ever did (in my opinion) was make some losers run a marathon. I hope it was good for the "losers" psychologically, because in terms of physical strain it was a risky business - And why? Only thing I can think of is the "One Experience" where a person suddenly changes his or her perspective and radically swaps view on himself. Like when an alcoholic meets Jesus (I mean they do) and sober up after years of drinking. Now, that's very appealing, if we could only wave a magic wand and change other people's perspective (quite a few bosses would be in for a surprise change) that would be more than amazing. Certainly we would like to be able to do this ourselves. What is more fantastic than a "new view" that makes your resolutions hard as steel and you blow your doubts out of the water instantly? People would pay a lot of money to get in that state (and they do). Luckily there are more ways to get there and it's not all about any "near death" experience that changes everything (and afterwards you are focused and committed like a ninja for the rest of your life). I like to believe "Life is won in the everyday" (My English vocabulary lets me down here). All the small micro actions of "yes" and "no" make us who we are. And they add up - a lot - in a pattern or a habit. Deciding to do 5:2 and staying with it is one helluva micro action, good luck to you all!

Another normal day almost gone. "Nothing to report" - Except maybe I'm not eating bread anymore, only on special occasions (Like every Saturday heh!)
I miss a decent report on the dark "rye bread" we have in Denmark/Germany. It can't be as bad as white toast...
Looking forward to Friday morning weigh in.

Fastday #8 almost over, only a hungry evening to be overcome - Dinner was very good, but almost made me more hungry afterwards. Looking forward to weigh in tomorrow, hopefully it will be a drop!

You're doing brilliantly with this WOE, @RunningOlsen Onwards and downwards!

Well done RunningOlsen.
And keep up with this excellent, amusing and very enjoyable blog.
Did you eat that dropped chocolate bar by the way???

Thanks @StowgateResident. It sure makes it easier with all the nice people in here
No, @Powla, I passed it, but funnily enough I gave it another thought today. It was looking so unharmed and fresh, like it was placed there. What if it was something my hungry brain imagined? A Fooda Morgana?

Or Just maybe a 'test' set there to trap you?? ??
Ah! You hadn't thought about that now, had you?? Lol.

This is a kind of morning report, since the rest of the day will be a tornado of to-dos.
Day after fast day and great weigh in, yay! Down one kilo (~2 lbs) since last Friday. My interim goal is close and within a week's reach. I can only say again:
FIVE TWO IS AMAZING!
That said, boy was I hungry yesterday? Had yesterdays dropped chocolate bar been a trap (good point @Powla) I would have walked right into it and shipped off by some African food mafia:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/cannibal-restaurant-with-roasted-human-heads-on-the-menu-shut-down-by-police-9123693.html
This is one is shut down, but you know, there were never only one...

The sun has set; It's been a marvellous day. I didn't weigh myself this morning, knowing way too well it would be a gain after last nights steak with fried potatoes and bearnaise, throwing in the world's best wine (no less) Molly Dooker's "Two Left Feet"
( http://www.mollydookerwines.com/ )
,finished off with dark Toblerone.
If you don't know this wine, try it! It packs 16% alcohol so don't plan to drive afterwards - Or much else, like Shakespear said about wine in "Macbeth" (my favourite play):

"...It provokes the desire but takes away the performance."

Today I took an 18 K run with a friend, burning 1400 kcals while enjoying a mild day with sunshine. We run in a pace where we can still talk and it's pure therapy.

With the left over Molly Dooker I toast my fellow fasters, may you have a lovely Sunday!

Fast day #9 almost over, is it already a month since I started? Yes it is and the old, bigger trousers were put aside yesterday. They were simply getting too big and we all know how that feels: Fastaliciously!
The price today was being hungry, grumpy and a bit moody. I'm going to curl myself up with the latest episode of "True Detective" and a bucket of coffee - Trying to forget the little, stupid things in my life right now (and the Whittard white chocolate can in the cupboard)

A normal day over almost gone by in this new WOL - But then...
I tried level 1 Jillian Michaels. Result:
Legs: Ok (should be with all that running)
ABS: What abs? Are you kidding me... Side plank pffff
Arms: A bit like dough.

It was great fun! You should all have seen me on the pink yoga mat - or not, heh! You know when you think you move really cool and later you get to see someone filmed you secretly...
I aim to do the program two times a week, more will destroy my ability to run I think. So I should get through in double time, 60 days. The purpose is to see if it affects weight loss.

Fastday #9
I'm as stuffed as ever after last night's social arrangement at work. But also proud I didn't drink any beer and only had two wine gums. All in all a huge carb disaster was avoided.
Also buttocks are pretty sore after Jillian Michaels week one, ONE circuit. I guess I should be happy because I just discovered a major area of improvement possibilities: Rarely used muscles. Today's plan is to get a little lunch, a 100 kcal, and save rest for dinner.

*** Update later ***
Said "no" to more cake at work, that's three good "no's" in 24 hours (beer, candy, cake) I think one of the good strategies for me is to have a reward every day. Yesterday it was peanuts (not all good, but not all bad either in comparison to the possible calorie load last night) and today it was simply dinner, which I looked forward to all day.
I had to skip my Jillian M workout today and settle for one session this week. Certainly couldn't today because I'm still sore and tomorrow will jeopardize running in the weekend.

Friday and usually my weight loss reward day, but not this time. I have gained 100 g since last week. How can that be?
- Waist is 1 cm. lesser, I put my hopes in this.
- Legs and butt are pretty sore and since it's our largest muscles they can hold a lot of water after training/straining, so I hope they do.
- The day before yesterday I had pizza and peanuts, both things also work as temporary water sponges because of the carbs and the salt. I may stand corrected on this, but after eating any white bread or wheat, my weight usually goes up.

Even so I can't ignore weight loss is slowing down and since I really want to reach my target weight around May 1st (before the marathon I have challenged myself with mid May) I will have to be careful in the weekends to come.

100g is nothing, and you've identified several strongly possible reasons for it. I've always found white bread 'sticks' to me as well, it's a killer, weight loss wise.

On the subject of killers, Jillian certainly knows how to find those muscles you didn't realise were your weaker ones. So effective though. Hers are the only DVDs I've ever managed to get through (well, I survived, just) more than once. I'll be blowing the dust off '30 day shred' next week I think

How is your wife doing with the fasting?

Hello @Winsome
Thanks for the support
I find Jillian's program very good and especially good for runners because it works core, abs and through this balance. Upper body and arms I really need too, so everything is covered with her workout. It was just a bit too tough so I will have to ease in to it. If anyone starts this I recommend don't go all out first times
Wife likes 5:2 so the fast days are now our mutual goal, lucky me.