The FastDay Forum

@sidney - you're back - that's the main thing! Take encouragement from the forum and you'll be back on track in no time. We're only human and life does get in the way sometimes.

Good luck!

Hi @Sidney, good to see you back! I had not noticed your other posts over the last couple of months, but have quickly read them. Your life sounds quite busy! Hope you get back into the fasting routine easily. Best wishes.

Thanks for the encouragement madcatlady and sassy. I've not been on such a forum before and the chat and give and take really is surprisingly nice!!

The weight is coming off quicky (for me). Back on 5:2 and three good workouts this week resulted in a two pound loss. And that was without counting calories on normal days. However that is a slippery slope from past experience and tomorrow the recording begins again. So I'm hoping for another 2 lb. loss next week.

Looks to be a busy week coming up. Generally that's good, provided other stuff doesn't intrude. I get overwhelmed pretty easily. It's all about balance. Playing with font color... fun stuff if I can figure it out Nearing the end of a fast day...off to fix talapia and steam a bag of veggies... which tastes pretty darn good after a day of not eating.

Good luck to us all...we're doing good. Except for posting in color. How DOES that work?

Hi @Sidney
You need to be in the reply mode, not quick reply, and then you select the text you want colored, click on the 'font colour' button and pick your colour!
Best wishes for continuing with successful fasts,

Glad you are here, Sassy. Will try color font later. This week not so good. No weight loss. Five days are the problem, not fast days. Do not want to calorie count, but must, it seems. Those are the days when I am most hungry. And then it's easier to fall back into old habits...of mindless eating. Suddenly realizing what I've done, getting angry at myself and get discouraged. Add in a missed workout...it doesn't take much. Not your problem, although I respect the opinion of anyone who is on this journey.

Leaving for three days with my husband. Going to a little tourist town known as a former German settlement and and wine-making/tasting area. Hopefully the tasting will be offset somewhat by the walking!

Keep on keeping on. Good luck to us all!

Hi @Sidney, just happened to notice your post as I was browsing through recent active topics. I have been a bit sporadic with my posting of late - been busy with other things.

Re the 'mindless eating' someone on this forum (Ssure??) pointed us to a site (that I can't remember) about always having a plan for what you are going to eat. This can be flexible, ie revised thru the day, but I think the idea was that you don't put anything in your mouth unless you planned to eat it.

Do you have a rough idea of the calorific values of the foods you eat? If so, you can probably plan your food intake without doing detailed calorie counting. I do make a brief record of what I eat each day and a rough calorie count - takes 1-2 mins max per day. Everything is rounded to multiples of 50, and I don't count the very low cal veggies - and it seems to give me estimates of daily intake that match pretty well with what my weight does!! (I did attempt MFP but it seemed like too much effort, cos I never weigh anything, tho I note that many people say it is very easy and quick to use. Maybe once you have entered all your usual foods?).

I do understand how easy it is to get discouraged and give up if you fall back into bad habits. Try to think of the future, not the past. I think the daily tips on the following site are generally very good.
http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

Have a great holiday and hope you come back with renewed motivation!

Best wishes

Oh, Sassy! Thank you for the hand-holding. I so needed that. Read your post quickly before heading out of town and had no time for a thoughtful reply. Sorry.

It was short - only 3 days - a needed break however, and most interesting to me - no weight gain. This seems to be a case for not stressing. And your post was encouraging!

Since returning, I went back through Ssure's posts and found two books that sound helpful. Thank you for all your suggestions (and so promptly!!! you're pretty amazing). Don't know if this is true, but you sound fairly disciplined, but a relaxed discipline. Which is perfectly wonderful! Not at all sure I can find that balance though. You estimate calories; am pretty sure I would estimate low and sabotage myself. I do MFP right now but obsesses about getting it just right (correct brand, grams or oz) and then it is time consuming. At any rate you have given me much to think about...just reading more on the forum is helpful. Thank you again, (we need a hug smilie!) for your encouragement.

Have a lovely day; happy fasting.
Sidney

After missing Sat weigh-in, did today (Tues/health club/cycling) and had made good progress. Tried Sassy's method of estimating and while I'm too OC to do it every day, this is permission to do it some days, and that helps! The WW tracking idea dies hard... not having to be perfect, not feeling so stressed. That good old Catholic guilt will get you! Though apparently there is Baptist and Methodist guilt too! In all fairness, the guilt and stress is just self inflicted.

Being on the low side of 135 means there is hope for further loss this Saturday. That's encouraging. Fasting today because yesterday did not work. Used to be scared of fast days. Still don't look forward to them but since starting this and learning some techniques, (beef broth is a friend!)getting systems in place, (always check calendar and have fish, stay out of kitchen until 4 o'clock) fewer surprises, leaves me more in control. Thanks in great part to this forum!

[carieoates]

Great post there. I'm actually more scared of non fast days at the moment. Need to log my cals more efficiently to stay "in the zone "

Re the 'mindless eating' someone on this forum (Ssure??) pointed us to a site (that I can't remember) about always having a plan for what you are going to eat. This can be flexible, ie revised thru the day, but I think the idea was that you don't put anything in your mouth unless you planned to eat it.

@Sassy1 - yes, it's Gillian Riley's Times and Plans strategy (and I find this invaluable): post203414.html?hilit=Riley%20times%20plans#p203414

Riley's website has useful blog posts and archived newsletters: http://eatingless.com

Hi @Sidney!

Well I wasn't very prompt re your 24 November post!! Please tag me when you post (if you can be bothered!). Generally unless the post is relatively recent, so that it is on the first page of 'active topics', I won't see it - although I do check the forum most days, I don't every day, and can even go a few days without checking in (tho I am always logged in!).

Anyway!! You sound happy and positive in your posts, and you seem to be making progress in working out how to manage this way of eating. I am sure I have already said that we each have to find a way that is sustainable for us individually - there is a lot of variation in what method of IF suits people best, and in what we choose to, and not to, eat!

Hmm, not sure if I am disciplined - must be a bit I suppose, but not as much as I would like... My mum says I am determined - I had never really thought that about myself, but it is probably true - which must have been one of the factors with my success with 5:2.

I still frequently eat more carbs than is ideal, and then fast to undo the damage. I do admire those who have been able to give up or severely reduce their intake of sweet foods, but I unfortunately do turn to these foods for all the wrong reasons - comfort, reward, etc. And because I like the taste of course!! I guess I am lucky that I can 'get away with it'...

Right, well, this is sounding like my blog, not Sidney's!!

Sidney, again, best wishes as you continue your journey. Keep
posting!

And thanks @SSure for seeing these posts and providing the link.
Cheers!