The FastDay Forum

This person has an interesting point about changing our approach periodically: re-balancing our portfolio.
http://criticalmas.com/2013/04/approaching-nutrition-from-an-investors-mindset/

When we did IVFs I was in menopause 5 times in one year. Yep, five times and lordy me that wasn't funny when it was going on and not afterwards. Have been in the real menopause the last 10 years I think with hot flashes from hell and very bad temper.
The last few years the temper is more even and the flashes comes and goes. The nightly sweats are now more like early morning ones. When I complained to my GP about the flashes not being over and done with, she told me with a laugh that they can go on until you are 70 or more. Gahhhh! But they are getting fewer and fewer and don't last very long and thankfully my workplace is pretty cold
But nevertheless I prefer this state to the PMS, cramps, cysts and whatever can ail us women.

I'm 67 now, so a few years since I went through menopause. At the time, I felt like I kind of skated through it unscathed because I never had hot flashes. However, in retrospect, it was not a great time for me. I put on weight, didn't sleep many hours a night--and sleeping is one of my skills! I had a lot of stress at work, and I didn't deal with it well. And this pear was turning into a franken-pear-apple? I had always been pretty trim through the midriff, no more. I was really discouraged.
Then, my work situation improved, and I loved my last 2 years of work. Also, I started to work at losing some weight and improving health metrics (borderline diabetes type 2 and cholesterol) encouraged by an insurance rate incentive, and I discovered zumba!!!! I changed what and how much I ate. I began to eat more whole foods and vegetables, drastically reduced processed carbs and sugars, and ate more protein. I began to feel good. The weight started to drop off--not fast, but about 5 to 10 pounds each year. Then, I discovered 5:2 and it really fit me. I continued to lose weight--at about 3/4 lb. per week. My body started to change back to the way it was before menopause. It really surprised me! Without working too hard at it, I dropped down to about 9.5 stone. I went up a couple of lbs and kind of bounced up and down there. Last fall I got up just over 14 stone. Since then, I've been 5:2ing it and slowly dropping back down--at about the same 3/4 lb per week as before. I am looking to get down to 130 pounds again. I liked it there.
Some suggestions to look at: (1) Really look at What you are eating as much as when and how much. I think breads (even whole grain), high carb vegetables, and sweet things are really a big problem for me. I restrict them. (2) Work at reducing stress--meditation and avoidance seem to help. (3) Don't get too caught up in the number on the scale. Do the right things and trust your body to work through it.

Oops--not 14 stone; 10 stone! Yikes! That's what I get for trying to translate lbs to stones!

I appreciate the well-intentioned replies, but am still struggling; I eat more fruit and veg (often organic and usually locally grown) and have restricted my meat intake as well as exercising more, but still cannot get below 11 stone. My cholesterol level is fine, but I am rather stressed after moving house and with worrying about my children, so maybe that is part of the problem, as I am prone to viruses and find fasting too hard when feeling unwell. My husband thinks I should give up.

hmb63 wrote: I appreciate the well-intentioned replies, but am still struggling; ... My husband thinks I should give up.

@hmb63

With only 4 posts it's way too early to give up! Particularly since there are so many things you have yet to try. Someone once said that problems aren't stop signs, they are guidelines. So consider including each 'guideline' below one-at-a-time as an opportunity to see if a change in direction benefits you. Give each idea a full week:

Go NO carb. That means no sugar, snacks, processed foods, flour, potatoes, fruit juices, crisps, candy, sweeten drinks, beer, wine. Hey, it's only for one week! See what happens.

Skip breakfast. For only one week. It'll keep you in the fat-burning zone for longer every day. (I actually manage to eat breakfast everyday. Sometimes I eat if for lunch, sometimes for dinner. In every case I break-fast.)

Stressed? Breathe! Aim for four times a minute when things get tense. We parents can't fix everything. Mothers fret over their kids from birth if not sooner. It's completely natural and expected. Your kids are out on their own. Trust that they learned the right things from you and will use that solid foundation to make reasoned decisions. They'll come to you if they need to. Ohmmmmm. Breathe slowly... for only a week! (Hopefully you'll continue for much longer.)

On fast days, eat nothing until dinner and then only to the 500 calorie limit. Sip teas, coffee, stock drinks throughout the day; make additional restroom trips. Just one week...

If doing 5:2, add a day to make it 4:3. That'll be three fasts instead of only two in the next 7 days.

Try new recipes. Find something Paleo or Mediterranean and surprise the family with it instead of fixing a typical family meal. "Adventure meals" for a week. "Uh Oh, mom's, got the cookbook out again!".


Blame me as your mantra. (I'm a guy after all.) "This is his #$% fault! This is his ...".

Want more ideas? Like Easter egg hunts, you'll have to stick around for that.