RedBobbin. 5:2 ~ Slimmer by Christmas.

Slimmer by Christmas. MUCH slimmer by Christmas :fingerscrossed: all going well.

....It won't be luck I'll be needing so much as good management!!

The first step on the "management plan" was to go cold turkey today on the evening snacking and regular glass of wine that have crept in since things have been more hectic on the work front.

I got three autobiographies out of the library yesterday, and the plan is to take my mind off things and relax before bed with some reading (exciting plan huh!) which is sort of how I'd been using the glass of red wine.

I haven't put ON weight lately but I really need to be losing...so I joined the lovely ladies (and gents) over in the WeMITTS Christmas Challenge. Hoping to stay motivated by keeping up with them, and by recording progress here in my own little space.

50 pounds by Christmas.....wish me luc...um good management!


RB.

Good luck with your weight loss.

How are you planning on losing the weight?
I'm on Weight Watchers.

Hi elfy, thanks for the good wishes. Big congrats on your great losses and the exercise challenge!

I'm eating low carb, Paleo - no limits on calories - but I've been losing reeeeally slowly and stalled recently with snacks creeping in, so I decided I need a bit more structure and restriction.
I'm waiting for my 5:2 diet book to arrive and reading here and around the www about intermittent fasting in general. Hoping to get that underway on Thursday.
So, in short, the basic plan is 2 days IF and 5 days low-carb, full-fat, paleo....with no snacking.

I'll keep tweaking until I get something that rewards me with about a 2lb loss per week on average.

Thanks =)
I've slacke a bit on the exercise in June. Need to get back on it if I'm going to hit my target.

I must admit, that I don't know much about IF it paleo, I've just done sw (which did not work for me in the slightest because I found the meals boring and repetitive) and ww (which I'm absolutely loving).

So if you've got any questions about the plan you're doing, I'm probably not the best person.
But I will be here to support you and keep you motivated if that's what you need.

A few general weight loss tips I've found helpful include making mini goals, such as the ones in my signature.
I've found it much easier to hit a target that's just a couple of pounds away than a huge target of goal, which was 3lbs away.
So my last goal I hit was to get into the 10s, I'm now working towards losing 1.5 stone, which I know is only 1.5lbs away, easily reachable.
So I suggest that maybe you could set yourself mini goals too.

The other time is closely related to the mini goals, and that's non-food rewards.
Write out your mini goals, and for each one, make a little reward for it, such as a pedi/mani, or a nice hot relaxing bath, or if you have a partner, arrange that you can have a back massage. Little things like that, other than rewarding yourself with a night out on the town, or dinner.
Then, if you have an issue with snacking, which you said you did, put this list on the snack cupboard. Each time you go to the snack cupboard, it'll be there reminding you how close you are to your next goal. Then hopefully you'll be able to consider whether it's worth having the snack and taking longer to get your reward.

That's all I've got for the moment, but again, good luck, and I'm here to help you keep on track. I weigh in on Thursdays, so we could be weigh in buddies. Update on here, let the other know how we got on =)

Hi elfy,
Thanks for the tip about smaller goals and rewards. I had been thinking along those lines when the other day it occurred to me I should hold off ordering a new book until I'd lost say 5lbs.
I'll upgrade my signature later today as soon as I've thought of a few nice little rewards for mini goals.

****
Well my 5:2 book arrived and I'm going to try for my first fasting day on Sunday.
My hubby is going away for work for two weeks and it'd be excellent if I could knock off a few pounds while he's away. Hmmm....and I was going to give the bedroom a bit of a makeover too...just thinking out loud here but I saw quite a pricey bedcover that I just LOVED today. Its actually not that fancy or anything but it's in colours I really like together (different shades of blue, including French navy) and made really nicely from a good quality cotton. Didn't buy it because I've been making an effort not to impulse shop, and there's nothing really wrong with our old one....except we've had it since before we were married - hmmm that would be 11 years!!! LOL....I can see I'm talking myself into that new cover. Right. A quick deal with myself is in order. Five pounds weight loss and it's MINE!


Four days in now, and three of them I haven't eaten anything after dinner. Last night we were out for a meal to celebrate my Mum's b'day, and husbands upcoming trip away. Others had dessert and I had a glass of dessert wine that kind of came at the end of the meal. So it wasn't snacking as such, but at the same time it wasn't absolutely necessary...except to be sociable.

Right. Off to play with my siggy and see what other non-impulse purchases I can organise for myself.

Ok well it turns out I had limits on what i could do with my signature because of my newbie status. LOL. My goals list is a work in progress (like my goals!)...
Nice to have a couple of things to look forward to anyway.

I lost a pound (first "week" was a 4 day week). I'm Ok with that because I did eat dinner out one night and this week the only real effort I put in was to cut out snacking. It's been a busy week with family birthdays, and with getting hubby organised for his trip away. I did OK!
Today we did an extra big shop from the further away grocery place, so I can relax and not have to do that mission on my own with the kids over the next fortnight. Will just take them to the farmers market for fresh stuff at the weekends. Anyway, we picked up 24 bottles of San Pellegrino sparkling water today. I love this water but don't usually buy it because our food bill is shocking as it is! The plan is I'll drink that in the evenings, to keep me away from snacky, diet-destroying temptations. And I will still feel like I'm having a treat.
Hubs bought me a new mp3 player which arrived this week and last night he recorded my fave guided relaxation tape onto it. I actually hate it when he's not here at nights and have the tendency to seek out cheese and crackers and a glass of wine to settle the anxiety.
So instead of that old, too familiar, late evening scenario I'll be all set with my fizzy beverage (love that word beverage) and a walk on a warm sandy beach....waves gently lapping at my feet....

I'm going for two pounds off next week! Planning a "fast day" on Sunday, plus I want to cut coffee back to no more than two per day.

Nuff rambling on from me.

Well done on your first pound lost.
You've done well so far.

I personally can't relate to your situation with your husband away, but it seems like you've got a good plan for the weeks ahead. I hope it works for you and you get your 2lb loss.

And well done one setting your first goals and rewards.
They look good.

Thanks elfy. I usually put weight on when my husband's away. I tend to sleep less and eat more...probably just bad habits (little bit of anxiety too because I prefer company at night) but hoping my planning will pay off and he'll get a nice surprise on his return. If he doesn't notice any weightloss I'll print out my ticker mark the important bits with a highlighter pen and stick it on the fridge!!
Look at you - blasting your 4% in June challenge and we're only half way through the month!!

***

Hubs is packed. Early start tomorrow to get him to the Airport and checked in. He's got 19 hours flying time.
Kids are looking forward to when we can Skype because he always gives them a tour of his hotel room...view out the window, sometimes out into the corridor if the laptop lead extends far enough.

I made a big pot of leek and watercress soup today. We had some as a first course tonight. Everyone else had nachos w. ground beef, sour cream and the works, and I just had some of the beef plus some diced red pepper and avocado after my bowl of soup. I froze five portions of soup for using during the week....so there's no reason for me not to feel prepared looking ahead...and go off the rails because there's nothing healthy within easy reach!
Early breakfast planned of poached eggs (on spinach for me) before dropping hubby off.
Looking forward to a catch up with a friend at the weekend. And grandma's looking forward to babysitting.

Must check out some other diaries - some people are getting really amazing weightlosses and I might pick up a few handy tips.

It sounds like your head is really into it.
I just hope your husband being away doesn't get to you too much that you go off track a little.
But it doesn't seem like it will, and if it does, not as much as it usually would as you've got a plan.
You've got soup prepared, you've got your reading, you really sound like you're on it.

And you should stick your ticker on your fridge anyway as motivation for you as well.
Then, when you head there for an unhealthy snack, you'll see it and be reminded of how far you've come so far.

I'm sure he'll notice when he gets back, and he'll be more than willing to help you burn off a few more calories if you get my drift haha

Well done for getting this far, you've done really well.
And let's hope you get the result you deserve when you weigh in next.
Good luck =D

I decided I should make a ticker showing my full weightloss picture (ie including the 22 pounds I lost really slooooooowly since last Christmas). Looks like I might need 50 posts to expand my signature, so I will play a bit in the word games section and get that post count up.

I had an un-planned meal out this evening! Saw a movie with a friend and because the timing was spot on for my kids to watch a rugby game on TV with their grandad, Lil and I extended our catch up and went to dinner afterwards. The kids had made pizza dough and then their own pizzas with grandma so I'm kinda glad they got to eat them there instead of bringing them home and filling the house with the smell of fresh baked bread!

Anyway, food choice wise I did pretty well....skewered lamb meatballs (which were pretty much just lamb, spices and onion) and salad. I left the couscous it came with with, and just had a diet tonic with a slice of lemon. Lil had the same but left the salad and ate 2/3 the couscous. In times past we would have had baklava and icecream for afters!
Lil had weightloss surgery April 2012. When she was doing her pre surgery shakes from mid-March I joined her. She lost 18lbs and I lost a bit under 10 in the same time. We both replaced 2 meals a day. She used some of the bars though and I got a stomach ache from (I think) the soy in them, so I stuck with shakes only.
She was a stone and a half bigger than me to start with and now she's a bit under 4 stone less. She looks really good though she's still got a bit to go. She's struggled with re-gaining a bit...so nothing's a perfect solution I guess.
Anyway when she dropped me home she gave me a bag of a few of her size 20 and 18 (plus some XL) work clothes from last Summer and Autumn. Tomorrow I'm going to take a leap of faith and toss out some of my bigger things or get a bag together for the charity shop.

I'm on my official first 5:2 fast day now, since 7.45pm. Feeling pretty strong. I'm hoping discarding some bigger clothes from last summer and hanging smaller ones in their place might be a good motivator.

Back again LOL.
Skyped with Hubby and all is well.

I skipped breakfast and just had acup of green tea - because it's my first Fast Day. I spent the morning reorganising my wardrobe a bit, and I have a bag for the charity shop plus a couple of new things from last Winter to hand to my sister in law. I didn't feel hungry all morning though I'm starting to a bit now. It's been 16 hours so I feel like I've fasted!
Lunch will be leek and watercress soup shortly, and for our evening meal I'm under control with steak and stirfried veges. Total cals for the day should be close to 500.
After lunch we're walking to the farmers market. I need a few extras so on Monday I can make another big batch of soup and freeze lots of portions. The dog could do with the outing too. She's missing her master!
(I didn't tell him earlier...but she got to sleep on the bed last night!)

First 5:2 fasting day done, and today I've just eaten pretty normally (the healthy version of normally).
So Sunday was about 500 cals, and today I reckon a bit under 1800. I had been sticking to roughly 1600 but some extra macadamias found their way to my mouth as I was getting breakfast and making up the kids lunch boxes. I don't usually eat "extras" then...so I'm not sure if it was a case of "I did the fast day so the pressure's off", or if I was extra hungry.
Over two days I reduced calories from 3200 to 2300 (900 less) so it's hard to see how that won't have some effect on the scales. It I stay on an even keel and don't overindulge on non fast days I'll save 1800 a week. Hmmm that would translate (I think) to an extra pound every two weeks. I won't say no to that but I'm hoping for a bit more.
Sticking to 1600 daily never gets me more than 1.5lbs (average) off a week, if IFing bumps that up to 2lbs then it's better than a kick in the pants.
Anyway....I'm counting my chickens here before they've hatched! Will see what Thursday brings after my second fast day.

Dropped a few things into the charity shop today after I got the kids off to school and talk the dog for a nice brisk walk. Funny but I have felt extra energy since my fast day...not speedy, hyper energy - more like a bit of extra strength and stamina. I slept better than usual last night too so that may have contributed.

Think I might move my diary into the WeMITTS or private section, not sure. Best to have it where it fits.

Cracking up a bit at my lovely Avatar. Just had a play but actually came up with something that looks about my size. I avoid looking in mirrors and photos etc so I find the size of my virtual double quite confronting. Can't wait to slim her down!!

Off to bed.

Fasting again, since 6pm last night, and it's weigh in day tomorrow! Yay! I bought a digital scale for the big occasion. LOL. Have been meaning to upgrade for ages. It's an unofficial reward for my first week of 5:2.

Today I've got leek, tomato and chorizo soup (200 cals) for lunch, and steamed fish with salad (300) for my evening meal.
Drinking s pellegrino, green tea and lots of water. This fasting day has been easier so far, and I've gone a 18+ hour stretch this time, so feeling quite pleased about that.

I've been really busy with work (from home) this morning, so I haven't even had time to think about being hungry. Distraction is good. Will get some exercise walking the dog after lunch....hardly a last chance workout LOL....but my portion of soup is looking quite hmmm modest, so a walk will help keep me out of the kitchen and out of trouble until the kids get home. Then it's full on distraction until bedtime!

Well, a 3lb loss on the old scales is still a 3lb loss. So I'll take it.

A friend bought her digital scales over tonight so we could try and sort out this scales confusion.
Verdict: My old scales are way wrong. So I need to update my stats. The bad news ~ BMI etc is all a bit worse than I'd thought. The good news ~ I still had a total loss of 4 lbs in 11 days.

Tonight I had one glass of wine with my friend and some veges with avocado dip, which is not in the official plan but still didn't put me much over 1800 cals for the day. Good to have a bit of freedom knowing the fast day is planned, and it's not like I binged. After Lil left I did struggle a bit with emotional hunger, and I seriously considered making some toast (bread is bad news for me). I thought with needing to change my starting weight yada yada it was kind of like starting fresh...so what would it matter if I gave in. I wasn't physically hungry, just kinda 'unsettled'. I decided in the end it would matter to my 4lbs, so I've skyped with my husband, had a big glass of sparkling water and got ready for bed.

Should actually be getting to sleep but I've decided I'll get the deed over with first and update my starting and current stats.

RB

Officially fasting again now since 7pm. I've decided to do Sunday and Wednesday again this time around. It fits well with a Thursday weigh in.
First meal will be around 1pm tomorrow.
Before then I've got a kids birthday party to attend...hmmm. Coffee will be on offer so hopefully I can just have a cup of black coffee and not seem anti-social or rude. I'm going to prepare my lunch (chicken and avocado salad around 300 cals) and pop it in the fridge before I go, because it could be a bit later than 1 by the time we navigate back through the traffic and I'll be more than ready to tuck in.. especially as I'll likely be helping pass party food around all morning!

I've been doing OK on my non fasting days...no indiscretions, though I think I went closer to 2000 cals than 1800 on Friday. I'm trying not to be too nit-picky...if the salad is nicer with some olive oil or some extra avocado I'll have it. Only on the fasting days will I measure it carefully. The hormetic effect of feasting <--> 'fasting' is supposed to bring some of the energy metabolism fitness benefits and there's no point stinting too hard on the feasting days or that fitness will flatline and I'll end up with fasting 'bounce back'. It's all real home cooked food I'm eating - not like I'm binging on junk...then starving on psuedo food. So anyway, for now the extra odd piece of avocado or few madadamia nuts or olive oil dressing on my salad is not being stressed over. I'll see how the numbers on the up(*sigh*)graded scales play out before I think about making changes to what 'feels' right on the day.

I think I can smell the sausage rolls I'll be handing around tomorrow already! Best get some decent sleep because that seems to help in the willpower department...

*Phew!* Survived that little test! Mostly.
There were no sausage rolls, or anything hot actually -apart from tea and coffee. From a seductive aroma point of view my morning was easy to cope with.

What did really call to me were these amazing fruit kebabs my friend had made. They had marshmallows threaded onto them too but I was actually standing there calculating how many cals might be in one if I took the marshies off...then when I started thinking...and how many cals if I didn't take them off I mentally slapped myself and went and got another coffee and a drink of water.
However, I did have cream in my coffee. My friends have this brand new amazing kitchen/family room and all the latest mod cons including a pretty flash espresso machine, not the usual home type but one you'd expect to find in a cafe. Annnyway Ian - the man of the house, had things set up for the adults with all kinds of extras for the hot drinks. Including two types of biscotti, hazelnut syrup, chocolate sprinkles, mini marshmallows etc etc. (Too much food talk here today I know!)
He warned that the espresso was quite strong. I'd taken some stevia to pop into my coffee but I did succomb and add some (hmm 3 tsp?) cream to take the edge off the sharpness. And later I did it again. I used to have a splash of cream in my coffee regularly, which may have helped contribute to current state of lardiness so I had an uncomfortable feeling I might have been slinking back to old bad habits.
Having some fat in coffee, especially strong coffee, stops me getting a quick pick up --> bad slump effect from it. Well that's the old excuse I used to use. Truth is, because coffee does that it probably means I shouldn't be having it in the first place and I come around to that line of thinking on about an annual basis...yet so far haven't been able to do anything about it!

So, the upshot. No unplanned food, but 6 tsp cream. 40 cals...which I found out through using their computer while I was drinking the second cup (and feeling guilty). *Cringe* No one knows I googled. My friends pulled up a recent wedding photo slideshow for me to see, and when I shut it down the Google page was left staring at me.

It's more of a roller coaster than I anticipated to go from one day relatively relaxed about food intake to the next overthinking a few tsp of cream (!!!). I'll have to give that some more thought.

Time to skype quickly with hubby before bed.

Nothing much to update here...just chugging along. Non fasting days around 1800 cals don't feel too restrictive so I hope I get to stay with that longer term. Rather than cutting that down it might be better to switch to 4:3 anyway?? Will have to see how I go.
I put my 'trusty' old scales out for the rubbish collection today. Easiest 8 lb loss ever!

Non fasting day menu (yesterday):
Scrambled eggs on steamed spinach, coffee.
Big salad with bacon, and blue cheese dressing.
Stirfried beef and veges w. ginger. Few corn chips with chilli, 4 squares dark chocolate.
Lots of water.

Could have kept snacking on corn chips given half a chance...not from hunger but from habit.

Fasting again from tonight 6.30pm if we're finished by then, through to tomorrow lunchtime. An 18 hour fasting stretch anyway. 500 cals tomorrow. Not sure what yet so best get organised. Might have a look around the 5:2 site for inspiration

Five hours in and dear godzilla it's been hard tonight!!!
Those chilli corn chips are reaaally nice and I've walked past them in the kitchen a few times (on my way to top up my Pellegrino) and I've literally stroked - hmmm caressed even the packet. How sad!
Mentioned my struggle to my hubs on Skype just now and he said he'd bring me an extra pressie if I can stay strong and true to the plan until he gets home on Friday.

Going to do my guided relaxation in bed now, and will put all thoughts of snacking to bed too. There will be no more caressing of chip packets tonite!

:479:

RB.

500 calorie fasting day today:

After 18 hours of zero food intake..

Lunch ~ cold wild pork sausage and side salad.
Evening meal ~ home made chicken soup with zero noodles. Few strawberries.

(I packed the tempting chilli corn chips into two ziplock bags, and they have gone to school today as part of the kids school lunches.)