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Friday Weekly Weight Reports
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I've been trying to lose ten pounds for months now, and instead of losing, I have gained!!! I've read that having a support group and daily weigh ins are helpful in this regard. I will post every Friday to this thread with a report on my daily weigh ins.

So far, I have:

Tuesday: 130.5
Wednesday: 129

Race Weight: 118
Sustainable Goal: 122

To this end, I have started on the 5-2 Fast Diet by Dr. Mosley. Essentially, it is 1 day of fasting, 2 days of normal eating, 1 day of fasting, 3 days of normal eating. Participants usually overeat by 125% on normal days. Fast days are days of less than 500 calories (for women). I am choosing Monday and Thursday as my fast days.

Would anyone like to join?
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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If you haven't seen it yet, here is the documentary that started the Fast Diet trend: http://www.documentarytube.com/...ger-bbc-horizon-2012

Not sure if it is really suited for athletes, though, but the intention is not just for weight loss, but for longevity and better health.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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I am right with you: For the weight loss at least (not the fasting, I'd harm someone, LOL). I am trying to lose the last 5-10 lbs to get close to my normal weight.
I was on some meds the past 18 months, and I know it's probably just an excuse but the weight went on quickly and stuck no matter what. I've been off them for 2 months and lost 4 lbs pretty quickly but I'd like to lose another 5lbs at least to get close to my normal weight. I've long since given up on getting back to race weight!
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [raz] [ In reply to ]
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Hi raz, awesome! I thought I was going to be alone!

I am not doing too well with my first fast. I've never done a fast before in my life. For that matter, I've never gone on a diet in my life either, other than general thoughts that I needed to cut back. It's like I'm obsessed with eating. Every few minutes, I'll think about eating something and then I remember that I'm on this fast! I ate two eggs this morning and I can't wait until dinner, as I will be gorging on vegetables. My stomach started growling at 1 pm... it's not going to be pretty.
Last edited by: karencoutts: Apr 3, 13 15:26
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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Time for my first report... I find that I am definitely more aware of what I eat now that I'm tracking my weight more carefully.

Tuesday 130.5
Wednesday 129.0 (Fast Day)
Thursday 126.5
Friday 126.0

Race Weight 118
Sustainable Goal 122

We'll see how much of that small loss is water weight.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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Due to lack of response on this thread (!) I stopped posting my weight. I have still been weighing myself daily and recording it elsewhere.

But in case anyone was a lurker who was interested in following the 5:2 Fast Diet, I did some research and I have modified my method of fasting. You need to fast for 24 hours to gain the benefit of living a longer life. How I do this is I have dinner on my non-fast days and don't eat until the next day's dinner, and that dinner would be no more than 500 calories (for women, 600 for men). Water and zero calorie fluids are advisable on fast days.

I am following this method to 1) live a longer life and 2) get down to race weight.

From the start on April 5 at 130.5 I am now down to 124.5 lbs. I still have a few pounds to go. After finding out that the industry related to eating animals contributes 51% to greenhouse gases, I have also decided to try to eat vegan if possible for environmental reasons first, and health reasons second.

Good luck to all.
Last edited by: karencoutts: May 6, 13 7:34
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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I'm now down to 121 pounds. That is one pound less than my "sustainable" weight. And having brownies for breakfast. Yesterday I wore a dress that five months ago was tight, and now it is loose and gapping. Lost one dress size. That's nearly ten pounds lost in one month! And I have not lost energy, even on my fast days.
Last edited by: karencoutts: May 6, 13 7:36
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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Are you working out on your fast days?

Congrats on your weight loss.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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I'll be interested to see if you can maintain the weight loss. Also, is this diet a lifelong thing or only to get the weight off?

I gained 25 lbs rapidly when put on some anti-depressants last year after some rapid weight loss from the depression. Got off those and dropped 10 pounds but the last 12-15 I want to lose aren't budging. I'm having a hard time finding the balance of calories to support my running but not overeat. I'll find I do great for about 4 days then have a massive starving day where I eat everything in sight which wipes out the progress of the previous 4 days.

I have a Withings scale which I love. It syncs my weight to a website so I can track the trend.

You can see the very rapid weight loss, when my marriage suddenly ended, then the weight gain when I got on the anti-depressants. Really interesting:

http://www.withings.com/...&forcedisplay=fm


I have plateau weights. 144, 133 and 127. It's been this way for many many years. I can't break thru the 133 right now.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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I'm stuck at the 133 right now too. I hit 128 last Fall with weight watchers. I'd like to get to 130 ish. Funny how those 3 pounds make such a difference on our hight challenged frames. Grrrr.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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I am also curious if you work out on your fast days. So do you eat dinner on Sunday night, then fast (except for zero calorie fluids) until dinner on Monday night? Is the Monday night dinner "regular" or just 500 calories, and do you resume normal eating that night or fast again and start normal eating again on Tuesday?

I too was around 127 pounds 4 years ago (post marriage/pack a day smoker). Since quitting smoking in 2009 and starting triathlon in 2010 (and turning 40 in 2011) I am up to 137ish and stuck there, no matter how much I work out it seems. I sense it has something to do with heredity/job stress/lack of sleep as well, but I am definitely thicker around the middle and NOT liking it!
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [QRgirl] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for the congratulations.

I am definitely working out on my fast days. In fact, I do more exercise on fast days because it helps me pass the time. So I do this crazy day of run (only 6 km at the moment), then ride my bike to the swimming pool, and swim for an hour. I've also increased my running to almost every day, fast day or feast day.

I have not noticed any weakness other than the usual wimpiness I have every time I run (i.e. wanting to stop after 15 minutes of running!). My running has improved, feeling easier now the second week of increased running frequency.

My guess is that I have enough glycogen stores in the morning after I wake up to last me the length of the workout.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Well, *I* am also interested to see if I can keep the weight off. I have been using myfitnesspal and it seems to indicate that I should be continuing to lose weight for the next five weeks until I reach my goal of 118 pounds.

The purpose is to try to live longer, and the side effect is weight loss. Most people lose weight on this, but probably because most people are overweight who undertake this. It makes sense that at some point I should reach a plateau of some sort, which would continue until my basal metabolic rate decreases with age, then I'd gain weight?

This 5:2 plan was devised by Dr. Mosley through personal experimentation as he considers it possible to maintain this new way of eating indefinitely. He does not want to deprive himself daily (as people who undertake the CRON-diet do). I can see myself continuing to do this for the rest of my life because it really isn't too bad. I used to sometimes not eat until 2 or 3 pm on days when I was really busy, and this eating plan only extends that by a few hours. Today I ate a ton of snacks: salsa chips, ice cream, popcorn, and because of exercise I am still eating 300 calories less than I burned today.

I was on a plateau of 124 for practically one year, then it crept up to 126. I had been making a conscious effort to avoid overeating and to increase exercising, and my unfocussed approach was getting me nowhere.

Which Withings scale did you get? I am researching body fat scales right now.
Last edited by: karencoutts: May 5, 13 21:46
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [glowstickgirl] [ In reply to ]
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I am also curious if you work out on your fast days. So do you eat dinner on Sunday night, then fast (except for zero calorie fluids) until dinner on Monday night?

Yes, and yes. I try to make it to 24 hours from the last time I ate.


Is the Monday night dinner "regular" or just 500 calories, and do you resume normal eating that night or fast again and start normal eating again on Tuesday?

Monday night dinner is supposed to be 500 calories, but that is pretty close to a normal meal anyway. On Tuesday, you eat normally.


I hear you when you say that you were stuck around a certain weight. I can't believe how long it has taken for me to get a breakthrough like this. I am pretty sure it has been a year since I first started trying to lose weight by more exercise, or not eating too much (I used to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to).


Yes, the lack of sleep can't be underestimated. I'd forgotten about that, how not sleeping enough can undermine weight loss efforts. You end up getting hungry due to stress hormones, gravitating toward bad foods.




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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you eat for your 500 calories? From what you've written about training, wouldn't your body be in need of calories?

Also, what are you losing? Muscle? Fat? Or both? I've gained 7kgs (got married, relocated, crappy gyms, too much drinking... woah is me!) but have only gone up a size as I am doing a lot more weights as home due to crappy gym times. I'd love to drop the fat I have but think I would lose some of my muscle if I did this. Any thoughts of what you're losing.

I've heard about this diet but frankly, I know I wouldn't have the willpower for it. Like Jen (I believe it was), I am VERY good for about four days and then I want to cram everything in my mouth. I find the more I exercise though, the less I cram.

Am impressed with how much you've lost! Congrats - and yes, it is amazing how two-three pounds affects us. I hate being one of those women who checks the scale and then sometimes has a day depending on how "good" or "bad" it is. It sucks and I want to kick myself for it.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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Jen - I am having the same issue as I start to build my mileage again. I eat well for 4-5 days and then find myself eating almost an entire bag of kettle corn. There has to be some way to balance it all. I did a metabolic assessment so that will give me a decent estimate of what I am burning during exercise (especially long runs) so hopefully I can use that info to create a balanced plan so I don't end up in a deep hole that I eat my way out of with junk.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [genkigirl1] [ In reply to ]
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For 500 calories, you can eat a regular dinner. Here is a website with items from 200-400 calories: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/...healthy/200-400-cal/

An example is skinless grilled chicken or fish and all the greens you can eat (350 calories). At some restaurants like Swiss Chalet there are items on the menu of less than 400 calories--which is what I had to eat.

The downside of this "diet" is that I have to count calories, something I've never done my whole life. It has also been an eye opening experience, however, as I did not realize how any calories I eat on a typical day. Some days I eat in excess of 2000 calories. For someone my height of 5'3, the calorie allocation to lose weight is a shocking 1200, and that is a conservative number, with gradual weight loss.

I don't know if I'm losing muscle or fat, although I notice that I've lost much of my jiggle around my middle. It's not all gone, though. There is, however, this from Dr. Mosley regarding whether you lose muscle from IF: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/...-protein-deficiency/

You might want to test your will power-- it is not as difficult as it sounds. As a person who absolutely loves food and has never done a diet in her life, I have been able to do this for a month now. While you are fasting, it is comforting knowing that you will eat that same day, and that the next day you can eat normally again. I also think of the benefit of living longer so I can see my grandchildren graduate from university... not likely, but I am hoping for it. I also think of how my mother is diabetic, or how her father had Alzheimer's. IF helps with both of those conditions.

Thanks for the congratulations. I'm actually not sure how I got here because my weight did not go steadily down. It was up and down, and it was like a surprise when the scale had low readings. The clothes fitting so much better is the best indicator of the weight loss, that it's not just my imagination. I was about to give it up at the end of the second week into this because I did not seem to be seeing any progress in weight loss, but I kept thinking of the longevity benefits.

Thanks for the congratulations! I hope this changes my body set point. We'll see.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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You might take a look at the Fitbit Aria scale, coupled with the Fitbit One. The Aria uses bluetooth technology to send your weight to your smart phone and/or PC/Mac and the Fitbit One is a pedometer/calorie output tracker, combined with a sleep tracker.

They were and still instrumental in my weight loss leading to the Womens' Camp and continuing for an additional 15 lbs in preparation for Ironman Lake Tahoe in September.

DFL > DNF > DNS
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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I love my Withings scale. It integrates into Lose It which I use to track my food and my Jawbone UP which I'm always wearing to track my sleep and activity. I just got around to setting up all of the connections this weekend and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing a better mapping of what I eat to what the scale shows. Clearly some days I'm more hydrated, or bloated, than others since my weight can fluxuate by a couple pounds a day.

I have this one: http://shop.withings.com/...-analyzer-black.html

In general I don't trust body fat on a scale since hydration can have a big impact on measurements but this one is pretty close to what I got by calipers at my gym last year. I mostly look at trends.

If anyone else is on Lose It let me know and we can friend each other. Accountability always helps me.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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I'm calling BS on myself. Today is my fast day, it's only 9:34 am and these are the thoughts through my head:

Maybe I'll eat normally today and fast tomorrow.
I don't think I can wait until dinner tonight.
Maybe I can eat the 500 calories throughout the day instead of waiting 24 hours.

It is difficult, especially when I'm sitting on my a** in the kitchen typing on my laptop, seeing the leftover salsa chips from last night.

It is difficult, when I'm making crepes for my kids and washing strawberries, and the smell of the strawberries wafts into my nostrils...

It is difficult, cleaning up the breakfast dishes and seeing a half eaten brownie on the plate from my kid and NOT EATING IT.

Thank you for the recommendations on the scales. I've checked them out online. They look really amazing, but it's around $125-150 for either scale, and an extra $100 to get the high tech pedometer/calorie/sleep monitor. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to justify spending the money by evening today, though!
Last edited by: karencoutts: May 6, 13 9:55
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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That's what I'd be doing when fasting. I honestly don't know that I'll do it but the conversation has been interesting.

I got my UP thru work, we all got them, otherwise I wouldn't have spent the money on it. I still like having it but the scale plus online tracking is giving me great data.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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Hang in there! I just received an email earlier today that the fitbit flex (like the Jawbone up, a wristband) came out today. Something to consider if the fitbit one doesn't fit your bill. The flex may be easier to stay up with since it's a wristband.

I've fairly recently started trying to be consistent with my fitbit (also obtained through work, though I burned "vitality bucks" to get it) for the sleep & really working hard to stay vigilant on keeping track of the calories. Since I got my braces on April 3 (& 4 extractions on April 13th) I've lost about 8lbs. I started working harder at the calorie counting to make sure I was getting ENOUGH calories through the dental crap. I've also run a couple half marathons, done a sprint tri & come through the last training to USMS Nationals. My goal is to keep shedding slowly & sustainably by improving the efficiency of the machine I lug around. My machine is still a bit heftier than you girls' at 160#.

I use the fitbit & myfitnesspal. I haven't sprung for the scale yet, but hope to at some point. I like having all the data together to see the trends as well. Too bad I REALLY like crap food, I'd be as fit as I want to be if it hurt to eat all the time...

Myfitness pal username: allisonware1

AW
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [AWARE] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks, AWARE, for letting me know about the flex.

Amazing that you've lost 8 pounds through braces. That is EXACTLY what happened to me in 2009, when I had braces on for 18 months. I lost to the point where I looked a bit skeletal, and friends suggested an intervention.

Maybe I can get braces again! You've done well, and sound disciplined in your exercise and watching your calories.

As for really liking crap food, I'm there with you, sister! I just went to Costco today to buy groceries for the family and I warn you all to stay away from grocery shopping when you're fasting! I ended up buying kettle popcorn, a box of Aero bars, frozen Greek yogurt... More than half that will end up on my body soon. I also gave in and tried dried coconut from the evil sampling ladies.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [SallyShortyPnts] [ In reply to ]
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That didn't take long. I bought the Fitbit Aria AND the Fitbit Flex. Happy Mother's Day to meeeeee! Ha, my husband wants the scale just as much as I do.

It was very difficult choosing between the Fitbit and the Withings, but the Fitbit is cheaper.
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Re: Friday Weekly Weight Reports [karencoutts] [ In reply to ]
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Ran into my former persona trainer at the gym tonight. I saw her for about 2 months last year but decided she wasn't right for me and stopped. I'd been avoiding her because I felt guilty. I asked at the front desk if I could get my measurements she took. Of course, she walked by RIGHT then so I had to talk to her. Super sweet girl, just operating on a very different plane (plain?) than I am.

Anywhoo, we looked at the numbers. I was 129.7 this morning on the scale. I think I'm dehydrated but I'll take it. My weight last June was 141.7. Boom!!! My only real change is I started running regularly again. I've lost 2.2" off my hips, 1" of my waist and .5" off my chest. Of course, then her response was that if I'd kept lifting and running I'd be making even further progress on losing inches.

Great news. But now whenever I see her at the gym I really have to avoid her.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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