8 WEEKS FAST 800 : WEEK 5 :ONE WEEK AT A TIME BEGINNING 31st JANUARY 2023

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• posted by wendleg
  on 30 Jan 2023 at 17:57

  

  Well this is Week 5 folks but if you haven’t really got to grips with motivation, then this could be your Week 1, whatever works for you.
  January is over , if it has been a struggle, then that’s ok .February is beckoning and you can start to make changes now if it feels right.

  I read something the other day about restarting anyything with the benefit of experience .I can’t remember exactly but it sort of means you are not starting from scratch because you have experience to help you as you go forward .

  I am not making much sense am I ??? 😉

  Just do your best , folks, make small changes which become habits and check in when you can xx

• posted by wendleg
  on 30 Jan 2023 at 18:02

  

  Here we are

  wendleg
  sunshine-girl ( Denise)
  SunnyB
  caronl
  Verano
  Elle-Mae
  Tulip1( Clare)
  WindyJulz
  Wendy1947 ( Margaret)
  arcticfox
  RubyG
  Dreamscometrue
  Russianroulade
  ahntp
  JGwen
  Al
  OrangePandaMomma ( Amz)
  BFG2

• posted by arcticfox
  on 31 Jan 2023 at 03:16

  

  I’m here. Meant to post yesterday evening, but ended up with a massive headache. It was my second day of wearing the compression tights and I was losing and losing fluid all day. I didn’t change my diet and my weekend meals were actually a bit higher in the carbs (although still healthy), so I’m pretty sure it was down to the compression and the headache due to the fluid being lost with not enough salt. I haven’t weighed either before or after, so I don’t know how much I lost, but it was all water weight anyway. My compression tights don’t feel as tight today. Wondering if I should have got a size smaller! I wasn’t sure if this would even work for me as many have only a limited result, but it seems that it was what I needed to get things moving again. Interesting to hear, Wendy, that compression is prescribed simply for ‘heavy legs’ in France. After hearing about this and s-g’s experience with the health care there, I may have to look into retiring to France as well! Or maybe I could even get a job teaching English?
  Fluid loss slowed down considerably today and I did quite well food wise today with 2MAD. Late breakfast at 11:30 of kimchi, avocado and eggs with a couple of kumquats. Dinner was a veggie curry with kefir to drink and a small satusuma to finish.
  I didn’t manage an exercise session yesterday as I had a lot of farm chores and potting up of seedlings to get finished. I’m going to try to fit in a yoga session and some foam rolling tonight.

• posted by RubyG
  on 31 Jan 2023 at 14:45

  

  Me here too, weighed the same this morning as I did Friday last week, after what felt like a really good weekend of keeping busy and not mindlessly eating.
  But a loss is a loss and I am eating well, although I think I do need to start TRE/16:8/2MAD again, which will help on reducing the cals on a daily basis.
  Sunshine here in England today, which is most welcome, although I am in the office and looking at it through the windows.
  Have a good week everyone.

• posted by sunshine-girl
  on 31 Jan 2023 at 18:05

  

  Just popping in t say hi, not feeling great so not much to say. Just that every day is better and I will be back to normal – if I ever was normal – in a couple of weeks. Still sticking with low carbs even though hubby is doing all the cooking, he is doing a great job.

• posted by Verano
  on 31 Jan 2023 at 18:51

  

  S-g just keep keeping on ……..
  I just want to report a fraction of a pound loss which is really just a ‘stand still’! Works for me at the moment.
  I’m away from Saturday so wont be reporting for a while.
  As s-g says ‘just keep on keeping on’ this really is the best way forward!
  Best of luck!

• posted by SunnyB
  on 31 Jan 2023 at 20:13

  

  I’m signing up for this week too. Have decided to switch things up a little and have a small portion of yogurt with toppings at around 14.30 and then dinner around 18.00, rather than just an evening meal each day. Think my body had got too used to running on OMAD and needs a nudge with something a little different. Not been as disciplined as I should be on the weighing, measuring, recording, so that is the next thing to crack.
  SG, glad you are seeing daily improvement.
  Arctic, good news the compression tights are making a difference.
  V, have a lovely break away.
  Ruby, staying the same is a positive, so use that to spur you on this week.
  Have a great week everyone.

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 1 Feb 2023 at 14:05

  

  Testing post! Gosh this is frustrating I’ve posted twice today & checked I’m logged on & it didn’t show!!

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 1 Feb 2023 at 14:25

  

  Damn I’ve just typed another one & it’s gone !!!

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 1 Feb 2023 at 14:30

  

  I’ve checked & I’m logged in!
  So far so good for me on week 4 day 5. Well done everyone for keeping going & even staying the same or a small loss is a win 👍
  Thursday will be challenging because friends are coming to lunch & I will make Keto recipes apart from the pud & try to keep below my BMR of 1327 calories.
  Good luck everyone for the rest of the week.👍🍀🍀
  Margaret

• posted by sunshine-girl
  on 1 Feb 2023 at 15:00

  

  Margaret, it is so easy to write a post and press the return arrow (top left of screen) which returns it to previous state, i.e. before you wrote your post. You should press one of the choices under forums which saves it.

  Not feeling much better and now my nerves are starting to reconnect Im not sure if I have electricity running through my neck or spiders. Weird feelings. Nurse came this morning then I went to the hospital for my asthmas 6 months check up – has it really been 6 months – I told her what I have had done and it meant she couldnt do a breath test under pressure for fear of bursting my artery. I have another appt in 6 months. I sound more and more like my mother.

  I successfully completed the dry January and not ready to drink again, probably wait until the weekend or my birthday next week.

  Stay happy and koko…

• posted by sunshine-girl
  on 1 Feb 2023 at 15:05

  

  Just quickly for Margaret from another thread. Ketosis is a bit of a myth. Yes your body produces ketones when it starts to burn fat, these are released into the urine or on your breath and sweat. However, it only takes a few days for your body to realise it is not getting any fat from your diet so it puts some in reserve using the ketones to provide what it needs. This is good because it is using up the discarded fat making you burn more fat. Because of this the body stops throwing out ketones. The body is very clever and knows what it needs.

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 1 Feb 2023 at 16:37

  

  Thank you for the info sunshine-girl & I hope you will soon be feeling much better! 🤔👍
  Margaret xx

• posted by JGwen
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 02:03

  

  I am monitoring progress on length of fast and levels of energy (just like we don’t loose we discard weight I want to count progress on energy levels rather than focus on fatigue.)

  I completed a 70 hour fast this morning. My weekly program is the day after the fast to have one day were I eat what I feel like eating before going for low carb again.. I am feeling more energetic again but its difficult to describe. Its the knowledge of how many tasks I can achieve before I need to sit down for a rest, and how long I need to rest before I can start again. But I feel like I may be back to 50% of normal energy.

  I came across an interesting article today about research into diet and ME. (Are we still using the Take a Look at this thread as a central place to post links?)

  A university has studied the blood of ME sufferers and their level of fatigue. They have a theory that ME may be a virus (which is why this may apply to Long Covid as well) which interrupts cells ability to convert glucose into energy. However it does not block a cells ability to use ketones for fuel. – The research also divided participants into 3 groups. One group which had “normal” insulin levels struggled the most with fatigue. The second group had lower insulin levels and indication in the blood stream that their body was using ketones for fuel, this group suffered less fatigue. The third group was in the middle between the two. – What was also interesting was the tone of the whole research which treated using glucose as fuel as normal and fat for fuel as highly unusual..

  I am going to start the next fast on Sunday again, but this time I am going to start later in the day. This Sunday I had breakfast and I didn’t feel like eating later the rest of the day,, the only problem with that is the spend all of the second day awake during the period where your body is trying to push you into eating to replace glucose stores and not have to switch over to deep ketosis, So much easier if you time the start of your fast so this stage happens while you are asleep. To give me the additional incentive to stick to it I am going to try for a slightly longer fast this week. –

• posted by arcticfox
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 06:09

  

  Sounds like some decent progress, JGwen. When I had CFS/ME, the doctor who helped me most recommended a book that had a chapter about mitochodrial insufficiency. Of all the various protocols in the book, the ones related to that seemed to help me the most. Interestingly enough, mitochondrial issues also seem to be a problem with lipedema, and a lot of lipedema patients have been also diagnosed (or misdiagnosed) with CFS/ME or fibromyalgia. Some of the supplements recommended for lipedema are the same as those recommended for CFS/ME, which from the mitochondrial issue perspective, makes a lot of sense.
  I was really hungry today, so let myself eat 3 meals. I feel that I’ve made some progress this week. No further progress on my leg size, but my bras are too big now. I’ll have to dig out the smaller sizes that I had put away. The texture of the skin on my legs has changed as well. Much smoother and the colour looks healthier too. Hope that I can keep this up and that it translates to an actual discard of more than just fluid down the road.

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 09:04

  

  Gosh JGwen & arcticfox you are both dealing with such difficulties in trying to get your energy levels up and back to normal. Very best of luck with your research.
  I often think that we are hostages to this modern world with the combined effects of ingesting man made chemicals, preservatives, viruses crossing species etc that our “cave women” bodies have not yet evolved to cope with. Add to this the lack of research into our mass produced over processed food with their unknown ingredients & combined interactions and then having our illnesses prescribed many different meds whose combined interactions aren’t monitored or even well understood it seems a constant battle. Also most meds research has been male centric when of course women’s bodies are different! I am however forever grateful for the discovery of penicillin without which I wouldn’t be here & vaccinations. At least there is now more research going on into our gut micro flora & fauna that is helpful & my husband & I take raw organic Kefir but I don’t like kimchi or similar stuff. I suppose everyone of us must now just take much more personal responsibility for looking after ourselves!!
  🤞🤞
  Margaret

• posted by Elle-Mae
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 15:20

  

  I have been yo-yo ing with the same couple of lbs. Having succumbed to the temptation of ice cream on Sunday (twice!) 😳
  Today is Fiancé ‘s birthday and he wants takeaway pizza from a local pizzeria so I am currently 20 hours into a fast so hopefully damage limitation for later on.
  Glad to hear that S-G is recovering.
  Margaret have a read of Jason Fung’s books the Diabetes Code is very enlightening processed foods, it was an easier read than the Obesity Code which I found interesting but more ‘technical’.

• posted by sunshine-girl
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 15:45

  

  Hi, still here, went shopping today and although I didnt do much in the way of reaching for stuff it still wore me out. Tomorrow we are going to a massive vegetable store (Grand Frais) to stock up on all our fruits and veg, I am fancying going a bit more veggie and also fancying fruits that I probably havent eaten much of on low carb. I am making a litre of a probiotic drink made with apple juice, ginger and fennel – supposed to be good for the gut.

  I am grateful for Frederick Sanger who discovered the connection between insulin and diabetes and help produce the drug. This is not what he is actually known for, more in the DNA sequencing sphere. However, before he made his discovery diabetics were routinely put on the Banting diet discovered in 1862 by William Banting who was actually the patient, he was an undertaker He was seriously obese and found that eating low carb high fat helped him lose weight. It was then taken up by a French diabetes doctor who used his method fir his patients and found it could reverse diabetes. Can you imagine, 1870 discovering low carb could cure diabetes (being ironic). There were other things in play like poverty, wars, patients that dont listen or understand etc which made it difficult for the average person to follow. That is why Sanger’s discovery meant that doctors didnt have to preach low carb any more. Here we are full circle back on the Banting diet. There have been others that followed like Atkins and Dukan but they were let down by advocating very high fat as a filler. End of lesson.

  Still alcohol free.

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 18:29

  

  Thank you Elle-Mae for your suggestion about reading the Jason Fung book The Diabetes Code & actually my husband is a Type 2 diabetic & has maintained his original weight loss after being on the BSDiet & losing sixteen pounds & has been able to reduce his medication & is staying well. His diabetes is partly hereditary because his father who was a GP also unfortunately developed it & they were a similar slimmish build so I suppose hidden internal fat. I have just bought the book as part of a five book collection on Amazon so plenty of diet/health related reading for my husband & I.
  Our vegetarian beany lunch today went well & I managed to have as extras only one brandy & ginger ale, a couple of Bolli crackers, a large glass of red wine, three half pears in butterscotch sauce with some cream, a small piece of cheese, one wholemeal pitta bread & one chocolate. Mia culpa for my sin list so I will eat little tomorrow to try to compensate but I must admit having listed it all it looks terrible🙀 However it was lovely seeing our friends & the meal was delicious, even though I cooked it😀, & we really enjoyed ourselves. I will be pleased when I weigh on Saturday if I haven’t gained any weight.
  My alcohol free January ended for today but I will return to a dry February to reduce my overall calorie intake & keep on going until the end of February.

• posted by Elle-Mae
  on 2 Feb 2023 at 18:43

  

  Margaret, Well done to your hubby
  I lost 2 stone with the BSD it took me 4 months and have maintained for the last 15 months, with the occasional ‘ups’ due to trips away and Christmas, but have lost the gains within a couple of weeks each time, I’m only currently 1 1/2 lbs over target and would like to be a couple of lbs below before we go away in March 🤞

• posted by Elle-Mae
  on 3 Feb 2023 at 10:14

  

  Just popping in quickly to say the 24 hr fast before indulging for Fiance’s birthday worked as I weigh exactly the same this morning I did yesterday morning 😁. 824 calories and 35 carbs planned for today.
  Have a good day everyone.

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 3 Feb 2023 at 12:41

  

  Well done Elle-Mae 👏👏
  I’m trying to keep my calories low today because of the lunch yesterday & weighing tomorrow. I had an overnight fast from 7-0pm until 11-0am this morning when I had a coffee which I hope has helped. I’ve just had lunch of a two egg omelette with 11g chorizo & I am off to play Mahjong this afternoon to keep my little grey cells active 😀
  Margaret

• posted by RubyG
  on 3 Feb 2023 at 17:53

  

  Here I am again, weighing the same as I did last Friday, so no gain is a positive I guess, although I have had a reasonably good week.
  I have, however, been having oats for breakfast to see if they help my cholesterol levels, but maybe I am not responding well to the extra carbs, so next week I’ll either skip breakfast or go back to scrambled egg. I haven’t actually had the GP conversation yet about my bloods, he did say nothing urgent but we should have a chat.
  I am still reading The Obesity Code, not got too far into it yet, but so far it is making perfect sense.
  Have a good weekend everyone!

• posted by arcticfox
  on 3 Feb 2023 at 19:16

  

  Hello everyone,
  Hope you’re all having a good day. I have the day off work, so am working on my written assignment for the job I applied for. I am relieved to find that it is not to challenging and I have the whole weekend to complete it, so it should be fine.
  I broke my fast at 10:30 this morning with a handful of cashews, and am just trying to decide on lunch. Possibly egg salad as I haven’t had that in a while. I am trying to have discipline with the rest of the packet of cashews as I found a recipe for a curried cauliflower stew that calls for cashews, so saving them for that either tonight or another night this weekend.
  I fished a smaller sized bra out of the drawer and am wearing that today, and it is very comfortable, in spite of it being my TOTM when I am usually bloated from retaining water. I am so happy to finally be seeing some progress. It gives me a lot of motivation to keep on keeping on. I did my weekly shop last night and I was really able to resist buying any ‘treats’ that would just contribute to inflammation. I don’t want to undo what I’ve done now. Low carb med combined with TRE seems to be working well for me at the moment as it’s not too restrictive and works with my mostly vegetarian/sometimes pescatarian diet.
  RubyG – for your cholesterol, see if you can find a way to incorporate ground flax, chia or oat fibre into your meals. These are much lower carb than the oats but still have the soluble fibre that contributes to lowering cholesterol. I like a chia pudding made with almond and coconut milk with raspberries or strawberries on top. I also sprinkle flax and hemp seeds on greek yogurt and have berries with that too.

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 4 Feb 2023 at 09:31

  

  Well as I thought the vegetarian lunch I cooked for our friends on Thursday has had an effect & when I weighed this morning I have gained 1/2 lb in weight 🙁 I did have more to eat & baked butterscotch pears with cream for pud so a sugary shot plus some red wine so it may be some fluid retention but I did hope I might not have gained any weight reducing calories earlier in the week to try to compensate for the lunch.
  I cooked the Keto recipes of Black Bean Chilli, & Ratatouille Halloumi bake with added flageolet beans, served with wild red rice, wholemeal pitta & red cabbage & kalettes as extra veg. The starter was bought Greek small filo pastries stuffed with feta & spinach with salad & sour chive cream dip. I did have a large glass of the very nice red wine our friends brought but only a very small pice of cheese & a few grapes from the cheese platter & one chocolate with coffee. I was trying to be very abstemious & I’m back on track today eating much less but that will include eating the leftover chilli but with cauliflower rice 😀 It’s unfortunate that I only need to stray slightly from my “new” low carb reduced calorie regime to immediately gain weight but I suppose the lesson is to immediately get back on track & take control again. However it is rather demoralising 🤔
  Good luck to everyone for next week 👍
  Margaret

• posted by Wendy1947
  on 4 Feb 2023 at 09:35

  

  So pleased for you arcticfox that your new regime is working well for you & a smaller bra size!! 👏👏
  Margaret

• posted by -Al-
  on 4 Feb 2023 at 20:43

  

  Hello all, had a busy few weeks, with mixed impact on what I’ve eaten!
  I’ve lost about a stone since we started and have fluctuated a bit with what I’ve eaten (we’ll forget the day I eat a whole bag of haribo!), but have refocused again and have everything planned out for next week already and shopping bought.
  I’ve found after lunch having a cup of tea helps, often I don’t feel quite satisfied with portion size but I promise myself I won’t eat any more until I’ve had a cup of tea. The time it takes to make it and for it too cool to be drinkable seems to be enough for my body to have processed that I’ve eaten and feel full. I’d never thought a milky tea would be the perfect pudding!
  Have an event on the 16th, less than 2 weeks, so in my mind that’s a fairly short target to aim for keeping 100% to the plan, I’ve a tendency to adlib meals (which wasn’t so great when the kitchen scales were broken!) and while I hit the calories and carbs I think other things might be lacking compared to the recipes in the books.
  Have been reading about everyone’s progress, let’s keep going 🙂

• posted by MerryMelba
  on 6 Feb 2023 at 03:39

  

  Hello everyone!
  It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted, but I have been regularly reading all your posts.
  I am taking February to lean into F800 again – as in my maintenance mode I have put on enough to make clothes feel a bit tight. Now is the time for me to take action, otherwise that excess will follow me into our winter. I am more focused on my carb intake rather than calories at the moment.
  I’m also trying to have a mostly dry February. So THANK You Wendy for the suggestion about ginger juice. I bought some from my health food store, and a splash of that with some soda water and a slice of lime, or some mint, makes a nice cocktail! As well as helping with my water intake each day. All the best with your continuing dry February Wendy1947.
  Great to read all your news Articfox, and the wins with your clothing being looser. I’m with you on hiding the cashews – they are soooo tempting. I hide them in the back of the fridge to try and keep them out of sight.
  Congrats on discarding a stone Al! I like a cuppa after a meal too, as like you I found that it helps to fill me up.
  Wishing you well on your recovery S-G.
  koko
  Merry

• posted by wendleg
  on 6 Feb 2023 at 16:29

  

  Hi everyone
  Welcome back Merry ! Glad you are enjoying the ginger juice !
  Well done Al on your success!
  Well done everyone for just sticking with it.Margaret don’t be discouraged. Things balance out over time if you indulged in a ‘special meal and it was good for you to have time with friends . Your menu choices were generally healthy and delicious.

  It is a long term plan for sure xx

  I have to constantly think about damage limitation too .At the moment I am very involved with managing donations to the Ukrainian families who have settled here locally . The problem is whenever we turn up with stuff we are greeted with cakes, pancakes etc !! I have to be really careful, not wanting to offend and yet not over indulging !!!

  I will be back to set up the new thread in a while xx

• posted by wendleg
  on 6 Feb 2023 at 17:25

  

  About to set up the new thread !

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