Fingers crossed the whoosh fairy stops by tonight for a good send off before round two. Great news that the back isn’t a serious problem and I hope it mends soon for you. Onwards and downwards!

Flick, good to hear that you haven’t done too much damage to your back.

Hoping that the whoosh fairy pays you a visit tonight.

Flick, I had to smile at your mishap with the book shelf and bed frame,
but only after hearing that you’ve done nothing serious to your spine!
It’s so like something that I would do, being too impatient to go and
look for the step ladder…Disc space narrowing is indeed consistent
with aging, and probably has been there right along, not causing you
any problems at all. My doctor also says that it’s consistent with aging
to lose an inch of height for each decade after age 50. My husband
seems to bear this out, as he’s lost 2 ” in height so far. I think that I
only escaped the same fate because I spent a decade and a half
basically lying down, too disabled, in chronic pain, and too exhausted
to do much of anything! What a difference 18 months have made.
Go on out and rock the next 8 weeks as you’ve done the 1st round.
And then hightail it over to Phoenixes thread!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Best,

Allie

Hear hear Allie – wouldn’t it be lovely to welcome Flick as a new member to our Phoenix club? How about it Flick? Keep going on your 2nd round in the same indomitable fashion as you tackled your first and you’ll be a fully fledged phoenix before you know it😊

Talking of which, the phoenix thread seems to have gone a little quiet atm – perhaps all too busy at the January sales?😉😀😉

I can’t wait to join the Phoenix Club and the What’s Next club and the Bloody Hell Nothing fits I have to Buy a Complete New Wardrobe Club.

Allie, One of the many distressing things about this back saga was being measured by the GP and hear her say, “No you are not 5’4.5″ (I am accustomed to referring to this as 5’5″), you are 163 cm.” That is not even 5’4″. The indignity, I feel robbed!

Week 8 and Round 1 wrap up – this is a bit long, intended for my record, so feel free to ignore.’

Starting weight – 78.3kg
Week 7 – 68.8
Week 8 – 67.5 = -1.3 kg and a total loss for the 8 weeks of 10.8kg🌟🌟🌟🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️😀 (Whoosh Fairy swung by last night, dear thing)

A strategy I use when I’m attempting to improve fitness ahead long bush walks is to load a day pack with dive weights and lug it up and down hills in my local area. That day pack currently has 9kg in it and I can tell you it is bloody heavy. I know I have shed 10.8 kg but I just can’t get my head around just how much weight that is – how much lighter I must be.🙃🤨

No change to measurements this week so final wrap up –

Waist – 90cm – 81cm = 9cm reduction
Hip – 109cm – 102cm = 7cm reduction

I’m very happy to see these key health indicators move in the right direction. They were/are quite stubborn even though clothes tell a different story.

There have been some unexpected non measurement non scale benefits – chief amongst them for me is vastly improved sleep. I sleep longer and deeper and best of all fall asleep more quickly and more peacefully than I can remember. This kicked in I think late in Week 1 or 2 and remains a wonderful added bonus.

I have continued to enjoy a lovely consistent high level of energy. This was very unexpected and unlike sleep I really hadn’t noticed that my energy fluctuated wildly during the day. The contrast is extraordinary. I feel so much more active, but steady. It is a wonderful way to move through the day and one I value and wish to protect.

Eight weeks of 800/20, 16/8, no alcohol, no snacking was actually pretty painless. For me, I just needed to make the decision and understand that my past pattern is any wavering equals the slippery slope. Not being hungry came as a huge surprise as did how rapidly carb cravings subsided once I settled into 20g or less carbs. I still miss things in theory, but what I miss changes. Currently it’s stone fruit and in the recent appalling hot weather, beautifully made, icy, limey gin and tonic. Speaking of, no alcohol was not a problem once I had navigated a couple of social events. I was quite nervous and unsure how I’d go with this but here I am – 8 weeks no alcohol and still quite a happy person, all friendships intact. 🤪

So now, Day 1 of Round 2. I plan to continue 800/20, 16/8, no snacking, no alcohol. I will add in 24 hour fasts if the weight loss slows to the point I risk losing motivation, but really this lovely forum, which has been invaluable to me during Round 1, with it’s diversity, good will and brain power will, no doubt, help prop me up through the inevitable stalls and loop de loops ahead.

Round 2

Starting weight – 67.5kg
Goal – 60kg

What a lovely, positive post to round off phase one, Flick. I’m so pleased for you. Your focus will be an inspiration to newbies following in your (much lighter) footsteps. Can’t wait to welcome you into all the above mentioned clubs – you are going to have such fun.

Good luck in round 2 – not that I think you’ll need it, but your cheerleaders are all still here, pompoms waving for you.🎉🎊🎉

CORRECTION: I am 163.5cm and this will henceforth be referred to as 164cm.

Thanks Theodora. I started Round 1 describing myself as a barrel with legs. Round 2 and
I’m more a demi-barrique with legs!

As long as the legs are still there, Flick😊😉😊😉😊

😂 Theodora, yes they are still here. My excitng news for the day though is that after 5 days at 67.5 (good to know my response to Round 2 so far is consistent) the scales moved down to 66.9 this morning!

This means I have just scraped into the healthy BMI range for my somewhat dimished height! 🌟🌟🌟🎉🎉🎉😁😁😁

Woohooo Flick! Well done you 😊 What a milestone – congratulations.

Now, onwards and downwards…..😀😁😄

Flick, you are a beast. Great job!

I’m surprised you didn’t hear me roar across the Pacific as I checked the websites to see how close i was getting to the healthy range. i am really chuffed.

This isn’t my usual forum, but can’t resist saying CONGRATULATIONS to Flick on a lovely milestone. I so hope to reach my BMI in the next few weeks, and you are a great example to follow.

Hiya, Flick. I can’t allow the sun to set on this day without
congratulating you on the hard won victory of arriving at a healthy
BMI. I might have felt a seismic shift when you yelled “YES” into
the cosmos when your scales confirmed it!! Just my personal
opinion, but I think your thread should be required reading for all
newbies embarking on this WOL. Wear your bush pants with pride,
you’ve earned it! As to the fiber question that you’ve raised on another
thread, avocado, raspberries, chia seeds and raw cacao nibs are the
“go to” foods that I find the easiest to include as part of my diet. One
of the other staples is 8 oz of organic frozen leaf spinach, which
comes in at 7.2 gm of fiber. The U.S. guidelines specify 25gm of fiber
for women, for men, it’s 30-40gm. I’ve just recently read that for
women over 55, 21gm is acceptable.
I’m raising a full glass of sparkling water to you, Flick. You have so
“got this”! I’m looking forward to seeing where cycle 2 takes you!

Allie

Oh dear, Thanks for your lovely cheering and well wishing, but it seems I got a bit ahead of myself. This weeks wrap up is very disappointing. Yesterday I was 66.6kg and that deep wailing noise you heard this morning was me looking down at a .7kg gain in the scales this morning. Only change was to spread the calories over three meals and eat to breakfast out. Loads of steps as I enjoyed a day of furniture shopping and browsing with my daughter. Who knows what is going on.

Round 2
Starting Weight 67.5
Week 1 67.3 = -.2 and back into the overweight BMI range at 25.2

I know it’s just not sensible to panic over a single blip on the scales (even one this spectacular) but how maddening! I’m tempted to immediately start a 24 hour fast, but I think as it is early days I will sit tight, stick to 800/20 and just see what this body is actually up to. If it looks like the weight loss is going to be erratic or super slow, I will introduce fasts.

Oh on the bright side another centimetre has nelted from my wait. My hips remain generous!

It’s a relief that you’ve established your own thread, Flick, because
I’ve fallen into the bad habit of reading all new posts, and then
trying to circle back and respond to them. Just too many posters
at the moment to be able to keep up! I read earlier today that
you are on reduced activity for awhile…Did you sustain an injury
helping your daughter move into her first home? What an exciting
time for her. I’m going to google songlines of the seven sisters.
Hopefully it will provide an eye into the exhibit. It sounds
wonderful 🙂 Don’t worry about the scales playing a joke on you…
you’ve altogether “got this” with your take no prisoners attitude,
and it will all come right in no time, I promise!

Allie

Hi Allie, no I mostly just pottered around, sweeping skirting boards and wiping down the odd surface. It was though very exciting and they are now nicely settled in. So I only have myself to blame, I had my first really pain free day last Friday and in my excitment over did it. Mowed lawns, pulled weeds, carried heavy shopping. Really paid for it on Saturday, so it’s back to proper care for a while.

Funny how the scales send little tests. ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’, I growl at them.

I’ve dipped back under 67kg today but only just. Do google the exhibition, it’s on at the Australian National Museum. Actually here’s a link

http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/songlines

Thanks for posting the link, Flick. It looks an amazing exhibition. I really wish I could see it….

Yes, me too. I also like some of the stuff in the shop.

So here’s a wuick mid week update.

After my mortifying .7 gain, here is what has happened –

67.3
66.9
66.9
66.3 – today

I have no explanation to offer. On the first 66.9 day I fasted for 22 hours in prep for a dinner out that I knew would include a slice of a very low carb cheesecake I made. That one meal was over 700 cals. I have been clocking up more steps as I pretty much can’t do anything else and have been sitting around a lot. Nothing else has changed. 800/20 16/8. I have to conclude it was some unknowable chemical, hormonal something.🧐🤔 I found that if I think about it too much I end up feeling strangely insecure about stabilising and maintaining weight losses and started to read up on strategies for re-setting weight. But that’s for the future. I’m still a fair way off my target weight, so I put the google devices down and try to read a book.🤪

Fasting was fine although mid afternoon I was stopped at traffic lights and a fellow in a car next to me was eatng a banana! A BANANA! I only just managed to resist hurling myself through his open window and wrestling it out of his hand. Not because I was super hungry – because it was a banana 😢

On a bright note 66.3 is exactly 12kgs from my starting weight and roughly two thirds of my way through! Now that is excitng 🌟🌟🌟🎉🎉🎉

I watched a programme where they demonstrated that up to 3kg could be water weight. So while weight is obviously very important, not all of it is fat. Cue the trusty old tape measure, or the snug/loose fit of a pair of jeans.

You are right YSYG – my clothes have felt really loose these last three days – one pair I will have to retire.

Hi Flick, I have had some weird blips up lately too, some which could be easily explained, but others not at all. I have lost 10kg, but I’m losing and gaining the same kg over and over at the moment. However, I did have to pull my belt in another notch and I actually had to use a belt yesterday on one of my nice pairs of work slacks that I couldn’t do up when I started this. They were looser than they were even 2 weeks ago, so I’m hoping that means that I’m finally losing inches around my waist, which wasn’t happening when I was losing all the weight.

Hi Articfox, weird isn’t it but at least we seem to be shape shifting in the right direction. How is your horse?

Hi Flick, my horse is really well at the moment, and I have been able to ride him again which is nice. I came off him last night unfortunately, but not his fault at all, and he stood by patiently for me to get up, so I was really pleased about that.
Definitely shape shifting in the right direction. My smallest riding breeches fit easily now, and are actually getting a bit too big around the waist. Might have to retire them in short order!

Such good news about your horse Articfox. Not so much the fall. It sounds like you two have a very strong bond. And as for needing new, smaller riding breeches – WELL DONE! Yahoo for that 🌟🌟🌟🎉🎉🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Hello all, I was woken up my a mosquito (bloody annoying things) at 4.30 this morning. It is now 6am here and I’v been awake since then so thought I’d quickly add my two week report before heading off for a walk.

So Round 2, Week two

Starting weight 67.5kg
Week 1 67.3kg (that was such a disappointing and unsettling result)
Week 2 65.8 -1.5kg 🤸‍♀️
BMI 24.6 🌟🌟🌟

What a relief.This is my second morning at this weight so hopefully it will ‘not take a single step backwards!’. That .7kg jump up last week still haunts me. On the bright side it spurred me on to be more consistent with long walks which, though not necessarily making a difference to the weight loss, are certainly adding pleasure and happiness to my days.

Very happy news to report on the measurement front. No change to my waist, but 2cm off my hips and 2cm from my thighs! I am very excited about this.

There have been many NSVs as well. Most interestingly, I am finding the heat of summer much more manageable. Previously I would be sweating and cursing, now I often find myself breathing deeply and enjoying the way hot air relaxes muscles. Of course I still hide away safely indoors from extreme heat and moan about very hot nights.

Now to get my tired old bones out the door for a walk in he lovely cool summer morning air.

Not weigh in day but wanted to note a couple of milestones for the record.

Inspired by Arcticfox’s successful 48 hour fast, my own inability to get passed 24 hours and getting a little fed up with five mornings at 65.8, I launched into a 36 hours fast yesterday and succeeded! 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️💪🏻 Actually its nearly 38 hours as I write this and I’ll press on to lunch time – my usual first meal of the day.

Interestingly, hunger really does just come and go in waves and if I didn’t give it too much attention, it dissapated or was easy to ignore. Two issues – I headed off for my usual hilly walk early this morning, and found it much harder than usual, got quite light headed on the tougher parts of the climb and worried at some points that I might pass out and face plant into the rocks. I took lots of breaks, enjoyed the various views and made it to the top without mishap. Except that I experienced some of the strongest carb cravings I’ve had since starting. If someone had passed me some lovely buttery sourdough toast I would have scoffed it down and, if required, would have mown down the elderly to get to it. Luckily it was just me, the pooch and some kangaroos, no carbs in sight.

The other milestone is this morning I weighed in at 65.1kg. So close I’m going to call it reaching my original target of 65. Mind you that target lasted about a week before I properly read my healthy weight range and refigured the target to 60kg, but still it feels pretty good. That’s just over 13kg in 10 1/2 weeks 🌟🌟🌟🎉🎉🎉🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️. I’m celebrating as we all know it could inexplicably go to pot tomorrow.

Full Week 11 wrap up next Tuesday. 😁

🎈🎈🎈🎉🎉🎉🎆🎇well done Flick!

I’m glad I could be an inspiration, Flick, and well done! I have also been inspired by your journey. My fast was only 41 hours though, so you may have topped mine! I had it in mind to go 48 if I could but wasn’t quite up to it this time around.
I have tried exercising in a fasted state when doing some shorter fasts, and I also have not been able to push myself as hard as when I am properly fueled. I really don’t know how people manage it. I guess it gets easier with practice. The carb cravings were likely your body wanting to top up your glycogen stores. Good for you for resisting though, you probably forced your body to use some more fat to do it.
I think we can both celebrate milestones today, even if short lived! I had a professional association dinner that I had to go to tonight, and even though it was not bad as it was a mediterranean themed buffet, I likely went way over my calorie target. But back on plan tomorrow.

Hey Articfox, I broke my fast at 1pm so that was 41 hours as well! Social events can be quite tricky but assuming the foodstuffs were low carb, I don’t imagine occasionally going over 800 cals would cause too much of a problem. And there is a school of thought that holds that mixing up your calorie count is more protective of your metabolic rate. Compared to yesterday, I practically bounded up the hills today. As soon as my back is up to it,
I’m hoping to add in weight/resistance training. This is more an ageing well strategy for me than weight loss.

Natalie, thanks for the cheers 😀

Well, that’s Week 3 of Round 2 and Week 11 in total done and dusted. Here’s the results –

Round 2 Week 3

Starting Weight – 67.5
Week 2 65.8
Week 3 65.1 = -0.7kg 🌟

13kg down overall 😀🌟5 to go

BMI 24.4 so creeping slightly further into the healthy weight range – ✨

Not a bad result given how tedious the scales have been this week.

Here’s some exciting news

Waist down another 2cm and now 78cm. This takes me under the magic .5 waist to height ratio
Hips – also down another 2cm and now 98cm which is TWO FIGURES!!!I

I’m hoping that another 1cm off my chest measurements is entirely back podge as I’m not sure I can cope with too much more diminishing of the frontal assets (thanks Alliecat for this imagery!). At 92cm I’m still a total pear.

Some lovely NSV I am running out of clothes, my fingernails are so much stronger and a lovelier shape than ever before. Not sure what is causing this as I ate plenty of good freehand varied food before the diet. Anyway I’m not complaining.

On a more challenging note, I’ve been finding that I catch myself increasingly thinking about and fretting about getting to the end of this challenge. I catch myself worrying that the weight loss will grind to a halt or that my determination will weaken. I catch myself fretting about what I might and might not be able to eat once I reach my target weight and how best to reintroduce a higher calorie intake. I think it doesn’t help that, apart from a morning walk before it gets too hot, I am mostly sedentary, resting my back injury.

Hell, I even fretted that I had used past and passed incorrectly and couldn’t edit!!

Esnecca advised me early on to keep my eyes forward, good sound advice. I need to remind myself now to just take care of the day I’m in and not look too far forward.

Here we go, Week 4 Round 2 – Week 12

Starting weight for this round 67.5
Week 3 65.1
Week 4 64.4 = -0.7kg

Gosh that makes 3kg for the half way point for this round. I am quite happy with this and a bit surprised. It has felt slow in comparison, I had expected a slow down as I got closer to my target, but have been a bit surprised by the bouncing around. This is added to my usual linger at a weight for the while pattern. I’m learning not to take any of it to heart.

BMI 23.9 🌟🌟🌟

And some welcome shifts in measurements

Waist = -1cm 77cm and hips down 3cm to 95cm. Yippeee

And here is a perhaps TMI non scale – I can comfortably wear dresses and skirts in the hot weather without thigh chafing. 🤪

Dear Bod, I hear the 63s are quite wonderful!

Round 2 Week 5 – Week 13

Well it has been a couple of challenging weeks. My weight has stayed somewhere within 64kg, bouncing up from 64.0 to 64.7 back down to 64.4 and then settling at 64.3 for a umber of days. While I’m quite used to three or four day stays at particular weights, this longer stall drove me a little mad. I have been undertaking occasional 24 hour fasts (dinner to dinner) and another 41 hour fast (yesterday) in the hopes of ensuring the stall isn’t related to a slowing metabolism. The real difficulty is just not knowing, our bodies are so complex and without a raft of tests, impossible to know what is actually going on. As always I read and read and just now wonder about iodine in my diet!

Most importantly though, I still feel super well (apart from worry), and sleeping like a baby. I must try no to fret about the ups and downs or the inevitable slow down as I get closer and closer to my target – it is the trend that counts and actually I am very pleased with the that.

Here’s the wrap up

Round 2 starting weight – 67.5
Week 4 – 64.4
Week 5 – 63.7 = -0.7kg (just about all from yesterday’s 41 hour fast so I’m a bit subdued about it)
Total for Round = 3.8kg
Total for R1 and R2 = 14.6kg Now that is worth celebrating 🤸‍♀️🌟

No changes to measurements but I really am just about out of clothes. None of them fit but most now are close to unwearable 🤪

My current plan is to complete this Round (three weeks to go) and reassess at that point.

WOOHOO – 15kg down! Not only a rare occasion when the scales match exactly a particularly lovely number but wowser – ladies and gentlemen 15kg!! 🎉🎉🎉🤩🤩🤩👏🏻👏🏻💫💫

63.3kg today. This follows a couple of challenging weeks, prompting some serious reflecting and ultimately recognition that this last bit, for me, will require fasting. For me, this was quite a confronting proposition but the results so far are pretty clear. I am now including a weekly 40 fast and one 24 hour fast to each of these final three weeks of Round 2. Having read around the topic, I’m confident, for me, fasting will bring a number of benefits, including more efficient fat burning, improved insulin sensitivity and while the science is still very patchy, potential additional autophagy (a naturally occurring cellular level clean up process).

And I will take the practise into maintenance. I will never go back to regularly eating breakfast so a daily 16 hour fasting period along with 24 and 40 hours fasts. Frequency will most depend on how I’m feeling and how maintenance is going.

Meanwhile though – 15 kilograms = my backpack weight on a five day bushwalk in the wilds!

Wow Flick, 15kg😀🎈🎉🎊 Congratulations, doing the happy dance for you.

I’m liking your plan on moving forward. As you know, I’m a great believer in fasting, though I do understand that it’s not for everyone. But personally I find it a great tool to have in my maintenance arsenal and, these days, I positively enjoy it, I love the “lightness of being” that it gives you, to use Essie’s very descriptive phrase. And I always feel so energised afterwards, and not hungry at all. So go for it, well done and good luck.

See you in our maintenance thread very soon😀

PS Loving the backpack analogy, makes it seem very real. I’ve lost the weight of one of my dogs (collies, so not small) and, trust me, I wouldn’t (couldn’t) carry one of them around for long😨

Well done Flick! You have every right to be elated. Glad you are finding a formula that works for you. Enjoy your hard earned success.

Magnificent effort, Flick! We’re all so happy for you. See you soon over on the maintainer’s thread 🙂

Round 2 Week 6 – Week 14 Wrap Up

Well it was a much more positive week – with a very welcome drop down to 63.3 (15kg down). Following wonderful weekend away camping in the high country – a few off plan food items, red wine and not enough water – I weigh in today back at 63.7. Now I don’y think I needed to indulge in these things to enjoy the weekend but it was nevertheless, quite interesting, after 14 weeks, to try some of these things. Calors stayed under 1000 but carbs topped out at 40! Sadlly my taste buds have not changed yet – I really enjoyed the homemade shortbread and the apple was totally delicious as was a tasty bbq’d sausage. Looks like I will have to rely on my will power to keep these food types in check once I’m in maintenance.

Round 2 starting weight – 67.5
Week 5 63.7
Week 6 63.7
So no change this week.
No change to measurements but my clothes are now ridiculously loose and baggy.

I’m fasting today to try to give this a bit of a nudge and plan to be very strict 20/800, 16/8, no alcohol and some fasts.

My current plan is to get to the end of Round 2 and stop at whatever my weight is then. My goal is 60kg but I think the right approach for me is to set a time limit rather than a weight. I don’t fancy chasing an elusive figure for weeks or months on end. I also don’t think shooting below a target weight for some wriggle room would be good for me. That wriggle room weight would simply become my new target and I would no doubt find myself monitoring and adjusting back to that weight.

I’ve started researching reverse dieting and it is likely to take several months to get back up to my TDEE, which I think is around 1800, up to 2200 if I go for long puff making hill walks, which I will happily do if it means I can eat beetroot and pumpkin!

Anyway – time to focus on the days immediately in front of me.

So pleased you had such great weekend, Flick, and enjoyed your little indulgences, without too much damage. Having been in maintenence now for almost 10 months, I would just like to reassure you that I still enjoy a few indulgences occasionally but I do so very mindfully. However, it is the craving for these things which have gone, not the enjoyment when I occasionally partake, if that makes sense?

I fully understand your logic about wriggle room. I ended up, unintentionally but very happily, with 7lbs wriggle room as it fell away during my reverse dieting period and, I have to confess, I now see that lower weight as my new “norm”, and do try not to go above – throwing in a fast day if it creeps up by a pound or two. I think that, after all the hard work of losing and reaching “target”, it is very easy to become paranoid about not regaining the slightest amount when, in fact, daily fluctuations of up and down the odd pound are entirely normal.

So good for you on your totally reasonable, realistic and sensible approach. I just know it will give you lifelong membership to the ever-growing club of maintainers. Look forward to welcoming you. X

Hi Theodora, thank you so much for your support and well wishes. 60kg is oretty much right in the middle of my health weight range so I am still hopeful that I will reach it if I keep losing durng the reverse diet. But wherever it lands in the end, I will adopt that as my new norm and monitor and adjust. I guess I am now ready to move onto establishing the maintenance phase. In my mind this will take at least 12 months to bed down and then of course require on going care and attention. Including staying low carb and like you I will incorporate fasting,

I’m just completing a 48 hour fast and weighed in this morning at 61.8 😲. Either it was dehydration over the weekend (despite deviations I was still in calorie deficit and still quite low carbs) or it is a post fast aberration and will bounce back, hopefully not over the 62s!

Flick, well done on the post-weekend fast and on the consequent weight loss. Don’t be negative about it, there is no reason it need necessarily bounce back, so long as you are sticking to BSD. I did a 60 hour fast last week, not particularly for weight loss, but because I felt over-indulged and a tad bloated after a rather too sociable weekend. The result was a 6.5lbs loss, which is very nearly 3kg, no bounce back over the next few days, but last weekend was another sociable one, alcohol and a couple of meals out involved, and I did put back 1.5lbs. I was travelling most of yesterday, and I never eat on travelling days, so an unplanned fast of 40 hours by the time I ate mid-morning today, and this morning another 3lbs had gone, so in total, I am 8lbs down on last Monday! I have every confidence that you will reach 60kg, or get pretty close to it, so go girl – you’ll be in maintenance before you know it!👍👏👌

💖 Theodora, you are such a sweetie. Isn’t fasting terrific! I really enjoyed the energy boost this slightly longer fast and yes straight back into strict 800/20, 16/8, no snacking, no alcohol! On the downhill run now.

Aww, bless you Flick. I am just really pleased that you are enjoying fasting, it is certainly a great tool to have in maintenance, particularly after possibly going “off piste” for a few days, which we may want to do occasionally.

Regarding your worry about a possible bounce back, my experience is that the effects of a fast often last for a day or two after resuming eating (obviously BSD friendly). As I mentioned, I dropped 3lbs after my unscheduled travelling fast earlier this week. I broke fast yesterday and ate entirely normally, still low carb but up to, and possibly slightly above my TDEE (don’t count calories any more, so cannot be too accurate on that) but today the scales registered yet another pound has disappeared. Hopefully you will experience this same phenomenon, and not experience any immediate bounce back either.

Can’t wait to have a new member to our ever-growing band of maintainers. You have done so well on this WOE and been so supportive of others, , you will become – in fact already are – a wonderful resource for this forum, so I really hope you will stick around, and maybe have a bit of fun with us “Phoenixes”😘

The scales this morning read 62.3! I am absolutely thrilled. Not only is that exactly 16kg down since starting 14.5 weeks ago, it is in the lovely 62s! 🎉🎉🌟🌟👏🏻👏🏻🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️

Happy to report I did not find myself madly hungry after my 60 hour fast. In fact, I felt fantastic. Many, many NSV during this interesting time, I’ll do a full wrap up at the end of this Round but I am so excited to be taking these incredibly positive changes forward with me into maintenance in a week and a bit.

So onward on this downhill run …

Just wanted to say a huge well done and congrats Flick!! Keep on keeping on!!

Outstanding accomplishment, Flick. You’ll be on maintenance in no time. I’m looking forward to hearing all about your fasting-related NSV. Well done! 🙂

Wow, Flick, awesome. Good to hear longer fasts achievable. And well done on breaking the 62’s!