sarsar

The big "A"...hahaha. Laura informed us that if we want him to read our posts we should use his real name, if not, I guess we say the big "A"! I usually fast Monday and Thursday. Kim, I love reading about your adventures!! I know I have said it before, you live such an exciting life! Ummm, Coops, what pooch? I don't see it! I like the dress, I think you look great! I don't care for it with the jean jacket but I think it would look good with a little color somewhere. Maybe some accessories? Or maybe a cardigan instead of the jacket?? (for some reason I have become addicted to cardigans...there are so many cute ones) Oh, I do like the slippers! There is a commercial on tv I keep seeing lately that says amazeballs...I think of you when I hear it. Ha...I love this, too! It is like a soap opera isn't it? We are all a little crazy!

Sarsar, hes a big hulking Kiwi, around 6'1", 255 pounds, (we used to weight the same!) and his hands are GIANT. He has Fred Flintstone feet... he didn't wear shoes until he was 12! Country boy. I met him by a bus stop in the Himalaya. I could totally see him swinging a sword in some Scottish battle. His clans motto is "Conquer or Die" and our clan motto is "Love" Do you think we might have different conflict resolving styles? You would be right. I have gone out with men of all sizes and shapes. I did like his stature for sure, and he likes bigger girls, so that worked for me too. Love that story! What were you doing in the Himalaya? Working? I am also attracted to big guys. My husband is 6 foot and about 200 pounds. He likes it when he weighs around 185-190 pounds and I like it when he's about 200, a little more meat on the bones. I would have liked someone even bigger but I fell in love with all 6 feet of him! I like that I'm smaller than him. Now that I've lost more weight he keeps commenting that there isn't anything to grab on me anymore...I told him there's lots of skin to grab...lol!

Georgia, I forgot to mention before that I love your new pic...you look so happy!

It didn't show up?? Oh I'll try again..I like your new photo! Oh guess what?? My surgeon called me a SUCCESS!! He actually thought I'm good! It felt kinda good : See, you are a success...now you just have to believe it! You look great in your pic!

Jane, exciting about the date...wish you could take a picture of him so we could see what he looks like! OD, I was totally thinking that the guy was acting like a child when he didn't answer your call. You don't need him, that's for sure! Swiz, thinking of you. Hope you are keeping your head above water these days. Try to stay strong, one foot in front of the other. Skinny and Laura, I'm sorry about the troubles with your daughters. Laura, yours is in high school, right? That's a tough age. She will figure things out eventually, hopefully. Sometimes we don't even have things figured out and yet we expect so much from our kids! (Not saying that's what you are doing.) Skinny, it must be so hard to go through all of that. You are right she has to make her own decisions, she is grown. My daughter is 23 and it's hard to let them go and make their own life but it's what we raise them to do. Brown, are you doing ok? M2G, you are so right about the stupid scale...the 2 or 3 pounds we are wanting to see...why do we let them mess with our brains so much?? Kim, how tall is your hubs? He look like he's tall in the pic...nice looking guy! Globe, just wanted you to know I am thinking of you! Susan, welcome to the group. Have fun reading the thread. This group is much more than 5:2, you will find out a lot about us when you read! The first couple weeks of fasting are tough but eventually it gets easier and for me, I enjoy my fast days. It's like my body looks forward to them now. Good luck. Hopefully I didn't forget anyone... Hope you are all having a good day. Oh, M2G, would you mind posting your fudge recipe? As long as it's ok with everyone else, if it's too tempting or it bothers anyone just say so! Before my sleeve I loved fudge, now I can take it or leave it (not too many foods are like that so I will take whatever I can get). My husband loves it and I'm looking for a good recipe to try out on him.

Are you taking vitamin B? It could be that or you could have low iron. It could also be your thyroid. Are you drinking enough water?

2.5 years out and my restriction still changes at different times. It can depend on the time of day, if I'm feeling stressed, what I'm eating...all those things play into it. Very normal for this to happen.

Ouch...this must really hurt your heart. I am so sorry. Hugs to you. You will get through this even though, I am sure, there are times you don't know how, but you will. We are all here for you. Hang in there. You are on my mind today... I agree with this 100%! Any exercise is worth doing. Find what works for you and stick to it. It's the same with losing weight, even with the sleeve, what works for one person might not work for the next. I also think it's important to measure yourself. Brown, I was thinking about this for you. Take some measurements and see how many inches you lose after a few weeks. Even if there isn't a number on the scale, I bet you will see lost inches. Any exercise is better than no exercise! Laura, glad to hear you heard from Cheri and that she'll be back! We all need a break once in a while. I'm fasting today. I actually feels good after having a few days of treats and not watching closely what I was eating. I worked out this morning and it just feels good to be back in the swing of things! Happy Monday Ladies!

Someone asked about protein on fast days. I personally don't worry too much about it but I do drink a protein drink every day so right there I have 30 grams of protein. I like to fast until around 3 in the afternoon and then I have my protein drink that includes spinach and flax seed that I mix in. This is about 250 calories and my stomach is usually very tight by this time so it takes a while to drink the protein drink. This keeps me filled up. I usually have a greek yogurt or some string cheese a few hours later.

Hello to my 5:2 friends! I'm back from Arizona and I finally got all caught up with the group. For some reason my app wasn't working right on my phone so I couldn't see what everyone was posting while I was gone. We had a fabulous time on our trip. Usually Arizona is warm this time of year (that's what everyone was saying) but with the cold front that most of the US is experiencing, it only got into the 50's. Oh well, warmer than it was at home in WI. We went on a fun hummer adventure in the mountains while we were gone! I also had a day at the spa and the hubs did some gun shooting thing. We were able to visit with some friends we hadn't seen in many years. We also rented a car one day and went to Sedona. Beautiful! Of course we had to do some of the work dinners that go along with these kind of trips but they always make sure to include lots of fun stuff for us. It was so nice to spend some time away from the kids, they enjoy the time with Grammy (my mom) who spoils them for a few days. After a few days away I miss them terribly and I'm ready to come home! Ate too many delicious foods while we were gone and I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. After a few days of eating that way I just feel plain gross! I didn't weigh in today so I will probably do that tomorrow. Woke up this morning to a snow storm. Not sure yet how much we are supposed to get. It will be done sometime tonight. I'm trying to stay calm and positive because I hate winter so much and it brings me down. I'm glad to be back, I missed you all while I was gone! I will reply to some posts in a bit...

Brown, great job on your fast day! You got this! You can do it!! Cathy, I'm going to have to check out the fast exercise book. It's interesting because last week Monday and yesterday I worked out with my trainer in the morning (I usually have a session with her on Monday mornings), I also fast on Mondays. The last couple weeks during my session I would get dizzy and feel like I was going to pass out. This happens to me about half way through my hour long session. Now, if I work out in the evening on my fast day I don't seem to have a problem. Laura, hang in there. I know I won't have the words to make you feel better. I wish I did. I hate that you are feeling the self hatred. I have felt that in the past, it's been a long time but I remember the feelings of hating myself and it's not a good place to be. Try not to binge, as you know it will only make it worse. Can you get out and go or a walk or do some exercise to try to take the edge off? I wonder if boxing would be a good thing for you to get into? I love lifting heaving things and punching things...helps me get my anger out when I'm stressed. Hugs to you. I'm busy getting ready for the trip. Our plane leaves early tomorrow morning. If I don't get on while I'm gone, I'll be thinking of all of you. I loaded the mobile app so I may be around. We are coming back late Saturday night.

Testing this out from my android app...you can ignore this post.

Testing this out from my android app...you can ignore this post.

I think this sounds good. He also should make sure to make a note of it so that the newbies...less than a year newbies...know that the rules have changed. I assume that's what he meant by posting a sticky?? I think all the new staff will be busy watching over the vets board with the new changes! (Lucky you, Laura!)

I need to get a mammogram. I was supposed to get one last year when I turned 40 and I never did. I better get on that...I don't even have any girls to squish anymore. All I have is left over skin with a nipple...isn't that sad? My A cup is too big and I'm not exaggerating!

I do stick to this group most of the time. If the vets group was just vets then I would probably post more there. ALEX, ALEX, ALEX, (I figure if I yelled his name he would read this) will you please change the vet group to so that only vets can post? Also, I agree, vets should be a year out.

M2G, thanks for mentioning donuts in your post. Now all I can think about are those little powdered sugar donuts. I will resist..don't have any around anyway. Good luck on your fast today, YOU CAN DO IT! Chimera, I often think about how thankful I am that I haven't had any complications. As with any surgery, we are taking a risk, it's sad to hear when other people have to suffer. Skinny, good reminder for us to watch the labels! Hot chocolate sounds good right about now... Laura, I was just thinking about how the vet board used to be vets and now it's not. I wish it was just for vets only. Fasting today. The hubs and I leave for our trip on Wednesday morning so I will only have one fast day in this week. I can't wait...4 wonderful days WITHOUT children!!! Happy Monday ladies!

At first, physically your stomach will be tight and swollen and you won't be able to get a lot in so you will lose weight. After a while, for some it's around six months, for me it was over a year, you will find that your stomach can hold more, especially sliders. You can learn to eat around your sleeve and fill it with junk and lots of it. If you go that route you will stop losing weight and eventually start to gain weight back. A lot of people go through a "food funeral" before surgery and eat everything in site because they are afraid they won't be able to eat the things they love ever again. This isn't the case. Eventually you will be able to eat most of the things you enjoy now just in smaller portions. Now is the time, before surgery and after surgery, to start getting things figured out mentally. Why did you become obese? Do you use food to cover up your emotions? Ask yourself these questions and figure out how to stop using food in a way that made you obese and this will ensure success in the future. Also, learning how to live a healthy life style and eat in a healthy manner for the rest of your life is what makes this surgery work.

Great job, you look beautiful and happy! Your eyes in your before pic look sad, you eyes are glowing and happy now! When you first joined where you the one with the banana phone in your profile pic? Not sure why I remember that but I thought it was you. lol

As others have said, one of the best things about 5:2 is the restriction I feel the day following a fast day. It also doesn't feel like a diet and I don't call it a diet, it is a way of life. This isn't a plan that will make the weight fall right off. You have to keep at it and stick to your plan on feast days for this to work. I have lost 14 pounds since I started working the 5:2 plan. I can't remember when I started it, I think it was July or August. The first couple of weeks the fast days are hard, I felt hungry but after that it's like your body looks forward to fast days. Again, fast days are not really fasting but cutting calories. Post if you have any questions and we will be glad to answer them for you if we can!

Swiz, hang in there. Thinking of you... Coops, congrats on your new low! Exciting. "A good dump" lol Georgia, I love your ticker! Goal reached!!!!! Congratulations, so exciting! Feed, don't you love being able to feed the leftovers to the hubs? We went to my moms this year so I didn't have a ton of leftovers sitting around. I didn't bring any home. But, she did make me my own lemon meringue pie to bring home. Whatever is left after this weekend is going in the garbage...shhhh...don't tell mom! Laura, I love the beach pictures. You look great! It looks like you all had a great time. Jane, do we get to see the booties? OD, sorry for everything you are going through. I am happy that you made goal! Yippeeeee! My daughter heads back to her home away from home tomorrow. Our mother/daughter time is coming to an end. I hate that. We have had a wonderful time, I just love it when the whole family is together. Last night her and I picked out all of my outfits for my trip to Arizona this week. I was just thinking now that I should have taken pictures and posted them! I'll have to have the hubs take some of me while next week when I'm wearing them. Ladies, I totally forgot to tell you that I wore skinny jeans for the first time on Thanksgiving day! I'll post a pic when I upload them to the computer. I don't think skinny jeans look that great on me because I have a bigger butt, hips, thighs and calves. With the extra weight that I lost I felt more confident in them and my daughter and my sister said they looked great on me so I went for it! Have a good weekend!

I love it! I didn't realize there were so many bikes! Fun!!

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in the states! Happy Thursday to my friends across the pond! Exciting morning for me, I weighed in today (remember I don't weigh daily like most of you do) and I am down 14 pounds since I started doing 5:2! I will watch my weight over the next few weeks and to make sure it sticks. I am weird with losing weight. I will all of the sudden lose a chunk of weight. Then bounce up and down with a few of those pounds for a bit. Then finally it sticks and I stay there for a while and then it starts all over again. I did this before my sleeve and I did this after my sleeve. It's just the way my body works. OD, Hugs to you. Georgia, I completely forgot to mention you in my last post!!!! I'm sorry. Hope you are having fun with your hubs! Did you ever try that restaurant where they throw the rolls at you? I can't remember the name and I was just there a few weeks ago. My mom and I stopped on when we were driving to Texas. It was fun, the rolls were delicious and so was the fried okra! After I ate a little of both of those I was stuffed and couldn't fit much more in. Thinking of you while you are riding, FYE! You live a fun life! Lambert's Cafe...I just looked up the name.

Globe, I am so sorry. I don't know the right words to say. I'm thinking of you...we are all here for you.

Busy, busy over here! When my daughter and I are together we have so much fun and stay busy! My thoughts on the group...I like a small group. Maybe keep this group for those of us that have become close and then another 5:2 group could be started for those that are interested. We could all be a part of both groups but this one would be 5:2 plus everything else we talk about and would just stay with us. With the other 5:2 group we would be able to answer questions for new comers. The people that don't participate on this group could be moved to the new 5:2 group if they want to be a part of it still. Not sure if that makes sense... Globe, thanks for sharing about your MS. Did you just go to the doctor bc the symptoms continued to be bothersome and that's how they found out? Is it a brain scan that revureals the MS? CGJ, hugs to you. Sorry for the sadness you are feeling with the loss of your sister, especially this time of year. Laura, the mushroom thing is interesting. I had never heard of anything like that before. Enjoy your day at the beach tomorrow. Take some pictures for us! Brown, yes my head is cut off. That's actually an old picture of me maybe a year after I had surgery. I put up a headless picture because I don't like my pictures floating around on the internet. I got a little freaked out when the switched happened here and all of the sudden there were all of these other people on "our" site. I'm sure I'll switch it up again soon so you can see my face! FYE, I can't wait to hear about your ride! Take some pics for us! Coops, M2G, Swizzly, OD, Chimera...I just wanted to mention you and say hi! lol I hope I didn't forget anyone. It's late and I'm tired. Fast day for me today. I came in at just over 500. I will enjoy my day tomorrow. Not stressing about the food. My absolute favorite thing on Thanksgiving is my mom's lemon meringue pie that she makes. It is so good! We also are Black Friday shoppers so we head out and shop all night long and get home around 5 or 6 in the morning.