5/2

[jess9395 5,450]

Love that real 154 picture!!!!

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

You do look amazing! Congratulations on your success ????

[jess9395 5,450]

@@jess9395 I'm totally on board for an accountability group, that's a great idea!

Given that I really do have some significant pounds to lose, I think I'm going to try the 6 days of two liquid meals and one small meal and one day of fasting. I think that is more doable for me than trying a 16/8 schedule, though I think it is always a good idea not to eat anything in the late evening/night time (which I do given my habit of staying up too late!) I kind of like the liquid meals, they are easy and I have a very high tolerance for boring meals!

I also have been reading about ketosis-inducing diets, it sounds good and very effective, but in order to do and keep up with rigorous exercise you have to do periodic carb loading. Everything I read about it was for hard-core body builders. It sounds like it is a good way to get lean v. losing pounds, but it's rather complicated and think I need something simple to start with right now!

As for your struggle with what you call your "vanity pounds," it sounds to me that you are pretty self-aware and are conscious of what your motivations are. I think it is up to each of us to decide what type of figure we want. I myself prefer myself with a few more pounds than perhaps the BMI charts would because my face gets very thin when I am in the "normal range." I also like having round hips and a booty I have a friend who is a true size zero, she gets lots of tsks and "she must have an eating disorder." She does not, in fact she's a foodie and a great cook, she just likes herself at that weight and works hard to stay there. I think if you are doing it for the right reasons, you can make your body what you want. And a regular routine of Ashtanga yoga will certainly help you there--I admire you, I've been working up to doing the standing and sitting poses of Ashtanga for some time, you must be in great shape!

We should def get an accountability group going for vets! I would love that.

And Ashtanga!!! I was drug kicking and screaming from my safe Vinyasa world by my sister and my favorite teacher! It kicks my butt, but I love it! Twice a week most weeks and then my beloved Vinyasa the rest of the week. I only do the first series and my teacher is amazing and helps me reach some of those binds. But I see growth every time.

[jess9395 5,450]

You do look amazing! Congratulations on your success [emoji4]

Thank you! I honestly wasn't fishing just wanting to show that I'm not a waif. And now today I am bout 13lbs heavier than that pic (which was actually taken 1.5 weeks post plastics so there is a bit of Water retention in them still).

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

You do look amazing! Congratulations on your success

Thank you! I honestly wasn't fishing just wanting to show that I'm not a waif. And now today I am bout 13lbs heavier than that pic (which was actually taken 1.5 weeks post plastics so there is a bit of Water retention in them still).

I know you weren't fishing ????

But i like to recognize hard work...

Its interesting how different everyone can look.... being the same weight...

I think you look very healthy and toned, and don't worry about the little weight gain... you have room for movement ????

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

@@jess9395 you weren't kidding about the yoga arms--rock on! To be honest, what I noticed first in the pics, though, is that wonderful smile on your face in every one of them--you look very happy

[jess9395 5,450]

@@jess9395 you weren't kidding about the yoga arms--rock on! To be honest, what I noticed first in the pics, though, is that wonderful smile on your face in every one of them--you look very happy

Thank you! And I am, generally, a very happy person and even more so now.

I always say my goal when I run a race is to finish, secondly to finish RUNNING (as opposed to walking) and third to finish smiling, everything else is bonus. So far I've met that goal every time.

[erp 2,016]

If I had a lot of regain to drop I might want a different approach, but it's basically 10-15lbs (like I said I keep losing and gaining 5) I gained over the holidays and now that it's summer I've chosen to drop (vanity as I said--bikinis and crop tops and bodycon tanks and dresses). I feel like for that amount intermittent fasting is completely do able!

@@erp I do eat low carb/moderate fat/high Protein as a rule. I don't eat Pasta, bread, rice, etc at all anymore. But I don't eat low enough for ketosis. My understanding is you have to do that all the time 24/7 right? I may decide to do that if this doesn't work, but since I don't have much regain to deal with I don't want to go that extreme at this point.

I have let more carbs back into my daily diet in the form of fruits and oatmeal and the occasional "treat" (and yeah I do mean real treat like fig Newton Cookies or some crackers or even Fritos!) and am definitely cutting those on both my fast days and my non fast days.

Can you explain to me what you mean by focusing on recomposition? (My dang autocorrect keeps wanting to tell me I mean decomposition!). Do you mean my diet or my body composition? When I last had my body fat done (DXA scan--just before this gain) I was at 17%, athletic for a female. My activity level hasn't changed so I really believe other than this extra 10-15 my underlying composition is similar. I didn't mention that I also do hard yoga--vinyasa and Asthanga--about 4-5 hours a week. It's body weight, so not exactly resistance training but I am very happy with the muscles I have (yay yoga arms!) and between that and my running I'm putting in about 10 hours a week (more when marathon training) exercising which is about my limit.

If it's diet recomposition I would love to hear more input! Yesterday on my fast day I was at 58% Protein (101g), 14% carbs (22g) and 30% fat (23g). How does that look?

Finally no one has touched on whether or not I should lose those last vanity pounds. Honestly it's a matter of I'd like to revisit seeing my ribs and hip bones more clearly. Is that ok? I just have gained a bit of "softness" there that I prefer not to have over my bones and muscles. (To be completely honest, my husband prefers this to how I was "boney" before and I don't want to tell him I am trying to lose it again!)

I am very conscious of another member of our community who took things too far and wound up in treatment for anorexia. I don't THINK that's what I am doing here, but want a reality check which I seem to remember her getting and ignoring. Please, give it to me straight, I can handle it!!!

@Jess- we are in the same boat from a decision making stand point. I was weight stable for about 2 years and then over the holidays, I gained a few lbs and was 9 lbs (144) above my lowest weight of 135. I decided this summer to take the extra fluff off and a few more. I am currently around 133. I appreciate your sensitivity to Bella and like you, my current WL is 100% vanity, I have no "need" to lose weight.

Here's my point on body composition. All WL is not created equal. I don't just want to eat at a deficit, I want to eat at a deficit that will allow me to lose fat and maintain muscle. That is why I am doing a modified Keto- I am trying to spare muscle while losing fat. I don't want to cut calories so low that I cannibalize muscle. Like you, I always have made sure to get my protein in but at least for me, a lot of my recent fluff is from letting too many naughty carbs creep in (cucumber and celery did not do this to me!). So my question to you is, is that 10-15 lb gain, fat or muscle? If like me, you suspect it's mostly fat (and water), then I suggested Keto to go into a "burn body fat for fuel" mode. With this approach, I have also temporarily cut back on my workouts again to spare muscle. If you try Keto, then based on your macros from yesterday, you need to up your fats. Even if you don't want to go Keto, most active women need more than 25 grams of fat for hormonal balance (if yesterday was a fast day, then a day or two of really low fat is no biggie). My ratio has been 1:1 (fat:pro&carbs) daily macro breakdown has been 50% fat, 35% protein, and 15% carbs (by way of comparison, traditional Keto is 3:1 or even 4:1, modified is 2:1 or 1:1). I'm averaging 1300 cals a day. For sanity, I have taken 1 mini diet break (Fri-Sun) where I exceeded my carbs, which gave me some extra energy to workout over the weekend. I am hoping to maximize these last 4 weeks to get down to 130 before I reverse out of this diet- gradually upping my carbs and bringing down my fats along with increasing my activity level. I will gain a few pounds on the scale as my glycogen stores are replenished but I should have re-comped my body to an overall lower body fat level. In your case, I am surmising you would be back to your 17%.

Sorry to take your thread totally off topic, 5:2 works well for many people (talking about you @Feedyoureyes, Georgia, Daisy, etc.). I however cannot handle perceived deprivation- seriously, I would count down the minutes and obsess over what time I could eat again!

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

A 5 foot 7 woman at 135 pounds has a BMI of 21.1, that's well within the range of "normal" weight. I don't think it is necessary to categorize a normal weight as "extreme" or potentially pathological and "unhealthy" because it is not our preference.

I think it also depends on the build of the person i am 5'7 and have a muscular build.... i look sick, gaunt and just unhealthy if i go below 154.

BMI is not an absolute.... there are too many variables.... height, build, body type, race, muscle mass etc plays a larger role.

Eg. You could have 2 people who are the same weight and height and they look completely different.. what may look healthy on one of them can look different on the other

Yes absolutely! Check out this site it's a good reference for that kind of thing:

Www.mybodygallery.com

I think I look healthy and fit and athletic. Here I am at 135. My body fat here is at the 17% level. My surgeon had a photo shoot done and I am in their promotional material (once and for all blew my anonymity as far as not disclosing my WLS)

ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1467258576.644482.jpgImageUploadedByBariatricPal1467258600.523007.jpgImageUploadedByBariatricPal1467258619.315699.jpg

Oh, Jess! You definitely look healthy and fit!

You are a true WLS champ in my book.

[jess9395 5,450]

A 5 foot 7 woman at 135 pounds has a BMI of 21.1, that's well within the range of "normal" weight. I don't think it is necessary to categorize a normal weight as "extreme" or potentially pathological and "unhealthy" because it is not our preference.

I think it also depends on the build of the person i am 5'7 and have a muscular build.... i look sick, gaunt and just unhealthy if i go below 154.

BMI is not an absolute.... there are too many variables.... height, build, body type, race, muscle mass etc plays a larger role.

Eg. You could have 2 people who are the same weight and height and they look completely different.. what may look healthy on one of them can look different on the other

Yes absolutely! Check out this site it's a good reference for that kind of thing:

Www.mybodygallery.com

I think I look healthy and fit and athletic. Here I am at 135. My body fat here is at the 17% level. My surgeon had a photo shoot done and I am in their promotional material (once and for all blew my anonymity as far as not disclosing my WLS)

ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1467258576.644482.jpgImageUploadedByBariatricPal1467258600.523007.jpgImageUploadedByBariatricPal1467258619.315699.jpg

Oh, Jess! You definitely look healthy and fit!

You are a true WLS champ in my book.

Thank you!!!

[OKCPirate 5,323]

@@jess9395 - I just took a look at your before and after shots, you have come a long way (and you really look hot, so great job).

One thing that has been kind of missing in this discussion on weight and BMI is age. As you age your metabolism does change (this is not an excuse to be unhealthy, just a call to be realistic). I am kind of surprised how much things changed from 51-53. It's just a dang reality as well as more grey hairs every day.

One of the things that I like about the 5:2 research is that it does seem to have a very positive effect for those of us 50+ as far as stressing our metabolism in a good way. I'm putting this back in my future planning. Thanks again for sharing.

[jess9395 5,450]

@@OKCPirate

Thank you so much <<blush>>

That's a really good point about aging...that is looming in my mind... Tomorrow is 47 for me, yikes! But I told my kids now I'm going to start aging backwards.

I knew 5/2 was originally to promote longevity so it's good to hear that it helps with the aging metabolism.

I had a good fast day Wednesday and yesterday wasn't exactly a fast day, but I did keep to an 8 hour window and 1200 calories. Today and tomorrow will be my "feast" days bc we are going out to an oyster bar for dinner tonight for my birthday and family mini party tomorrow.

Hoping this 5/2 is what I need to stay on track. For me it's really very do able so far. We shall see as things continue. I'm waiting till a week out to try the scale again!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I did 5:2 and did very well with it for a long time. Then on my non fast days, i started having too many calories. I don't go anywhere on Mon. and Thurs. so there are no temptations.

My problem is socializing and there is always food around. I seem to have lost all my willpower. I can't seem to pass up goodies.

i am with you guys cause i have to get off around 15 lbs so my clothes will fit.

I have squired this stomach an belly that stick out of all my clothes. I uses to be flat in the stomach and belly and I loved it.

I had back surgery . there is no way I can run. I do strength /weight training at the gym and I love it. I have to force myself to do cardio.My trainer recently quit so I need motivation again.

I welcome all advice. After 7years of being sleeved, my hunger has come back and that doesn't help at all.