Weekly Post 1.10 - 8.10 2017
Meghan509
Posts: 2,096 Member
Good morning Fasters!
How is everybody doing today for a Monday? Can you believe October is here? Where has the year gone...
Going to start the thread and then add a post.
How is everybody doing today for a Monday? Can you believe October is here? Where has the year gone...
Going to start the thread and then add a post.
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Replies
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Hope everybody had a great weekend.
Mine was good. We met some friends for dinner on Saturday night, which was nice. Got to the gym on Saturday and Sunday which I like. Made our dinner for Light Day this week, in the crock pot yesterday. It is a favorite of ours that has beans, kale and escarole. It is a modified recipe that typically calls for a pound of turkey sausage but we make it without. It is nice vegetarian. Works well for 5:2. I can find a link if anybody is interested.
Today I had my morning coffee without sugar. That is big for me. Used to have a spoon of coconut sugar in each cup. I have a sweet tooth but I am really trying to cut down on any extra sugar. It will help me burn more fat when I am doing the Intermittent Fasting eating windows that I have added in to my WOE... Lately the weight loss has been slow and I am trying to keep that from happening on a weekly basis.
Light Day for me today. I bought a nice shiny new water cup last week, that is 20 oz. and I aim to drink at least THREE a day. So far it is working. I put some ice and use a straw and before you know it I have had my water! I also drink some Green Tea. If I don't do that I just sit here shivering all day. LOL
Hope you have a great day! Talk to you soon.0 -
Failed my fast today and ended at 1100...a 2/3rds day it is...so at least I can call it a low day 2
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Hey, all! I forgot to weigh myself yesterday, so I will just skip this week. Pretty sure I am down since my wedding ring is fitting more loosely.
I haven't had a proper fast in a long while. I am going to try for tomorrow.
Gents, you might want to skip this next part.
Have any of the ladies found fasting, or weight loss in general, makes menopause symptoms worse? I have been dying here! Since fat cells store estrogen, and I have less fat, that would mean less estrogen that is stored to make up for a lower production due to age. So, worse symptoms? I started a different supplement to see if it helps. *fanning myself madly as I have a "power surge"
I hope you all have a great week!!1 -
Hi everyone
It's really odd how sometimes the body is just "ready" for fasting. I'm on 2nd day coffee with a splash of full fat doublecream and vitamins. Haven't eaten anything solid since Sunday at 5pm. This time I'm going to go as long as I feel comfy. No set limit. Just see how it goes. Except for a lil bit of rumbling in tummy late yesterday evening....NO hunger feelings!
@KateNkognito. I'm not sure how lower fat storage is to blame for the hormone imbalance. If so all thin menopausal ladies should be having a hell of a time during the crossover phase. (or maybe they secretly do?)
The only thing I've seen on the interwebs is a claim that a lot of "toxins" are fatsoluble and therefore released when the body unlocks fat as energy during lipolysis. But I haven't seen this claim neither substantiated nor rejected by convincing arguments.
I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing wonky hormones. Check with your GP? There are unfortunately a lot of stuff that happens to the hormones during the interim. More estrogen isn't auto the better either. There's a balance between estrogen and progesterone needed, from my superficial knowledge.
Take care and be kind to yourself.0 -
Hi All,
Hope everybody is good. Jeez, looks like I have been typing this post and not hitting send for a few hours now. LOL
Yesterday went really well. I drank A LOT of water! I drank around four 20 ounce refills in my shiny new cup, plus some green teas and then in the afternoon I treated myself to one of those new Coke Zero Sugar sodas. That's the new Coke Zero that they came out with. I am typically not a Soda or Diet Soda person, I just drink water and sugar free tea. But every now and then I like a little caffeine hit. Didn't feel like the calories in milk if I had a coffee. So every once and a while I will have a Diet Soda. It was yummy!
Kate, sorry to hear you are having trouble with the change. I am having issues with COLD. Drinking lots of water certainly doesn't help but whenever I am on Light Day or outside my IF eating window I find I get cold easy. We are in fall here and winter is on the way. I am 40 pounds lighter and it is only going to get worse. LOL
Foamroller - I would like to try some of those fasts too, to shake this up! Good for you. Hope yours goes well! Good luck!
I am feeling pretty good today. I hopped on the scale this AM and am the same weight as Friday AM. Not dealing with any weekend bloat which is nice. Hoping for a good week with a loss. Fingers crossed...
Have a good one and I'll see you soon.0 -
Hi all.... Meghan I've got a drink for you.... 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (mine is 35 cals/cup) , 1/2 - 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 3 or 4 slices of fresh ginger and heat up till hot! I just filled my Pyrex 2 cup jug and threw in micro.... take out ginger and wire whisk to mix properly & pour in a nice mug!! Sooo yummy & warming! When it's colder here soon I'm also going to try adding to that, some turmeric and black pepper but for now, this simple drink tastes like dessert to me!!
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@KateNkognito - That is so wild! I was washing dishes last night when all of a sudden I felt like I had stepped into a steam room. I am sure you know what I mean. The last couple of years is when I went through my meno symptoms (mainly hot flashes) and they had all but disappeared. But ever since I started back up on 5:2, I have been having some hot flashes on my fast days. So I was thought to myself last night, I wonder if anyone else has this experience? Then I saw your post this AM! @Foamroller said it didn't have to do with estrogen and I believe her. She knows her stuff. Wonder if the symptoms can occur just because of the strain it puts on the body to fast? Who knows. All that to say, I can relate.
@Foamroller - take good care of yourself, girlfriend. Coffee with a splash of full fat doublecream and vitamins doesn't give your body much to work with.
@Meghan509 - good work with the water. I would think it would flush out any bloat. I need to up my water intake. I get so busy I forget. I probably could not do 80 ounces, unless I want to live in my bathroom.
@mamainthekitchen - that drink sounds delicious!!! I have to try it. How long are the ginger slices?0 -
Sorry to be nit picking here: I didn't say fasting is excluded from possible culprits regarding hormonal wonkiness. It could be, it could be not. We don't know. The body is vastly more complex than I'd ever imagine, since the equations the body does to keep you alive is an intricate system of biochemistry. Cells are stupid. They don't know what to do. Hormones are the signals that tell the cell what, when, where and volume. For example, it's a specific combo of chemical cocktail needed for the cells to release fat for storage. This is a different cocktail from ordinary fat burning using Free Fatty Acids circulating in the bloodstream. Both are "fat burning" but lipolysis (aka. burning from storage) is what we desire when having love handles.
I happen to believe fasting is one of the most effective ways to reset the body. Ebb and flow. ...but it might be a bumpy road...
@KateNkognito, you didn't say anything about your symptoms. Could it be that losing the amount of weight that you've achieved (yay, you!) is in itself a change that's taking some time to adjust to? Or is it only coinciding during fasting?
On a personal note. Changing is really, really hard. Left on my own.. I'll always want to eat more than I should.
I find myself still struggling with the comfort patterns that got me into the mess. I lost the weight, but sadly there's no unicorn and rainbow at the end. I've found a method that let's me eat almost whatever. But to reach and maintain the last 5%...the hardship is triple, lol. Not sure it's worth it.
I feel fine at 69 hours fasting@jknight001 the world record was a Scotsman who did a medically supervised fast CONTINUOUSLY for over a year. As long as I'm getting enough electrolytes, I feel great. Too little salt and I get cold and dizzy. Too lil magnesium gives cramps.
@Meghan509. Please remember to up electrolytes when drinking so much. Drinking too much fluids flushes out the minerals needed for the cells to work (sodium-potassium pump).1 -
Hey all, I'm new here. @Meghan509 brought me over here from another IF board. I just switched from 16:8 to 5:2, but I'm overlaying 16:8 on 5:2. Yesterday was my first fasting day.
Y'all, it went way too smoothly! I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe it was because I was busier than usual, I don't know. My eating window begins at 11AM, and I usually start getting hungry around 9:30/10AM. Yesterday around 10 I noticed that I was totally fine, that if you'd told me that I wasn't allowed to eat at all for the whole day, I wouldn't have been that sad about it. I got around to eating soup at 12:15ish, and I expected that I'd be scarfing it down. Nope, I ate it really slowly. I think I took 40 minutes to eat it all (one of those big cans of Progresso light soup). I wasn't trying, either. Just felt like taking my time.
We eat dinner on the early side, so by 6PM, I had eaten 508 calories and felt totally fine. I kept drinking water and flavored seltzer (e.g., La Croix) all day, but that's normal for me, and I didn't drink more than I usually do.
I really expected my first fast day to be harder. Second fast day is tomorrow.
Do you find that you'll have easier fast days and harder fast days, or are they pretty consistent for you?2 -
Good morning everybody!
Loving the discussion we have going here! Where to begin...
Thank you @mamainthekitchen for the yummy drink recipe! I could totally use that! I am going to right that down and save it! It is slowly getting cold here in CT, USA. I think it is time to bite the bullet and finally change over the closet this weekend from summer to winter. Today I am wearing a long dress, but still need a sweater. There are not too many days like this left. *sigh*
@jknight001 thanks! I have to say, drinking the water is making me feel pretty good. Yep, definitely making a few more trips to the LR since investing in the new cup. LOL
Good point @foamroller re: the water. I will continue to add a Diet Soda in the afternoon and I have heard that some people add some salt to their water as well. I could add a dash at night if I feel I need it. I also do a green tea during the day. I will make a point to not do more than three of the big 20 ounce cups during the day. Otherwise I think it is a little overkill!
@foamroller had a very good point about changing and how it is hard. Also how you always want to eat more than you should. I know exactly what you mean. I learned a lot about myself since starting 5:2. Basically I don't require as much food as I thought I did, but that doesn't mean I still don't like to eat it. I grew up and still am a member of "the clean plate club" and that is a hard habit to break. Sometimes when we (I do this with my guy) have a cheat meal on the weekend we will over do it because we revert back to old habits. Too much food. Don't force yourself to finish it if you are full or it is a big meal. Take it home and have it for lunch tomorrow...
So glad you joined us @RBXChas welcome!
I would say that the Light Days do get easier as you do them. But, with that being said now and then there have been a few tougher ones. I think when I have had a tougher one it will be due to the fact that I maybe didn't have a satisfying enough dinner the night before, or it could be hormonal.
Good idea to take your time while you eat. Make your meal last. Then follow it with some water. If you are hungry after have a caffeine free tea to help fill you up. I am a person who tends to feel hungrier at night time, so I always do a lunch and dinner day everyday and I do an IF 16:8 eating window of 12pm to 8pm or 1pm to 9pm give or take, if it is a light day or not. I find this has helped me keep the weight loss flowing for the most part.
Have a great day! See you soon.2 -
@RBXChas - Welcome! Glad you are joining us!
@Foamroller - Thx for the hormone clarification. Like I said, you were always good with the research. Our bodies are certainly complex - fearfully and wonderfully made! That is why new dietary guidelines are always coming out. It is really hard to quantify how one thing effects the body in light of all of the other things the body encounters.
I too struggle with changing how I eat. The bottom line is I never had that internal switch that says ENOUGH! I have it with alcohol but not with food. If one bite of food tastes good, a 100 will taste GREAT! My husband and son can walk away when they have had enough but it has always been so painful for me to walk away. I have always thought that losing weight is the easy part. Keeping it off is the really hard part.
Have a great day all!3 -
It's good to have discussions. Someone recently called it "civil disagreement"
I'm terrible at math. I'm on hour 100 from Sunday afternoon. I thought my noggin was working properly, but maybe I was mistaken? 0 -
I know what you mean about that internal switch. I suffer that too. I take after my Mom. Sigh... I am also fortunate enough to not have had issues with alcohol and other vices, never picked up smoking, etc. But as someone who has dealt with food issues I get it... It is not easy! Food is fuel and it tastes yummy.
And also not in our control are so many things in food that make us addicted. Like all the additives and stuff they put in chips, cheese puffs, sugary treats, fast food, etc. to make us want more, more, more. Sort of like the nicotine that is in cigarettes. Like you can't just sit down and have ONE corn chip can you? I know I can't. As my little three year old nephew says: "Impossible!" 1 -
The one difference between food and all the other vices is that I don't think any of the others are required for life. No one will die from a lack of alcohol, cocaine, sex, etc in their lives but FOOD... better stop before the pity party start.
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Good point @jknight001
Good morning all. Happy Thursday, also known as the day before Friday WOO HOO!!
Today is a Light Day. Just filled up my new water cup. Off and running. Hope everybody has a good day.
Pretty day here on the East Coast of the US. Sunny and supposed to get up to 80 degrees F. I still have plans to change over my closet from summer to winter this weekend. Been chilly in the mornings. Fall is here!
Have a good one! I will check back with you guys later.1 -
Hi everyone! It’s great to see so much activity here!!! I’m gonna be quick cause I gotta run... heading take the dog for a swim at the beach today! I’ve had a lot of meals out lately!! & Chinese food tonight and out for dinner tomorrow for an anniversary do..... then it’s our (Canadian) thanksgiving!! This weekend also marks 2 years since I joined this group!!! I’m now up 3 inches on my waist from my lowest measurement... although some people thought I was too skinny, I liked that feeling of being really thin. I’m going to enjoy the weekend, but then hop back on to the 5:2 train before I really get derailed!!! All is good though I’m exercising and doing weights too so I’m way ahead of how I was 2 1/2 years ago!
Enjoy the weekend people! And to my cdn peeps...happy thanksgiving!!4 -
Wow! Lots of discussion in here! It is great to "see" everyone! It sounds like you all are doing really well!
@Foamroller I don't have as many symptoms on fast days, besides the occasional "5:2 flu". It is the day or two after that I have worse symptoms. Which led me to surmise that since I am burning fat on fast days, which would release stored estrogen, and then it drops again on regular days, that might be the cause. Everyone is different. I am just looking forward to being done with all this nonsense! I HAVE found a supplement that seems to be helping. Enzymatic peri-menopause am/pm formula if anyone is interested. The first few days it was worse, but now I feel clear headed and I can sleep again!
I hope you all have a great weekend! Going to see if I can slide in a fast tomorrow. 2 -
Hello, I started 5:2 today was my first light day. It was very tough but I planned it for today because I was going to be very busy. That helped. I’m also a 16:8 eater, and even though it was a light day I was fine at 8pm (my regular stop feeding time) as if a switch had gone off.
I’m an older woman, and short. I’ve been struggling with a ridiculously slow weight loss on 1200 calories, and am hopeful that 5:2 will help my efforts. I’m planning on making Tuesday / Thursday my two light days, with Sunday as a backup if there is a good reason to eat normal on T/Th. Also, I’m having my 500 cal meal in one sitting, a dinner on light days.
I will gratefully listen to any advice, as I’m a complete newb.
Thanks and Hi!4 -
Good morning everybody!
Great discussion here this week. Each and every one of you are inspiring to me! I am glad we have this little group.
Welcome to the new people! I am happy to report that I lost 1.8 pounds this week. Down 43 pounds since I started at the end of March. I am really happy about that! The last two weeks have been pretty quiet on the scale. I am finally in the mid 170's. Once I get in to the 160's, I will be in a new decade on the scale. The last time I was in the 160's was in the 90's. Whoa...
Happy Thanksgiving Canadian Friends. I hope you enjoy the time with your families and all the yummy food!
Nice to see you gals Mama and Kate!
Welcome @ryenday We are glad you joined us! This is a great group and we are happy to help you with 5:2!
I also do 16:8 along with 5:2. I think they work nicely together. By doing both together, it is helped keep my weight loss going. I do a 12:30pm to 8:30pm or a 1pm to 9pm eating window or somewhere in between on a daily basis, Light Day or not. On my Light Days I do a salad for lunch and a soup or stew for dinner. Done eating by 8pm or so.
I see you have been eating 1200 calories a day. My question is are you eating enough? 1200 is pretty low and if you are exercising you may need to eat a little more or you probably can eat a little more. When I was eating 1200 I found my weight loss was slower. I do exercise though. I walk pretty fast on a treadmill 6 days a week. I am 45 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall. I consider myself a tough loser. I eat 1350 on my non light days and I work in some cheat meals on Friday and Saturday nights. Looking forward to getting to know you!
I guess that's it for me for now. Hope everybody has some great plans for the weekend! Not much happening here. Just looking forward to getting some stuff organized around the house. Good weather predicted too which is nice! Enjoy and I'll check in again soon! 2 -
Good morning everybody!
I am happy to report that I lost 1.8 pounds this week. Down 43 pounds since I started at the end of March. I am really happy about that! The last two weeks have been pretty quiet on the scale. I am finally in the mid 170's. Once I get in to the 160's, I will be in a new decade on the scale. The last time I was in the 160's was in the 90's. Whoa...
Rock on!
Oh, the mid-170s; how I have missed them! The 170s are where I stopped feeling fat and started feeling just a little pudgy. I'm 5'7", so it's still technically overweight for me until I get under 160 (by BMI standards, for whatever that's worth, which isn't much, IMHO), but I think that's where some of the more generous clothes I wore between my two kids (when I got down to 154 and a size 4/6 using MFP and eating 1200 cals/day) would start to fit me again. It's nice to think that by next spring I may be able to start wearing all those comfy cotton dresses that I still have and love. It's a reasonable goal
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Lost .8 lbs today. I was thankful because I wasn't able to get in all my exercise this week and I got a tad out of control with my food last Friday so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Welcome @ryenday! Feel free to post any questions you have. We are happy to answer them. What I like about 5:2 is it helps keep the metabolism up which staves off the plateaus we have with just straight calorie reduction. I agree with @Meghan509 that 1200 is low and that could be why you are stalling out on your weight loss. Your body may be trying to conserve fat to keep you from starving to death. IMHO, you will want to bring your calories up for non-fast days so that you are eating enough. What I did is figured out the calorie level to maintain my first goal weight, 1800 cals, and that is what I am eating. You can decide what will work for you. Also strength training to build your muscles will also boost your metabolism because muscles need energy/fat to work (fat does not). I am not talking about looking like a body builder but just having stronger muscles. Just my two cents. I know as you go along in this plan you will figure out what works for you.
Wow! Congratulations @Meghan509! Losing 43 lbs. is quite an accomplishment! Keep it going, girl!
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Thank you both I’m glad to be here.
To be clear I’m short and post menopausal. 1200 cal a day should result in a ~1 pound a week weight loss according to an average person estimate on the prediction calculators. In actuality the six months I ate at that I lost less than 1/2 half a pound per week.
Also I do exercise – swim mostly – but not on any predictable schedule. Therefore I do not count exercise calories in my base calories. Rather I will have a post workout snack/meal where I eat back a portion of the exercise calories. Often fruit or oatmeal with chicken breast or beef jerky - something like that.
Starting out, I have planned to eat 1600 cal on non-light days. I will also continue to eat back my portion of exercise calories on non-light days.
Does that sound safe and smart?
Thanks.
(thank you for the suggestion about strength training. Currently strength training presents some issues for me. I hope these issues can be overcome, at least partially, in the coming months. I will continue to swim ( and walk!) in the interim.)0 -
Hello and welcome ryenday & rbschas. I’m also post menopausal and 58 as of yesterday
and I’m 5’6”. I started 5:2 two years ago this weekend with a 37” waist and was anxious for results so I did 1200 cals 5 days and 500 cals 2 days without eating back exercise cals. Rarely did I feel like I was under eating. I did have a few nights going to bed by 9pm to avoid getting into the cupboards, but with creative recipes from this forum, Pinterest etc I made quite nutritious meals and boy did I lose! I was down to 29 1/2” on my waist then started maintenance.... which is what got me complacent. What I lack now is the discipline to do that again, as I’ve gained 3 inches on my waist this year! This weekend is my “5:2 anniversary” sort of... so I’m hoping to kickstart good habits and repeat my loss in 2015! I am big on lifting weights too... even 2lbs to start if there are injury factors... it doesn’t bulk, it changes your shape and makes your bones stronger. It’s a good thing!
Cheers everyone!
Also Kate: I feel for you... but I can honestly say the only symptom I’ve had is the hot flashes! Other than that I’ve been just fine... not sure why, as every other friend I know has had the most difficult time and used meds etc ... I wish you well in this time of life!
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Thanks everybody!!
I know what you mean @RBXChas I am 5 feet 4 but my weight is pretty evenly distributed, so in the mid 170's I am feeling pretty good. I am a loose size 12 or a size 10 this time around. Last time I lost weight I was not a 10. I owe that to this type of WOE where I am burning fat! I feel much leaner and I am exercising more. I am looking to get down to 140 which for my height is a healthy BMI. Fingers crossed!
Good point @jknight001 on your advice to our new member, and congrats on your loss!!
Hi @ryenday thanks for getting back to us and giving us some more details on your journey! I think your plan sounds fine except for one thing that you said stands out to me. You said you are eating back a portion of your exercise calories and you plan to do that on non light days too. My advice is don't do that. Don't eat back any exercise calories, especially if it is hard for you to lose or you lose slowly at times. Use those exercise calories to your advantage and don't eat any of them back. Make sense? I don't eat any excerise calories back. See my example below.
I work out doing cardio six days a week (Saturday through Thursday). Two of those days are light days. On a typical gym day I burn anywhere from 500 to 600 calories doing a fast walk on an incline via a treadmill at the gym. I don't eat anything back any of those days. What I will do is on Friday and Saturday evenings I will treat myself to a cheat meal dinner and I will have beer / wine. Right back on track the next meal. Not saying everybody should do this but it is what has worked for me and it has helped keep me on plan and from cheating during the week. 1 -
Best laid plans ... got the flu (thanks flu shot). Will certainly be below calorie plans yesterday and today. But I didn’t go to gym, either. Next light day is planned for Tuesday so I’m expecting I’m good to go by then. -lol I had plans for those calories but maybe next weekend!1
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@ryenday I wanted to revisit the issue of eating back exercise calories. For myself I do not eat back calories for a number of reasons (if you want interested see our discussion on eating back calories you can look at the old post exercising on fast days). However, like @Meghan509 I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. I realized as I was thinking about it, I would not recommend that for everyone since for some a cheat meal can turn into a cheat day, into a cheat week, into a cheat month... you get the idea. I do if for two reasons 1) I think eating a more for a one meal stokes the metabolism. I have no proof of this. It is just my intuition on the matter. Others may have more information on whether or not this is true. 2) Because it saves my sanity! After a week of weighing and measuring, it is so nice to have a meal where I can put that aside. When I read your post about eating back calories, I wondered if that might be the same for you? We really stress finding what works for you in this group. So my thought would be if you feel it helps you in your weight loss journey to eat back exercise calories, give it a try with 5:2. If it works, great! If you find you are not losing weight, then you can always revisit the issue and make adjustment.
I will be interested in seeing how 5:2 works for you. I did 5:2 a few years back and it worked great. I would say I was peri-meno at that time. When I came back a few months ago (now in meno) I wondered if meno hijacked my ability to lose weight. At first it was slow at first but it started working and now I am happily down 12 lbs. Since I am heading into post-meno, I will be interested to know how it works for you. Wishing you the best!
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Thank you folks, what to do with exercise calories is definitely something I am going to have to ponder. On 1200 a day, I felt very deprived and eating a portion of exercise calories back helped me stay sane. But on my 5 days I’ll have more calories to play with than I did even on exercise days before 5:2, so modifying my behavior may be warranted.
However, I am also wary of introducing too many variables at one time. October is an especially sparse social month for me this year, so it is a good month to continue a post-workout meal/snack as there are no special occasions in the offing where I might really want to indulge. November and December are very different stories tho, and if October goes well, it might be time for me to “bank” those exercise calories for occasions!
Thanks for all the input- the more I have to think about how this will work out, the better off I’ll be so I am grateful.1 -
Hi all!
Great post @jknight001
I agree that a cheat meal is good to help keep the body and metabolism guessing. They definately help keep us sane too. We like to have things we don't typically eat. Last night we had Italian / pasta.
I understand @ryenday about having a little more to keep you full. I think if you up your calories a little and don't eat back exercise calories you will be fine and you will lose.
So glad you have joined us.
Hope everybody is having a nice weekend. I am not off tomorrow for Columbus Day (US) boo... Hope our Canadian friends are having a great Thanksgiving.
Have a good one. See you later or tomorrow!1
