@SashaGarrett I tried the fizzy water idea today and its great. Stupidly I googled if fizzy water is bad for teeth and there are soe nightmare stories on there, just as much as good stories but it surely cant be as bad as a proper fizzy cola etc.
Also I saw that Alpro is selling a plain lactose free yoghurt. Admittedly I dont know about yoghurt calories but thisone had 50kcals per 100g and you can add what you like to it, fruit, cereal etc. Not sure if the cals are good or bad but as I cant have proper yoghurt it was nice to have some of this with abit of honey added.
Youāre welcome. Its the acids in these things that reacts with the enamel in teeth but you also need to consider the bacteria in your mouth - they metabolise sugar to produce acids. Fizzy water has a pH of 3-4 (slightly acidic, as your fizzy water goes flat it becomes less acidic), so yes fizzy water can have a detrimental effect on tooth enamel if left in contact with it for a prolonged period of time - you werenāt planning on walking about with a mouthful of water were you? Fizzy pop has a pH of 2-3 (slightly more acidic) but the fizzy pop also has lots of sugar in it. So once you have swallowed the acid in it canāt do any more damage to your teeth however the sugar residue left behind can with the help of the bacteria. You can neutralise the acids by drinking a glass of sodium bicarbonate (1 tsp) dissolved in water (tap) - the taste is soo bad it will put you off drinking fizzy pop (I had to drink it as part of a pharmacology experiment at uni).
I make my own yog from skimmed milk powder but have no experience with lactose free diary products. The fat in dairy products is complexed with calcium which makes it harder to absorb the fats in the gut, donāt know if this is the case with lactose free versions.
@DeborahJonesJewellery thatās great! I would be very happy too. I want to lose about 9lbs , so hopefully it will work out for me. Though im going to have to find some more interesting dinners than a tuna salad! in fact I found I wanted to carry on eating after my dinner, itās like it triggered my appetite again, though it is the dodgy hormonal week - so I think that might explain it. @plumporridge yes I can imagine that I may only do one day a week, maybe more if I feel I can manage it, but I did find it a little depressing during the afternoon, the fluids helped but I found I drank so much that I must have gulped lots of air down as I was super bloated by bedtime. Itās good to know that itās sustainable though ( even if I only end up doing 1 day a week)
@WashedandFound, Suzanne, I found the fast days very boring after a few weeks and even though I bought 3 cook books I found little in them that was actually palatable. However, now I have discovered he Konjac root noodles/pasta, I think fasting would be sooo much easier. Check out www.barenakedfoods.co.uk or www.eatwater.co.uk for more info.
Iāve been binging recently as life got in the way and Iām feeling dreadful, so am quite looking forward to going back to my low carb life style after my daughterās birthday at the weekend.
Thanks Liz, Iāll look out for those. Though im off on hols to Norfolk tomorrow, so I think the fasting will have to wait til I get back, Iāll need it after all the fish n chips Iāll be eating! Iāll prob look forward to a fast then too!
I have been on the 5:2 for about 2 years and lost 18 pounds. I am now down to a weight that I havenāt been for years. I do it now as maintenance and have found it quite easy. I do eat quite boring foods on my fast days but I prefer to not to have to think much about food on those days. Good luck x
I met someone 11 years ago - first person I met on yahoo personals I think it was - we corresponded first for a while, then met up. I didnāt meet up with anyone else. Weāve been married 10 years! You just have to set your own parameters and ignore the highly unsuitable characters!
Back to my diet now Iām back home from my hols. I was very chuffed with myself that Iād only put on 3 1/2lbs in 3 weeks. Some of the extra weight could be water retention too as I always feel bloated every time we go on a long haul flight.
I actually bought smaller sized clothes whilst we were away so Iām so proud of myself, I havenāt been this size for years (12 in tops & 14 bottoms). Iām going to keep going till I reach a dfinite size 12 which may mean getting on my treadmill again.
Ive been awful the last few weeks, totally āforgotā I was meant to be eating well. But Im back on it soon.
Im lactose intolerant and stupidly treated myself to some garlic bread yesterday(which was a big mistake) which has kicked me back to eating well, hopefully if I lose weight I wont feel as bad when I eat a bit of dairy. Thatās my theory anyway, either way I really need to lose weight as today I felt like my car had shrunk.
18 pounds is fantastic! I got back from hols yesterday and Iāve been indulging a bit but not too bad, and I did do a lot of walking. Itās good to hear that it sustainable for quite a few people. Im back on a fast tomorrow - im going to miss breakfast completely and have a 500 cal dinner - I split it up before but I found the evening meal far too small. Maybe it wonāt work, but im experimenting at this stage to see what suits me best. hopefully Iāll have a bit more room in my jeans in a few weeks!!
Healthy eating starts(again) today. Ive just gone crazy and bought nice veg, and chicken (which I assume is good for me) is Cous Cous ok or am I fooling myself?
Drat, Im off the diet wagon again. The more I think about it the more I want to eat junk food, and loads of it, I just had a big choccy bar.
I seriously need motivation. I keep telling myself that itl be good for me and I can run around with my young relatives but that clearly isnāt enough. How can I shame myself into eating the right things.
Iāve found the fast days a little challenging, so Iāve adapted them to suit me, im having slightly more calories in evening and a snack before bed time, as I find going to sleep on a small meal keeps me awake.
My motivation is better after winter, as I overheat very easily in summer, so have to stay as cool as possible , so means stripping off more - I think of this when im struggling , to remind me that if I overeat , I wonāt lose weight , then wonāt be able to strip off to stay cool (as Iāll feel self conscious) it works ofr me. So I guess find something that really makes you think about why you want to lose the weight - what it will mean if you donāt follow a plan (the shame angle! )
Iāve been fasting for about 5 weeks (with a holiday inbetween) and Iāve lost about 3lb, not much but itās working, very encouraging for me.
@GrimmExhibition Iām not sure that shaming yourself into eating the right foods is a good way to look at it, unless you want to eat healthy food it will always seem like a chore and you are unlikely to stick to it. What is it that is so appealing about junk food? Is it that āhealthy foodā tastes bland or uninspiring in comparison in which case maybe having some cookery lessons to learn about spicing/ seasoning food would help. Why do you find yourself thinking about food and reaching for chocolate? Is that some sort of emotional attachment or just boredom/ tiredness/stress - is there another issue that needs addressing first and then the diet. Is junk food just the easy option? In which case would preparing healthy options in advance be useful - having a container of fruit salad and some low fat yogurt in the fridge so rather than reaching for the chocolate you could simply spoon yourself a couple of dollops of yog with some fruit on top? (which may or may not contain an equivalent number of calories but is definately better for you)
Sorry to go all amateur psychologist on you so early in the day but hopefully there is something there for you to think about.
Sasha
@GrimmExhibition we bought lots of greens and spiced them up with garlic & ginger which makes a huge difference to the taste. Also Red chilli peppers chopped small and added to the veg helps. There something in the chilli peppers that starts your metabolism started and that helps you loose weight.
I lost this year a lot of weight by only eating fish and chips on Friday and no packet crisps. You can do light running every second day and drink lots of water. Fast walking is also good. It is not easy but you can do it anyone can. I was eating to much junk food last year and so had to loose.Wish you best of luck!no fizzy drinks either. Make sure to run for at least 30 minutes. Or go swimming if you are to heavy like I did at the beginning.
Iāve now decided to try eating grapefruit at breakfast time every morning just to see if I can shift the last half a stone. Iāve only been eating them for a couple of weeks so not sure if itās making a difference yet.
hopefully Iāll have a bit more room in my jeans in a few weeks!! 
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