I’m in as well. Doing the 5-2 plan in the hopes that my weight loss will continue through the holidays. Need help getting motivated to exercise…you would think the plateau break I had last week after a couple days of exercise would be enough, but…
@garland, is there a local public pool? Water aerobics are great when you have knee trouble. I’ve started going 3 times a week this year, and am hooked. Our pool offers deep water or shallow water.
No public pool. I could join the Y, but it’s pretty pricey. But it’s a good idea to think about; thanks!
You all are inspiring me to get more serious again about 5-2. Committing to posting efforts here (hope you don’t all mind.) Fridays and Tuesdays, ordinarily.
The Y here is $30/month for a family membership, and $20/month for a single person, and they let you cancel and come back on with no penalty at all. We do this all the time for the kids, who variously get super into swimming as exercise, then get too busy to do it. I love that policy-I could never do that at a regular club. And the Y’s swimming areas tend to be awesome, clean, and well watched.
can somebody describe 5-2?
Remember, the point of this thread is getting through the next month - the holidays, parties, temptations. Focussing on day to day and what you can do to “handle” the next temptation.
I’m going to admit if this becomes a “diet” thread - 5/2 or whatever - I’m OUT! I can deal with that. 
However, I’ll for today anyway stay true to my thought to post one health/wellness/holiday tip a day:
Avoid “starving” for the planned indulging later in the day. Eat normally during the day, and be strategic at the buffet. Don’t bother with things you don’t absolutely love. Think about that with each item you seek to put on your plate “Do I LOVE this?”
Putting on my moderator’s hat, let’s stick to the original purpose of the thread as @abasket described it. Thanks!
MTA: Feel free to start a separate thread for specific diets, if you’d like.
@MaineLonghorn is it ok to post a link to the already existing 5-2 diet thread?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1893526-anyone-tried-the-5-2-diet-p1.html
I agree that it’s a different discussion 
@MotherOfDragons, thanks for the link.
About today’s tip: I am a sampler. I like to try everything. Good for me to keep in mind that I don’t have to finish every piece of cake. I can just try a bite.
^^Yes. So decide who you are. Do you need a serving or a bite? If you need a “serving” then you have to limit the items on your plate and the content of them (artichoke dip, mini quiches, egg rolls and mozzarella sticks is not ok!). Or if you can be satisfied with a bite…do the same - look at the content of your “bites”.
My hubby and I often share an appetizer plate. And since he has way more will power I will let him choose the goodies. Less likely to overdo my trigger foods that way.
I have to modify this approach a bit. For me, “starving” myself doesn’t work, but I do eat less than I normally would if I know I’m going to indulge later. I also eat less the following day.
I guess I just don’t have enough willpower to limit myself on an “indulging” day like Thanksgiving. The other thing that helps is eating a relatively short time before the planned indulgence, so I don’t feel as hungry. This sometimes means eating at a different time than I normally do.
In the past few years, I have stopped baking anything that we don’t LOVE–like the Christmas spritz cookies that come out of the cookie press. They’re pretty, and they’re tasty, but they are not absolutely delicious-- so they have been replaced by less festive but worth-every-calorie toffee cookies.
I make hearty bean and/or vegetable soups this time of year. They’re pretty healthy, and having some in the fridge makes me less likely to order takeout when time is scarce (easier to heat up the soup than to go pick up a pizza).
What I need to work on for the next month? Not consuming too much alcohol. Now that both our kids drive, we have designated drivers for nearly all holiday events, which makes it easy to overdo it. Plus the 12-packs of various seasonal beers always look interesting. And don’t get me started on egg nog (delicious with or without alcohol).
^^ Good tips, good plan!
Okay, I withdraw my prior comment. 
This was MY way of dealing with the holiday over-eating and weight gain issues, and I’m sorry it was taken as pushing a “diet” on others. Should I not talk about exercise, since there’s already a thread or two for that?
From the OP: “Who wants to try and be accountable? Let’s use this thread till the new year to try and stay on track or to get back on track.”
I confess to being totally confused about the purpose of the thread. If @garland 's post wasn’t on topic, then I’m afraid I am genuinely perplexed.
I have a fast metabolism and I’ve always been fairly thin without much effort. I’ve never dieted. However, I recently returned from a food and wine trip to France and Italy where I gorged myself beyond belief for days on end and now have some extra pounds to show for it. Rather than just assuming they’ll go away by themselves, I was thinking of incorporating a fasting day here and there into my routine. Was looking forward to Garland’s updates. Seems like a pretty good way to stay on track for me.
I already eat my veggies, get regular exercise and drink plenty of water so all is good there.
Alrighty, something tells me my thread concept is not going to work. Maybe it’s my own mindset. I really intended for it to be a temporary cheerleading place to get through the holiday month - I believe we did this one year before with some success. I don’t want to say anything further that will put me in the position of offending people on this thread.
I know enough when to hang up my effort! Feel free to carry on if anything is working here for you. But at this point, I’m OUT!
Aw, bummer @abasket. I like the ideas here, and am glad you started this thread. Hope you’ll change your mind