Tweakers United June 09: JUDDD, Fast-Five, OSMF and other non-conformists

[Ilpirata]

Welcome TWEAKERS! It's a new month - new thread.

___________
This first post is just a little welcome for our members and and a brief introduction for newcomers to what we are about here at Tweakers. The plans we follow (mentioned below) can be googled by name for further information and as well, we will be providing more details as we go along.

Spring is here -with Summer coming up right behind! The TIME is NOW - and it is a good time to get inspired to follow Dr Herring's Fast Five Intermittent Fasting, or Dr Johnson's Alternate Day Fasting (also known as the Johnson UpDayDownDayDiet (JUDDD) And if you want to follow those plans in a more straightforward way than we Tweakers do, there are two fine threads for that right here at Other Plans forum. One is called "JUDDD" and the other is "Intermittent Fasting" and they both have warmly supportive members who are always glad to help. They are easy to find--are usually right near the top of the page. And if you want to, you can join them, as well as this one. Do what works best for you!

We are probably a bit more free-wheeling than other threads because while we love both of those plans, we often combine them in unusual ways with other dietary ideas like low carbing and brief water fasting (also known affectionately to us as Other Sensibly Modifeid Fasts or OSMF's) And that desire to try new things is why we are called Tweakers.

Along the way, we always have time for a bit of lighthearted fun and some personal observations although we do (usually) try not to forget that our main focus is on weight loss.

OK, let's go! And let's all see at the end of the month what kind of progress we have made.toward our personal goals of weight loss, weight maintenance, and better health.

[snaggle]

Thanks Kisha, I don't know why I have such a hard time with the whole cutting/pasting thing.

Okay, here is the deal: I started what I called my "custom-tweaked JUDDD/fast five/low carb" plan back April 7th approx. The idea was that I would do down days on tues thurs only, up on mon/wed/fri. and med on sat sun. Well, it just didn't work very well in terms of weight loss. It was great, lifestyle wise, and will probably be how I incorporate JUDDD into maintenance, but I want to lose 20 lbs and I need to stop *****-footing around.
For June and July I intend to stick (as close as possible) to a true alternation. I still like doing my dd's fast five style and will try and keep pretty low carb, so I guess my question is: Am I a tweaker? or just a JUDDDer?

Kisha, I know you said you are not too active in this thread anymore, but I am wondering, who of the tweakers is really having success losing weight out there?
Is this group still viable?

[icandoit]

I would like to join you guys! I was on JUDDD before but left,silly me. I'm not working out this week becasue of TOM..so....
UP DAY=1868
DD DAY=374
I will keep my menus Stillman's and Low Carb along with doing IF.

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by snaggle

Thanks Kisha, I don't know why I have such a hard time with the whole cutting/pasting thing.

Okay, here is the deal: I started what I called my "custom-tweaked JUDDD/fast five/low carb" plan back April 7th approx. The idea was that I would do down days on tues thurs only, up on mon/wed/fri. and med on sat sun. Well, it just didn't work very well in terms of weight loss. It was great, lifestyle wise, and will probably be how I incorporate JUDDD into maintenance, but I want to lose 20 lbs and I need to stop *****-footing around.
For June and July I intend to stick (as close as possible) to a true alternation. I still like doing my dd's fast five style and will try and keep pretty low carb, so I guess my question is: Am I a tweaker? or just a JUDDDer?

Kisha, I know you said you are not too active in this thread anymore, but I am wondering, who of the tweakers is really having success losing weight out there?
Is this group still viable?

yeah i don't know...
I pretty much do JUDD but the *tweak* that I do is frequent liquid fasts.. although is that REALLY a tweak since even Dr. Johnson recommends shakes only for at least the first two weeks of DD. I think that makes liquid fasting NOT a JUDD tweak but actually really JUDD

[EmandM]

I pretty much follow JUDDD too. My tweaks are that I do not eat low carb (in fact I am a strict vegetarian) and I do not do strict alternate days. Instead my UD's are Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat and DD's are Tues/Th/Sun. I have had success on this plan but I did not have a lot of weight to lose. I only wanted to find a plan I could stick too, that wasn't too restrictive, for maintenance. And I found it. I love this woe!

I am not as active on this thread because everyone seems to be MIA! I would just be talking to myself (which is not unheard of IRL anyway)!

[wallaby]

hola tweakers - our thread is getting a little "threadbare". I'm back in the saddle and will keep checking back here but am headed over to the other thread.

I started walking in a.m. - have done 8 days in row now and am ready to get back into JUDDD gear. really. truly.

[snaggle]

I will post, since I am changing my siggy weight. Down to 161.
Tues. are my official weigh days and my last couple have had no change, so it feels good to be heading in the right direction. 2 lbs until VFT!
My plan, at this point isn't really as tweaked as when I started, but since I started with this group, I will keep popping in here.

[Ilpirata]

I'll mostly be on the JUDD thread as I'm recomitted to true alternation JUDD for JUNE. I'll keep an eye here for old friends.

[CrystalPistol]

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't posted for about 2 weeks. I went on vacation and when I got back I was up 8 lbs. I was very disappointed, but after my first DD yesterday, I dropped 5 lbs this morning. Now I only have 3 to deal with! How the heck do you retain 5 lbs and drop it overnight? WOW. Anyway, I only tweaked for about 2 weeks before that, and it seemed to slow me down (just a little tho) so I'm going to try true alternating again. Keep your heads up everyone!

[dasiey]

Originally Posted by Kamicryze

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't posted for about 2 weeks. I went on vacation and when I got back I was up 8 lbs. I was very disappointed, but after my first DD yesterday, I dropped 5 lbs this morning. Now I only have 3 to deal with! How the heck do you retain 5 lbs and drop it overnight? WOW. Anyway, I only tweaked for about 2 weeks before that, and it seemed to slow me down (just a little tho) so I'm going to try true alternating again. Keep your heads up everyone!

glad you are back.

[snaggle]

Kamicryze--- I think what we all are loving about this woe especially is the quick recovery from falling off the wagon. It seems like many of us, and on the juddd thread, too, have gone off plan for days, or in your case, weeks, at a time and, yes we gain, but it seems to fall off pretty quick. I really think the reason is that up days rev up the
metabolism and when you switch back to having down days, it is still kickin'. Plus, I agree with you, that a lot of the gain must just be water.

I gained 5.5 lbs in 5 days, lost 4 in the first 4 days back, only to go and end up with 3 up days (including one very up/carby one) on Memorial day weekend. Got back on track last tuesday, and in the last week have gone back down to another .5 below the pre trip low. I am going to just figure that every day off plan needs one on plan to get back.
I can SO LIVE WITH THAT.

Good for you!

[CrystalPistol]

Thanks dasiey!

snaggle.. I totally agree with you! And WTG on getting back down. This WOE is so forgiving I'm reeling from disbelief. I've never been on a plan that didn't make me feel totally punished for going off of it.

I'm really loving this.

[dasiey]

I love this plan as well. I try not to screw up. But I know I sometimes will. Just do your dd the next day. But the key is not to screw up to often.

[NoSugarShell]

Is Sally ever coming back??

[dasiey]

Originally Posted by NoSugarShell

Is Sally ever coming back??

I'm beginning to wonder

[wallaby]

It's nice to see familiar folks on the regular JUDDD thread, but am SO missing our little tweaker group! Maizen of course, but Shunsweets, EmandM, Janice, Ladywuzzy, Sunshine.... ...oh now I'm even forgetting names....

[EmandM]

Hi Wallaby! It's nice to be missed! lol I read regularly, but our tweaker thread is very inactive so there is not much to respond to. I am not going to join the original JUDDD thread. There are so many people on there I find it hard to get to know people (I like the smaller threads, but that's just me). I read the original thread here and there to see how people are doing, and to get some tips etc. I sort of feel out of place because I am in maintenance and I don't follow low-carb. But I still read and cheer everyone on from the sidelines!

how are you?

[wallaby]

hi EmandM! well, yeah not much to respond to here on this sad little thread....

I think I remember something about Maizen being gone in early June as well. Have no idea if she's gone for good!!! I've PM'd her to no avail either. So I'm going to assume she's out of town and then in a few weeks I'll start worrying for real.

I'm doin' ok - kids now out of school - seems less stressful all the way around. Although now I'm trying to get in the groove of less structure and more opportunities for snacking. I'm so wanting to make serious progress in the weight department! Finally have reached the point where people are commenting (or maybe it's just that clothes this time of year are more revealing...) which helps my motivation.

Maintenance going ok for you?? (I'd like to hear that it's painless, but I think it's not the case!)

[shunsweets]

Hi Wallaby and Emandm. I still check here too and miss the camaraderie of our active thread. When the thread is a little smaller you do feel close to each member!

I'm not joining the Juddd thread as I'm not juddding -duh, but I read to keep track of Kisha, nosugar, and others. I'm just stable in maintenance on fast5. No real diet concerns to share now that I've got my meal to the right size to maintain.

Wallaby the only bad part of maintainence is it never ends! and you finally come to realise that you will never be able to just mindlessly eat. You must be somewhat vigilant for life.

I sent Sally a PM but no answer yet. Maybe her enthusiasm is what we need to keep finding time to post and support each other. Life just gets too busy.

[dasiey]

I.m still here to. dd for me and going very strong.

[wallaby]

Good to "see you" Shunsweets! yeah, I am pretty confident about the need for vigilance in maintainance. I've had though a good 45 years of not being vigilant so I think it's not going to kill me.

Dasiey, I'm glad to see even your little posts. I like knowing you're out there!!!

Sally should be back soon. I'll keep checking in, but know that I think about you all and wish you the best!

[caramel]

Hello all,

I've been gone quite a bit and my damage is about 5 pounds difference from my avi profile. not so bad, started back juddd this week after having oral surgery last week and the day before I was so bad. Went to Applebees, wendys in the same day and thought well I can't eat tommorow or for a while so my weight should be okay. Not so, two days after surgery my weight was 156 so I said I won't freak out it is probably the swelling and the fluids from the I.V. so monday I started Juddd back again and tuesday was down to 152. Yesterday was an ud and It made me remember why this plan motivates me. "I can always eat the next day". Well heres hoping the rest will be off soon. Today is a DD for me.

BTW/ I like this board it's so intimate and you get to know everyone. I too hope to here for Maizen soon.

[NoSugarShell]

Originally Posted by caramel

Hello all,

I've been gone quite a bit and my damage is about 5 pounds difference from my avi profile. not so bad, started back juddd this week after having oral surgery last week and the day before I was so bad. Went to Applebees, wendys in the same day and thought well I can't eat tommorow or for a while so my weight should be okay. Not so, two days after surgery my weight was 156 so I said I won't freak out it is probably the swelling and the fluids from the I.V. so monday I started Juddd back again and tuesday was down to 152. Yesterday was an ud and It made me remember why this plan motivates me. "I can always eat the next day". Well heres hoping the rest will be off soon. Today is a DD for me.

BTW/ I like this board it's so intimate and you get to know everyone. I too hope to here for Maizen soon.

Welcome back!

[EmandM]

Hi ladies!

Caramel, good to hear from you. Glad your surgery is over. You will get back to your siggy weight soon! I too really like the intimacy of a smaller thread. It let's me get to know everyone fairly well.

Wallaby - I agree with SS about maintenance. It is a lot better than the losing phase, much less restrictive, but I still find I have to be careful and monitor my calories. I think it's more liberating because if you slip up for one day it doesn't do as much damage as when you are losing. At least I found it that way. But once you put yourself in the mindset that this is the way you will eat for the rest of your life, it becomes second nature.

Hi Michelle! Love your new avi pic. You look great!

Hi Daisey - have you heard from Sally? Good luck on your DD today!

[maizenbluebabe]

HI everyone. Sorry to be MIA for so long-- it's a crazy time of year here at Chez Maizenblue--first I helped the lady I mentioned working for earlier close up her store and get rid of all her stuff from The Little Shoppe of Hideous Gifts, then helped her get ready to move to be near a sister who lives in Florida, then we went to Virginia to see an old friend who is sick and now I am trying to finish a mosaic project before a Saturday deadline and then we are having company. And there is the garden and the yard, etc etc.

Ohhhh, I HAVE MISSED YOU, dear Tweaker friends! And am so glad to be back with you!

I took a quick trip to the May and June threads and it seems everyone is especially busy this time of year. Wallaby and EmandM made some good comments about that and following their line of thinking, I bet you that traffic at a lot of bulletin boards slows down during the summer. there is just so much to do, it seems.

Caramel, I hope all goes well with the after-effects of the dental surgery! And I am sure the visits to those Fleshpots of Sin and Temptation will soon be gone from your hips and your scale!

And Michelle, love your new avatar--you are even prettier in that than the original one!

Shunsweets, so glad to hear that baby Jessica has arrived safe and sound after her adventures in Early Morning Arrival. Now we will all await Dasiey's announcement that Lydia Grace has joined us.. What beautiful names these babies are having bestowed upon them!

wallaby, I feel much empathy for your concern about your teenager-- we went through years of worrisome depression with our youngest, and although she is fine now and amazingly happy with her life, I have often thought that she went into Clinical Psych because of her own problems in adolescence. I know you are keeping a close eye on things and wont let this slip up on you, but imagine you will have sleepless night over this. When YDD first began to suffer from this, there was not much awareness or help and meds were in their infancy so it was touch and go for awhile. She was dead set against seeing a psychiatrist, but we lucked out when she saw a sweet, handsome young Aussie doc named Roger Haskett at UM who was a gem but that was years ago and he has probably moved on--I have always felt so grateful to him for starting her so compassionately and wisely on a good path to healing through the best meds that were available then (tri-cyclics--weird side effects but they did the trick.) .

Kisha, thanks for getting the June thread off to a good start!

OK--several of you have wondered if there is really a need for a Tweakers thread anymore and I join you in that concern. From a strictly weightloss point of view, I dont think there is anything here that cannot now be gotten from the regular JUDDD thread or any other "method thread." . And not all of us are even doing a Tweaked Version of JUDDD anymore. However, several brought up the subject of friendships formed since several of us first became acquainted at the original JUDDD thread way back in December '08 and January '09. (Hey that is OVER six months ago!)

This means some of the members of this thread have been together for longer than half a year--a long time in cyber-land--and have shared triumphs and disappointments, joys and sorrows, laughter and tears, and weighloss and weightgain. We have developed real warmth toward each other as human beings, not just as strangers struggling with troublesome hormones or eating and nutritional problems and health concerns. In other words, we have become friends and dont just pop in and out hoping for some magical solution to bad scale readings.

Perhaps IF this thread is to continue it should be just as a general support group for whatever concerns we may have whether they are more personal or health/weight related. For instance, I am no longer doing JUDDD at all--have lost to 163 now and have been following Very Low Carb along with Dr Herring's Fast Five.

When we first got together, there was a lot of warmth and comraderie. And it was those qualities which kept us together when others were uncomfortable because we didnt color within the lines and were always popping up with outside-the-box ideas. The core of this group were a bunch of mavericks then--and still are--and if there is value in staying together with less emphasis on "following a diet" then you can count me in.

If a July Tweakers thread is to be started, I'd like to suggest that we change the title a bit to reflect that we are not following JUDDD or any particular plan as a group. And then perhaps re-organize our emphasis in sharing ideas and updates of how things are going with us--and with somewhat less emphasis on weightloss as a major focus. I too much prefer the idea of a smaller group with an interest in each other as human beings--as we were when we started out--rather than, like some of the larger threads, concentrating solely on dietary interests although in that respect we should not neglect our physical health either. I am sure that as time goes on, we would find a balance.

But probably we would need to make it clear in our upfront statement that weight/dietary focus is no longer our prime concern--with detailed reports on every little ounce gained and lost--but in our general progress and how we feel about what we are doing to move toward better health. There is something a bit overly clinical about listing every bite that goes into our mouths for a more general thread if we decide to move in that direction. Fit-Day and related services play an important role but maybe we dont need to use them here? And by that, I dont mean that we should not be allowed to mourn the intake of 3,500 calories in a day and hope for comfort and absolution from each other but let's not sweat the little things quite so much and go more for the big picture

There are dozens of threads dedicated to ounces lost and gained per day and per week and there are hundreds of threads organized around a particular approach to weightloss or maintenance and it seems from some of your remarks that that that approach is no longer what many of our longtime members are after here.

We need to be aware though that if we change the subject matter of this thread, we will surely lose some members more interested in closely following a a dietary plan than those of us who want to go back to our original quirky personal relationship but there are plenty of threads they will find inspiring and helpful and this allows the rest of us to proceed without guilt or self-consciousness.

So we can be anything the majority of Tweakers want to be and while we are at it, there ought to be room for some lighthearted observations and exchanges (that means you, Dasiey! ) (And by the way how is that acrobat you were seen with a month or so ago? Is he still swinging from the trapeze without a net--hmm, or is he the one who rode his bicycle along a high wire? Is THAT the actual reason you like riding your bike, Dasiey?)

OK, the ball is in y'alls court and I will read your thoughts with great interest.

[dasiey]

wow sally you are amazing. I do love the high wire act.

[shunsweets]

Ah. Thank goodness Sally is back! I agree that the tweakers need to expand away from strict dietary goals (lets face it we tweakers aren't good at strict anything! Lets focus on health - physical, mental, and spiritual. So lets include our flings with trapeze artists (go Dasiey!), joys of nature, new births, and troubles of life as well as those small epiphanies we all encounter.

Sally we were losing our focus without you! I'm so glad your back!

Hello to all! Caramel, Emandm, Dasiey, Wallaby woo hoo. Welcome home!

[maizenbluebabe]

Originally Posted by shunsweets

Ah. Thank goodness Sally is back! I agree that the tweakers need to expand away from strict dietary goals (lets face it we tweakers aren't good at strict anything! Lets focus on health - physical, mental, and spiritual. So lets include our flings with trapeze artists (go Dasiey!), joys of nature, new births, and troubles of life as well as those small epiphanies we all encounter.

Sally we were losing our focus without you! I'm so glad your back!

Hello to all! Caramel, Emandm, Dasiey, Wallaby woo hoo. Welcome home!

WONDERFUL POST! In just a few words, you have expressed it so well, SS! What you have described seems to be the atmosphere we should work toward--in fact, it sounds very much like it was when we started out together; just a handful of pioneers with open minds, quirky ideas and a fondness for each other!

I will be candid and say I dont care if a Tweakers thread only gets a dozen or so posts per week if they are the quality we all have come to expect from each other and if they reflect a receptive interest in our general physical, mental, spiritual health. There are large threads (the HCG one, the VLC one and the Intermittent Fasting one come to mind) which are sometimes bulging at the seams and have many members and many posts but there is a lot of warmth and support for each other from a core group which continues on and holds it together, so size doesnt necessarily mean the personal relationships get watered down. And yet, sometimes when a thread has 3-4 pages in a day as some of them do, it is hard to read all the posts and thus very hard to keep up with everyone and to keep members sorted out and feel connected to them.

This is especially true when people lead busy lives or are going through an unusually busy and demanding patch in personal or work life. However, IF it is decided to continue this thread, people who say they want it to continue need to check in and post. It shouldnt be a burden or an unpleasant duty but any "live" thread needs posts now and then and comments responding to the posts of others if it is to survive. Otherwise, it will become totally boring and also totally without purpose like one of us is sitting talking to herself. A thread so seldom used should be allowed to slide to page 3 and die a peaceful death.

It should not fall upon anyone's shoulders--not wallaby or Kisha or me or SS or any of the others--to feel that they MUST say something because the thread is fading. Then if they take the time and thought to post something, and no one responds, the post just sits there like an unwanted orphan.

Successful threads are like a tennis match. The ball needs to be returned or the game is over.

..

[shunsweets]

With posts as honest and thoughtful as yours Sally we won't need more than a dozen a week. I agree we must work to find time in our very busy schedules to reach out to one another if we want to become a community of caring and health. Amazing that this can even be attempted via the internet!

So great serve Sally and right back to you with a lob. 15-15.

[EmandM]

Count me in too. I think you and SS hit the nail on the head with what the focus of this thread should be. I don't want to lose the cameraderie we share. And you will never find me posting every calorie! lol :blush: We are simply buddies updating buddies!