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5:2 Diet Thread! Going up to 11!(1000 Posts)
The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet.
The 5:2 diet was featured on Horizon in August 2012, and essentially requires you to fast for 2 non-consecutive days per week. The other 5 days, you can eat what you like, or approximately your TDEE (see explanation below). Alternate-day fasting is just how it sounds; you fast every other day. By "fasting", we mean that we keep our calorie consumption very low, around 500 calories on average for a woman, 600 for a man, on those days.
You'll find on these threads we use a number of acronyms. If you're new to the threads, or Mumsnet in general, they might not make much sense.
WOE/WOL = Way Of Eating/Way Of Life. We use this term instead of "diet" as many of us see this as something to do in the long term.
MFP = My Fitness Pal, a website many use for keeping track of the number of calories they're eating.
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals. Here is a link to a calculator to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day.
ADF = Alternate-day Fasting, as it says on the tin, fasting every other day rather than 5:2.
Michael Mosley has recently unveiled a new website to accompany his new book on the subject. Please go check them out, as he's the whole reason most of us are here!
I know a number of people lurk on this thread, as this is currently quite popular. Please just jump in and post if you're new- we won't bite. Well, maybe on a fast day. You'll find a lot of support here.
Here is a list of links to get you started with this way of eating. Please let us know if you find a new article or some other information online:
First things first, here are links to some of our previous threads: most recent one before that another one!
Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the links and tips that get lost in these big threads. In addition to sharing links, we try to condense some of our top tips for fasting there. Keep in mind, we all do this differently, so these are just tips, not rules. This might be a good place to catch up with us if you're feeling a bit lost!
frenchfancy has a recipe thread over here, please post any low-calorie recipes there so they don't get lost in these bigger threads!
Here is the link to the BBC article regarding Michael Mosley's findings, which was featured on Horizon.
B&W has found a new link to the aforementioned Horizon programme here. If you're keen to see it, watch it soon, because BBC has been quick to find these copies and shut them down online. We're hoping they'll re-play it again soon. I know these threads are popular, maybe they'll read my request.
A blog post here gives some of the scientific explanation for why this way of eating helps you to not only lose weight, but improve your all-around health.
A Telegraph article which comments on the diet and gives a brief overview.
A study discussed here gives commentary specifically addressing the effect of this diet on obese people (both men and women), with regard to both health and weight loss. ("After 8 weeks of treatment, participants had an average 12.5 lbs reduction in body weight and a 4 cm decrease in waist circumference. Total fat mass declined by about 12 lbs while lean body mass remained relatively constant.) it also mentions "Plasma adiponectin, a protein hormone that is elevated in obesity and associated with heart disease, dropped by 30%. As did LDL cholesterol (25%) and triglycerides (32%).")
Something to consider if you are currently your ideal BMI: this appears to suggest the benefits for women at a lower BMI might not be seeing the same health benefits that are found on men at their ideal BMI.
Another food link, here is a link to the BBC Good Food site, with a list of low-calorie soups.
A BIG THANK YOU to all who have been contributing, btw. Most of us are learning this way of eating as we go along. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous threads, and they've been very helpful. Sorry if I haven't given credit where it's due, but it was just enough of a job getting all the links re-copied and back into one post.
Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!
Did I do it
Whoop, whoop, dance round the room. Got to be the first post on a thread :-)
Not bad as I've posted on all of them I think
Am holding steady now at just under 9 stone (BMI 20.5) while still enjoying food and drink at the weekend. This is how I plan to stay.
Oh man I was sure I would be first {throws tantrum stomps off]
Well done TIP
Ezza I loved your china posts
Argh posted in last thread seconds after it was closed!
I would love to try this but am worried about 2 main things:
Firstly - does a fast day stop you being able to work out vigorously?
Secondly, I have a hectic job as a teacher in a partially-boarding school with very long hours and am worried this will impact on my job if I am tired from fasting.
Any thoughts much appreciated!
its still got a few posts - I've replied to you there ...
Hi Artemisat - i have been fasting for about 4 months and have found that if I skip breakfast I don't feel any different during the morning than on a day when I have eaten. There have only been one or two occasions where I have felt tired on the fast day but I would say being busy at work is a good distraction from food.
<waves to fellow new starters and more shyly to old hands>
Whoever suggested (on the old thread) holding off for as long as possible, thank you . After my shameful fall off the wagon yesterday (when I'd had breafast), I tried hanging on to my calories for as long as possible today and it feels MUCH better.
My 2 convenient days are Mon and Tues, so looking forward to tomorrow.
Thanks again for all the info GreenEggs .
TIP's advice on the other thread is good Artemisat and you could start by fasting one weekend day to see how it affects you. Another option is to keep the majority of your calories on a fast day for lunchtime, I personally find that works well for me but it means I can't eat dinner with my children and other people find it hard to sleep if they are hungry so they save the majority of calories for dinner. It can be trial and error to find a method that fits in best with your routine.
Cheers for the new thread, GreenEggs!
"By the same token we may have evolved to survive fasting but it doesn't necessarily follow that its the same thing as being optimum for our health.
It's good to challenge our approach to eating, keeps everyone thinking."
Thanks for saying that Snowkey. I always find it a bit unsettling when I see paleo proponents making the assumption that what was good for our remote ancestors must be best for us. It may well be that over the very long term humans will evolve (perhaps even now are evolving) to live and thrive on "food" manufactured from materials that have yet to be produced.
That said, many cultures and traditions of far more recent vintage than cavemen have provided evidence of the virtues - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual - of fasting. People have been fasting voluntarily throughout recorded history and largely for reasons other than weight loss. IF in its many variations doesn't seem to come close to the extremes of fasting forced on a hunter-gatherer society or even the rigors of some religious regimens. 5:2 is actually quite gentle - reduced caloric intake two days a week. Not a big deal. And yet it's working miracles for many people.
We'll never have all the answers. As you suggest, we have to keep researching and experimenting and staying open to and alert for new clues.
Greeneggs yes thankyou and I have read the the starter post again as it has grown since I first read it and it seems really clear and informative.
Hi Ffuntime
Thanks greeneggs
afternoon everyone! ate the chocolate steam puddings I'd bought for Xmas (but didn't eat) yesterday. God, it was all too much and I'm so much more aware of what I could have eaten instead for those 700! calories. Fasting today and just starting to feel a bit empty. time for another cup of tea me thinks.
ps I was out yesterday and found I was having to stop my jeans falling down, which was nice
Newbie here on first fast day! So far since 9pm last night have had lots of mint tea, an americano and a cup of miso soup. Lots of walking at reading threads. DH trying it too. Aiming for some sort of 400cal type tea when the kids eat and then distraction until bed. Thanks for all the advice here
Hello. I'm not (yet) doing the 5:2 diet but am interested. Can anyone answer this question for me: my TDEE for current weight is 2273 cals. Am I right in thinking that on my non-fast days I should eat upto but no more than my TDEE and then 500 cals the other two days? Currently I've lost 32 lbs eating 1800 cals a day which suits me but I can see how there are days when I can deliberately eat less (ie a work day) and days when I can go oer 1800 cals (eg weekends!).
TDEE per day - averaged across the five days (allows wine at weekends and being a bit better in the week) and 500 two days.
Go for it. Start tomorrow.
Hello all and thank you GreenEggs for new thread and to everyone new and old for more inspiring stories (virginposter sorry you outshrunk the white trousers, but well done!). Ezzza curious to know where exactly you are (random guess: Chengdu?) as the food sounds wonderful! Must have been a great experience, and nice to be coming back to UK as the daffs and snowdrops are poking their heads above ground... I love that feeling when winter starts to turn a corner into spring.
Aftereights sorry meant to add my good wishes yesterday - hope you are resting up at home and wishing you good luck for the results.
cardiffmummy if you're there, how was your big do - was that last weekend? I hope you felt fabulous!
Fillybuster me too (normal BMI, child-bearing age), but it was v. encouraging to hear Mimi Spencer comment. I have noticed over the last 5 years that I've started dressing differently, wearing baggier tops to cover my middle and bum, very uncomfortable in swimwear and even self-conscious to be naked in front of DH, to which he is oblivious, bless him (the self-consciousness, not the nakedness!). Felt sad about it but accepted it. It's very exciting and liberating to be doing something about it, and though I'm having a rough fast day today (after 5am 'MUM! I NEED A WEE!' wake-up call) all the stories on these threads are reinforcing my commitment.
(TiP2 my goal is 8.13! Well done, I bet it feels great. Hope to find out myself before the summer!)
I am excited right now as I have just rediscovered rice cakes. Takes me ages to eat one, and they seem to fill me up. Please don't tell me I'm going to have a carb crash in about half an hour just when I pick the kids up from school....
I did have a question but have forgotten it! Back shortly if I remember...
Thanks Talkin - that was what I was hoping. It means I can eat more on more social or weekend days without feeling guilty but at the same time not binge (binge = eating more than TDEE).
It means my weekly average will still be at a deficit.
If anyone on here wants to add me on MFP (if you use it) then my username is Bssh. I may not start until Monday though...
Marking my place
Started 5:2 yesterday! Much older than most of you - geriatric mum of teenager. I'm almost 61 and 5ft 2in but have gone up to 10.12st since menopause after always being a size 10. For health and weight would really like to lose 20 lbs. I thought I'd join this thread for moral support as I think I'll need it!
Fasted yesterday for the first time - not difficult, but got pretty hungry in the evening. But slept better than I have for ages, and like others here didn't feel hungry overnight or this morning. And I'm not feeling particularly hungry today. I did notice how frequently I wanted to go to have something to nibble yesterday. Hoping that habit will slowly die off and I'll get more attuned to what my body wants rather than what my head wants.
I'm assuming that I'll lose weight pretty slowly - does metabolism slow down with age, or doesn't just seem to as we're perhaps not so active? I walk a lot and do some yoga but gave up running as I have a bit of arthritis. Fasting again tomorrow. Wish me luck!
several of my friends who are doing 5:2 are in their 50's and 60's - you'll be surprised :-)
Am just answering Artemis from the end of the last thread. I've run on all of my fast days as I run every weekday anyway. The only difference I have found is that I am flagging a bit by the time I'm taking the children out for their evening activities. Today, however, they are all finished by 7.30 so I am already looking forward to vegging on the sofa tonight!!
Well, I was worried yesterday that I wasn't hungry (day after fasting)and i only managed 1200 calories butI woke today nicely hungry and have eaten a good 1500 calories. Or I will have once dinner is ready
I notice already that my stomach is less bloated. Fasting day for me tomorrow I think - I've got loads of miso soup in and some of those Zero noodles for dinner.
What I love about this so far is it costs fuck all and there's no stupid foods associated with it.
I've even stuck a note on the cake/biscuit cupboard saying: "You can eat me tomorrow if you still want me".
Right, remembered my question!
I've been using MFP every fast day and found it really useful, but today I was flummoxed. Was making a veg soup and weighed all the ingredients, then when I came to calculate calories I wasn't sure whether to use raw weight or cooked. Didn't think it would make a difference but when I checked 100g leek, for example, the calories were about twice as much for 100g raw (61) as for 100g cooked (31). (At the risk of exposing my ignorance: why is that?)
Obviously I'm not eating it raw, but nor can I fish it out of the soup to weigh it cooked! So just wondering what everyone else does when calculating calories for soups, casseroles, etc.: do you calorie count the ingredients raw or cooked, or just use a value somewhere between the two?
I know it's only the difference between a few calories here and there, but just want to make sure I'm using the best approach.
(+ sorry if this has already been covered on a previous thread!)
wheresmybook welcome to this wol, you'll find that there is nothing like it for weight loss and feeling good. I will be 59 next month and an average exerciser, some weeks doing a fair bit and other weeks not much at all but I've managed to lose 22lbs. That's the great thing about 5:2 etc, it works for everyone from the highly active to the sedentary and all ages.
Stick with it and it will get easier
work with the raw figure - then if anything you are overestimating your food ...
Like that tip Laurie of the sticker on the biscuit cupboard. Did my first day yesterday and kept saying to myself "you can eat that tomorrow" and it did help me get through.
Couldn't manage without my huge mugs of tea though, but I measured out the milk each time and 50mls comes in at 25 calories, so I did allow for that. I must investigate this Miso soup.
Maniac i calculate calories based on the weight of the raw ingredients. The reason for the difference is simply because cooked foods weigh more (normally) because they have taken in some water along the way. But the calories in 1 leek won't have changed IYSWIM.
Went out for lunch today which was nice, but I still feel full. DH has cooked for this evening but I don't feel like eating. Trouble is I don't want to hurt his feelings, and DCs are going through a fussy eating phase so we are trying to encourage them to eat too. So I'll have to eat even though I don't want to. Quite a new experience for me.
Thanks for the shiny new thread greeneggs. These threads move so fast I have to spend half of the day reading them to catch up! And then I can't remember everyone's names and questions to respond!
Ah well, just checking in to say hi and that my week is going fine. Fasted yesterday which involved a fruit salad for a late lunch and a mushroom omelette for dinner. Feed day today but I've been busy at work so haven't had much time to eat or think about eating. Got a mushroom stroganoff planned for later.
Laurie I'm liking the sticker on the biscuit tin. It's great to know that you can 'park' your cravings and pick them up another day. Really liberating.
Happy fasting and feasting all
Marking place but also thought it might be worth mentioning to all those even newer to this than me (did 5th fast of 5:2 yesterday) that today is one of my first feed days that I haven't actually thought about snacking at all even though right now is my mega danger zone! I've had a very modest day of eating so far (porridge & stewed fruits for brekkie, soup and half a ham salad sandwich for lunch) but can feel that I'll be happy to wait until supper (6pm for us) until I eat again. HURRAY .
Ezzza I very much enjoyed reading your China tales - do you have a blog about your travels at all?
Thanks for the thankses, everyone Was afraid I was too late this morning, actually! These threads move fast, and I was hoping to get in with the acronym explanations before we ran out of space in the old one.
Non-fast day here. I'm finding myself drinking more hot drinks lately every day, not just fast days.
"You can eat it tomorrow" could be the unofficial mantra of this WOE! Laurie
Thanks for speedy responses TiP2 + frenchfancy!
Thanks greeneggs - that OP is great x
Thanks for the new thread GreenEggs ....just marking my place, now off to catch up.
Back tomorrow (fast day)....first have to
finish clear up the remains from dd1s birthday tea once the dcs are in bed (and ignore the remains of the utterly delish chocolate cake with sour cream/dark chocolate ganache.....aaarghhh)
Hello everyone, i'm another newbie, i've been lurking for a few weeks now on the previous threads and on my second proper week of 5:2 after a few false starts.
I would love to lose 20 lbs (in my dreams) but since the menopause kicked in im finding my waist is just slowly expanding .
I had a bit of a shock recently when a mum from the school asked if i was pregnant,yep pregnant at 50 .........
To be fair to her i had my youngest at 46 , but after 3cs and a bit of hormonal middle aged spread things need to be sorted.
The TDEE calculator has been an eye opener, i dont know why i thought the mantra' 2000 cals for a woman' applied to me, its not, its 1600cals (strokes chin and realises thats why im fat)
So at 10 st and 5ft 2 (always was a petite size 8-10, 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 stone) i need to sort this out.
Anyways, i was thinking of combining this WOE with maybe the 30 day shred, any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks all.
Go for it. If you are used to exercising, combining the shred with eating the right amount should have pretty rapid results.
trace, welcome. I expect it would give you more rapid results if you are not used to exercising!
Most of us have found it pretty straightforward to exercise even on fast days, but try it out and see what's best for you. In time, you'll probably find you have more energy on those days. I know there's lots of shredders on here, too.
Good luck.
I've told DH I plan on continuing this WOE while we are on holiday. He pulled this face but I dont see why it would be a problem. We'll be all inc, and I always manage to eat well while I'm away anyway, because the crisps and chocolates arent there like they are at home. Plus the hotel we're staying in has a smoothie bar as part of the restaurant...
My first fast day yesterday was so much easier than I thought it would be. Putting stuff off until "tomorrow" really makes it so much easier (I really fancied a chocolate muffin, so put it off, but then didnt want it today!) and today I've eaten normally for me, which is relatively healthy (unfortunately featuring pizza as Dh brought four of them home drunk...?) I slept fine, apart from DS2 feeding about a million times (I'm still BF, dont know if I mentioned that)
I didn't. I allowed myself to put on weight on holiday and enjoyed my meals.
I put on 7 pounds and lost it in three weeks.
Agree about less snacks and healthy options but enjoy the break - unless there is a menu you both fancy skipping one day
Just wanted to say thanks for all the responses - am definitely going to give this a go, I run 5 days a week and it's great to hear that I should still be able to do it if I fast.
beyond just do what you feel comfortable with, if you feel ok fasting then go for it. Although I'd avoid the smoothie bar if you are wanting to be careful, many contain more sugar and calories than coke. Hope you have a great holiday whatever you decide.
Thanks Talkingpeace and literarygeek im not as fit as i used to be ,the days of cycling to work and running 20 miles/wk are long gone .
My main concern wold be not seeing much weight loss if i started the shred at the same time, all that fat turning to muscle [big grin]
beyond, snowkey took the words right out of my mouth.
I started this WOE on a day was travelling to an AI holiday. It stopped me eating the crap aeroplane food and the constant snacking that often happens on journeys. Also, as it was hot, I didn't feel like eating loads and fitting in a couple of fast days was effortless and actually went unnoticed. Given this was a family h
Oops. That should say: given this was a family holiday with in laws and all sorts, that should show how easy it was. I just ate a little salad at lunch and dinner and used the gym while everyone else was at breakfast. One benefit of those places is there's often lots of healthy cut up veg with no dressing or anything on so you can be pretty relaxed about it.
Given that, if you don't feel like it, as TiP says, just enjoy yourself and don't worry.
Hi on a normal day here but have been keeping a close eye on my calorie intake after last weeks weight gain!
I don't work at the moment but was previously in a very busy job. And now I've thought about it I realise there were often days when I would have missed breakfast (usually because running late!) and then would be too busy to eat until I got home, often not until 9-10pm. I thought I was overweight then, but now realise I was a healthy weight. And although I still had takeaways, cakes, chocolate etc, I guess I was almost doing IF and could maintain my weight. Oh to be that weight again...
maniacbug - my do was last weekend and it was lovely thanks. Although went a bit overboard with the meal, cheese and biscuits (which I don't normally bother with but for some reason coudn't resist...) and wine, all of which contributed to my 2lb weight gain this week!! Hence the calorie counting on feed days this week!
PS your comments about feeling more self conscious and dressing differently sound just like me! Hopefully not for much longer on this WOE .
marking place... lurking for a while... will be back later
2nd day of fasting for me, I struggled to be honest this afternoon, but as dh is doing it with me, moral support was good, as was this thread. The mantra of I can eat what i want tomorrow has been repeated just a few times. We are opting for the 16 hour fast 6pm-10am with light breakfast mid morning then supper in evening. Roasted veg tonight with basil,balsamic vinegar and parmesan, it was yum
I admire those of you who are exercising on fast days, there is no way I could as exercise just makes me hungry, so I have my rest days on fast days iyswim. I found it difficult to sleep first fast day so I have the sleep easy tea for tonight, fingers crossed.
I'm turning 40 in May so that is my motivation and main goal is to reduce cholesterol without medication, (family history of cardiovascular disease sucks)
Still on my first week and today was the first fast day at work. It was quite tough but OK. I had plenty of work to do which really helped.
I need to look at options for lunch because mine today was uninspiring - an apple, some low cal crisps, and a cup of Pret miso soup which I know is very good for you
but is bloody boring.
There's a box of biscuits for our team five feet away from where I sit and I couldn't believe I didn't touch them
because usually I have a few for 'elevenses'
I never thought I'd see the day when I looked forward to eating half a tub of cottage cheese but I enjoyed it just now.
Looking forward to a homemade curry and glass of vino tomorrow night...
you need to retrain your brain - exercise suppresses the appetite.
and if you have family history of heart disease you NEED to be getting more active - I posted some ideas on the tips thread but basically
- speed up your walking till you cannot talk at the same time
- use stairs not lifts
- stand up when on the phone
- carry each item up the stairs rather than several at once
thanks for tips-I am trying, walking plus aerobics. I might need to change time of exercise to mornings. I am my ideal weight which is good but excess weigh is on belly= risk
Interesting advice TIP about walking so fast you can't talk - runners are given the opposite advice - you should always be able to speak in sentences or you are working too hard - has advice changed on this - it's sometimes hard to keep up with advances in fitness advice.
less a yomp, but not an amble - yes, runners have to stay breathing well, but many people's walking pace barely gets their heart going.
Trainers at the gym have been encouraging people to get out of puff a little, several times a day
A little out of puff is not the same as being so breathless they are unable to hold a conversation IMO that is not a good aim - I'd be concerned that someone who gets so breathless they can't talk while walking briskly, might be over doing it and potentially putting their health at risk especially if they are very unfit.
There is a lady who swims with me who has lost 10 stone.
Her natural walking pace was an amble while talking.
Her trainer got her to speed up such that she could no longer talk non stop.
It was only up to a normal walking speed - but she was so unbelievably unfit.
For those not used to exercising, the cardio limit of walk and talk can be shockingly low.
Anything to incrementally raise it - especially for those who do not "do" gyms - is a step in the right direction.
tipBut it was her trainer that decided she was fit enough - she took professional advice from someone who knew her limitations and would have professional liability for the advice he/she offered.
fair enough.
What would your wording be to stop people ambling and start them walking?
I would say to someone walk fast enough to raise your heart rate, you should be able to speak in sentences though. As they get fitter they have to move fasting to raise their heart rate - a little out of puff isn't a bad way to describe it. I do think an amble is better than nothing and that working too hard at the beginning of an exercise program puts people off exercise, working hard only becomes fun when you are fit enough to do it and that takes time. I'd suggest people walked faster for 30 secs and ambled for 1min - almost like walking intervals, allowing their heart rate to slow and recover between fast walking, increasing faster walking periods every week - getting a heart rate monitor is another way to do it but I'm very reluctant to give general advice because I don't know what shape people are in that might be reading this. I do think very unfit people need to see their GP for advice and get their heart checked out before embarking on a new fitness regime.
Tracedw, I'm not sure if you were joking but you know fat doesn't actually turn to muscle don't you? You have to burn off the fat whilst building the muscle underneath, he shred though is particularly good at this as it combines fat burning and muscle building together.
Thanks, GreenEggs! Wow, 63 posts in less than 10 hours!
Yesterday, fancying a change from my usual curry or chilli - I simply took my usual veg stew, made it a bit more tomatoey and had it with homemade tagliatelle:
I've already added it to the recipe thread - at less than 300 calories, this is a great addition to my 5:2 armoury (he said modestly! )
southeastdwelleryes it's amazing how nice any food tastes when you are starving! If you are splitting calories between 2 meals then Dr mosley's book and website has some good ideas.
Or look at the recipe links on here - Laska's roasted pepper and carrot soup is yum and easy to portion control out -you could take some in for lunch at work (better than lo-cal crisps).
Well done for pushing the biscuits away. Keep in the 'zone'!
Thanks itsaboat well i didnt mean that but it sure does read like that doesnt it, must re read my posts before submitting
Sounds like a good workout to ease me in gently (i haven't exercised properly in 15 years)
I must try that recipe Bread and wine, the tagiatelle looks great and so sweet that your granddaughter helped. My 5 yo dd would love measuring pasta strips! Looks like a fun way to spend an afternoon and now I have made successful millionaire shortbread I feel like I can bake anything!
On the running and talking, I sometimes find it hard to keep up walking and talking in a non excercise situation without getting a little breathless. It is def one of those pieces of advice that could be interpreted differently by different people.
The only time I really enjoy veg is on a fast day, does make me think eating healthily would be easier if i ate less in general though.
So many posts today that this is a bit late to respond, but welcome Wheresmy, I turned 58 yesterday and have a 15 year old daughter. I feel 10 years younger than I did on my last birthday, entirely owing to the Horizon programme. I have been doing a rather slack version of 4:3 ( i never count or weigh anything and don't exercise) since last September and have gone down several clothes sizes and lost about 21lbs. I hope it works as well for you . I have another 2 stones to lose but never even think about it now as I know it will just trickle slowly away.
trace I haven't done the shred for over 3 years but I seem to remember there was a whole lot of jumping around and I don't think it's marketed as gentle!
15 years is quite a long time.. are you active in general? I normally say, get stuck in to exercise/dietary changes etc but I wonder whether you might be better off starting with something gentler if not?
Only you can answer that, I guess.
Also, take a look at blogilates.com, there's lots of beginner exercise vids on there.
Thanks, Giraffe!
Definitely a lot of fun! And a pizza cutter is very easy to handle - both for children and the adults with learning disabilities I work with.
Elsewhere on the blog is a recipe for a sweetened bread based jam tart. Roll out a circle of dough, cut strips round the sides to turn it into a square, then use the strips for borders and across the middle of the tart. Great fun again - especially when you use different coloured jam in opposite corners.
Look for 'Breadmaking with kids' on the blog for more ideas - breadmaking and kids were made for one another, IMO!
Starting my first fast tomorrow....quite excited ! Plan the following tomorrow...
Breakfast: Hot water and honety + teaspoon of honey
Lunch: Courgette & Watercress Soup + Boiled Egg
Dinner: 100g Mackerel, red, green and orange pepper + salad+ 10g houmous
Worked out the above to be about 450 cals.
I'm 39 this year, I've never been happy with my body...Don't want to be fat and 40 !
Okay, I'm going to try this "new fangled fad diet thing" . See how I go. I'll fast tomorrow and Friday then eat up to my TDEE on the other days. I'll take a weekly view of calorie deficit and weigh in on Fridays. I've already lost 32lbs since last June by sticking to 1800 cals a day (about 15/20% deficit from my TDEE) and I exercise 4-5 times a week (cardio and strength). Will report back tomorrow night.
Sounds like a plan, Fanjounchained.
But welcome to you and all the newcomers who've come on board today.
Och you know what I meant B&W...does that sound about right BTW..,from what I gather reading these threads you are quite a seasoned faster ?
Sorry, I thought that 'honety' was some sort of honey!
I have been IFing for a while - but I went into it very half-heartedly. Eventually I went to <600, but eating 3 small meals on fasting days. After a while I thought I wouldn't eat until I felt hungry - and found I never did.
This may suit you after a while - we all have to find out what works for us.
One thing I've found about eating - not sure if your sweetened drink will do the same - is that once I've started, hunger comes back stronger than ever. So not eating until dinner is the way to go for me.
Good luck - and let us know how you get on.
Thanks B&W will see how I go tomorrow. I'll keep logging on here as there is so much support around and everyone seems very helpful.
Good night x
maniacbug, Chengdus a pretty good guess based on the clues in my last post, Chengdu being the capital of Sichuan province which is one of the two Chinese provinces well known for spicy cuisine. But Im in the other one Hunan province, studying in the capital city, Changsha. They really love their chilli peppers here. I walked past a stall selling New Year decorations a couple of days ago. Among all the more traditional decorated red pieces of paper with the characters for year or happiness on them or snakes (year of the snake starts 10 Feb) there was something I instantly decided I had to buy. They were selling strings of chilli peppers made out of red satin, complete with Chinese knot at the top of the string and a red tassel at the bottom. Love it!
Sorry BetsyVanBell, I dont have a blog or diary of my Chinese experience. It would not likely be an interesting read if I did. My ability to write engaging prose seems to escape me completely when attempt writing anything approaching a diary, probably from years of primary school assignments entitled what I did during the holidays. SNORE! I can make the most exciting event imaginable D.U.L.L. if I have to write it in a journal, sadly.
maniacbug, I second what others have said about whether to use raw or cooked values when calorie counting ingredients. If you weighed the ingredients when they were raw then use the raw ingredient calorie values. Its because ingredients get heavier or lighter during the cooking process as the take on or lose water so their calorie value per gram changes but the number of calories in total wont change.
Alaska77 I know what you mean about there being so many posts you forget who you wanted to respond to! Because of the time difference, Im asleep when most MNers are posting so I spend the first couple of hours each morning (Im on holiday at the moment so can afford the time) with cup of tea in hand and computer on lap catching up on the evenings posts. Ive even taking to cutting and pasting some of them into Word so I can remember which ones I wanted to reply to.
So many posts! I'd love to reply to everyone but I just can't remember from all the posts I've read, so rather selfishly I am just going to stick to talking about me! Sorry!
I weighed in on Monday and found I'd put on 2lb last week with all the family meals and rubbish I ate.. :-( However it seems to have refreshed my motivation and I'm doing well this week! Fast days seem to have got a lot easier and I don't need anything until dinner so I can have all my calories then which is nice! One of my main problems with fasting is that I am at home a lot with a 2 year old and so good is readily available and I'm not excessively busy all the time. I've found that if I drink a pint of water every time I feel myself wanting to pick it helps to get rid of the urge!
Cinema tonight to watch les mis on a fast day and I've suggested to the husband that I would appreciate him not stuffing his face with popcorn as I can't have any - we'll see what he does....!
Breadandwine do you drink tea/coffee (black) during the day before you "break your fast" (sorry if you've already mentioned this - such a long series of threads!).
Hi all, this is my first post on MN... Just started the 4:3 last week and yesterday found out that I have lost 4lbs in a week! Haven't managed that since first few weeks of weight watchers, back in 2007! This woe comes very naturally to me, as long as I don't eat anything until dinner on fasting days and drink PLENTY of water. The feast days have been amazing, so liberating to eat anything I fancy, after years of worrying about every thing that went into my mouth.
Today is my first fast day while on my period, hope I don't get too tired, although at least I can go to bed early tonight as no evening commitments.
I am sort of enjoying analysing the waves of hunger on fast days. Drinking a glass of very cold water helps and so does distracting myself with other things and daydreaming about / planning the food I'm going to feast on the next day...
Hope all of you have a great day, whether fasting or feasting or neither!
Sorry meant to say, thanks to Green eggs for the new thread.
I have a favour to ask - a friend has been diagnosed with high ldl cholesterol, she's very active, very slim and very, very health conscious, her condition is heriditory. Her Doctor wants to put her on Statins. I have suggested she gets her LDL checked to ensure it is the bad kind of LDL - the stuff that is compact in shape that does all the damage and not the fluffy good LDL. Someone mentioned here that this can be done by checking some level in your triglycerides - can anyone link me to the article they quoted from. She needs to be 100% sure that Statins are the right way to go.
Found this from Marks daily apple
Do statins control small dense LDL? Fasting sure does
Normal day again here. Did well with my calorie counting yesterday - probably didn't eat enough really, as just wasn't hungry in the evening (had a very late lunch) and was very tired. So only had 1400 (TDEE 2300!!). But didn't seem any point in eating just for the sake of it - I'm sure it will just even out over the week. Couldn't resist weighing myself this morning and seem to have lost the 2lbs I had gained (and a bit more...) so hoping it stays off!! Hope you all have a good day whether fasting or not .
tracedw I'm menopausal (drug induced) and losing weight at a steady couple of pounds a week on this way of eating. I thought it may have not worked as well but seems to be doing ok.
I do really enjoy breakfast on eating day though recently. Wake up empty!
Just weighed in after my first week of doing ADF, I've lost 4lbs!! And in between fast days I've had things like fish and chips, 3 course meal out, apple pie and custard, and rather too much wine one one evening. I think I like this WOL. I'll probably stay the same next week now but I'm very happy with that start.
I am now quite defeated by the number of posts ! Great that it is all taking off so well but now too many posts for me to wade through. Sorry if this has already been answered but a newcomer asked a few days ago about cramps. If you look back to threads 1,2 and 3 I think you will find quite a lot of discussion about this. Magnesium can help and you can get a spray from a HF shop.
I have since learned that putting Epsom Salts in the bath or into a foot bath can help because the magnesium can be absorbed through the skin. Very good for joint pains and cramps.
I now have a question: does anyone know if there are other important minerals which can also be absorbed in this way? I really like the idea of soaking my feet in a mineral bath!
Morning all,
Got up this morning and went "robot fashion" to the cupboard to make myself porridge and toast - then realised I'm supposed to be fasting !! Oooops...
Hot water and lemon polished off...
Have a good day everyone.
Have totally fallen off the waggon! Sick children last week and brewing a virus myself meant a 2lb gain. Sigh Starting again today after thoroughly enjoying my chippie last night. total wt loss so far 5lb
Morning all, back at home & recovering well. No fasting this week but just checking in to say hello to all new people & well done for starting this fantastic WOE, it really is brilliant & gives you back control over any bad eating habits.
Also hello to everyone else & big to greeneggs for new thread.
Hi there
I'm just about managing to keep to the 500 cals on my fast days although it is hard as I have been a long term binge/compulsive eater. It is strange though for the first time t=inmy life to start to be able to distinguish feel proper hunger rather than just emotional hunger. I do have to be careful though not to get addicted to this hunger feeling as could a be a slippery slope back to binge/starve cycle. On my non-fast days it would be easy to slip into binge eating as I am very hungry and thinking about food (I know some lucky people on here don't get that feeling!). This question has been asked before I'm sure but how many calories are most people roughly eating on non-fast days. Do you stick to your tdee and is it by eating regularly- breakfast, lunch and dinner. It must be important to eat enough on these days so the hunger doesn't accumulate and I end up bingeing if you see what I mean?! would appreciate some advice!
meant to say in my last message- distinguish between physical and emotional hunger!
Hi Vix - I slipped into constant grazing once I started to eat yesterday (working from home so had a low cal home made proper soup for early lunch rather than a packet of Miso at my desk in the office). None of it very unhealthy - just too much and too often. It wasn't a fast day but I ate way more than my TDEE. For me the hunger doesn't accumulate at all, almost the opposite, if I don't eat I'm not as hungry as if I do eat. For that reason I'm moving towards a pattern of not eating until later in the day even on non-fast days, but only calorie restricting on 2 days a week. Those 2 days are not consecutive 'cos then I do feel like I'm on a diet
I know other people find it important to have the three meals on non fast days and that's what works for them. I would say be gentle with yourself, listen to your body, experiment a bit with your eating patterns and find what works for you. The idea is to lose the weight we need to lose and then find a healthy way to keep our weight stable. As we've all put on weight over the years we clearly haven't been paying much attention to what our body needs and how it works.
Ironically I am now finding I'm moving towards a WOE which my (very slim) sister has always had
Blech. Coughing so much over the last few days so now have an upset stomach. No gym. Instead am in bed with the sun on my legs, cats either side of me, writing up reports that I've been putting off.
On the other hand I'm not hungry!
Breadandwine do you drink tea/coffee (black) during the day before you "break your fast"
Hi Bssh When I first started 24 hour fasting I thought I needed a treat during the day so I made up a flask of filter coffee in the morning. Now I generally make up a flask of hot water - and have that with the occasional glass of cold water.
So not only do I feel I'm being healthy by fasting, I get a virtuous, 'saving money - and the planet' feeling!
And don't forget the washing up you don't have to do - and the time saved - by not eating breakfast and lunch!
And I have an extra 15 minutes in bed when I'm working, by missing breakfast!
This WOL never stops giving!
Great link, Snowkey! As long as you don't take any notice of the anti-vegan comments further down! Grr! Talk about misinformed.
Apparently Oprah and her team went vegan for 7 days in 2011 - who knew?
Hi skippy and BCL
It seems like a long time ago, but it's really only 7days (I went back to thread 9 looking to find the relevant posts, but they were actually in the last thread! ) since we had the conversation about the need to restrict calories after a 24 hour fast - if you are already at
your goal weight you want to be.
BCL said:
B and W. I might be wrong but my interpretation of all this would be: to get health benefits , fast for 24 hours.
If, in addition, you want to lose weight then you need to create a calorie deficit as well, so you would then eat only 600 calories after the 24 hours has elapsed.
However, since you are reaching a point where you want the health benefits but have no more weight to lose then I would think that you could fast for 24 hours and then eat normally as you no longer want a calorie deficit.
That makes perfect sense to me, and that's what I'm now doing - or, I'm about to do. I'm on my second 24 hour fast today, but, unlike Monday where I kept to <600 cals, I shall eat normally after the 24 hours.
I anticipate that, as time goes on, more and more of the posters on here will be adopting this regime!
One thing I haven't got right yet (hope people don't mind me harping on about this) is the timing. Because I'm teaching until 6 on a Tuesday (and on Weds), I don't finish my evening meal until way after 7, which means I don't start my 24 hours until then. So it's a late dinner for me tonight!
TiP get well soon! It sounds like at least you're feeling no pain!
Hi VIx I'm with you on the binge/starve cycle its something I've really struggled with. In my first week on this WOE I did go overboard on the day after fasting, but that urge has gone now, as people here told me it would.
I have to be mindful about food (I think anyone whose eating has gone seriously out of kilter does) but I think this approach can actually be a way out of the all or nothing, binge/starve thing.
As you have several days each week NOT dieting - just eating your TDEE - and you can eat cake or whatever else you fancy without 'blowing' anything, that can get you to a more balanced, less emotion driven attitude to food.
Also, on fast-days you get used to being a bit hungry and not eating even if it is a dodgy day and the rest of the week you really appreciate the food that you do have. Hope that make sense
Way back on an early thread, somebody posted that they used to have a serious cupcake habit - over 12 a day I seem to remember - that they always hid from their food diaries because they were banned.
Once they started 5:2, cupcakes were no longer banned.
So they lost their appeal.
So they went stale and were not replaced.
That is the beautiful thing of this approach (unlike say Dukan) - you can eat what ever you like ... cheese fondue followed by chocolate gateau ... because two days a week you are reminding your tummy not to get used to it.
Can I just ask, what does everyone do on their "normal" days?
I've been doing 5:2 since September (with a 2 week break for Xmas) I've lost a stone, interestingly the most unhealthy (apple) fat went first, and I'm finding it suprisingly enjoyable.
My current routine is
Monday - fast (500 cal)
Tuesday - Eat to around MPF recommended intake for weightloss (including eating any MFP exercise "earned calories" (1590 cals + around 200 earned)
Wednesday - fast (500 cal)
Thursday - Eat to around MPF recommended intake for weightloss (including eating any MFP exercise "earned calories" (1590 cals + around 200 earned)
Friday - Attempt to eat to around MPF recommended intake for weightloss though usually go to 2000-2500 cals
Sat and Sun - don't monitor using MFP, eat and drink as desired
My TDEE is around 2230
Just wondering how this compares with everyone else's plan, and to get any feedback on what I'm doing.
Should have said, I'm doing a bedtime to breakfast fast, so fasting from after dinner Sunday and Tuesday to breakfast Tuesday and Thursday.....
similar, but I do not allow myself ANY earned calories even though I have up to 1000 some days.
That and I do not drink in the week, but stock my exercise calories and a few spare for wine on Friday night and with Sunday lunch.
I don't religiously eat the "earned" cals. I just don't stress if I've earned them and I go 50 or so over 1590
Hello everyone, a long time lurker but have been watching this thread and swatting up and will be ready to start my first fast tommorow.
I did try the low carb bootcamp a few months ago. I didn't get on well with it unfortunately (lost the weight but felt quite unwell) but I did learn an awful lot about my eating habit and my bodies response to carbs.
Will have a normal meal with the kids tonight but will skip the wine as worried that this may make things tougher tomorrow. I won't miss breakfast as never usually bother with it anyway but hoping to last through lunch with small piece of fruit and then enjoy a low cal evening meal.
Like quite a few others, I am planning to fast on Monday and Thursday as this seems to fit in best with my plans.
My DD is also planning to join me although I am slightly worried about this due to her age (17). She is usually pretty good and self disciplined at calorie counting so this may well be a better option for her.
Does anyone know if it is contra-indicated in teens?
I have 5 stone to lose in total, so hoping that we see some results
Thanks Breadandwine.
Vix I would try and shoot for your TDEE on non-fast days but try not to go over it - log everything in MFP. Try to eat full fat everything if you're struggling to eat enough on non-fast days. Make healthy but full fat snack choices eg nuts and cheese. Hopefully that will satiate you so you don't binge but also ensure your weekly average calorie intake doesn't get too low.
Pleco, I've only just started but this is my routine:
Monday: 24 hour fast. 500 cals in one sitting - dinner with DH.
Tuesday: Eat at TDEE
Wednesday: 24 hour fast as Monday.
Thursday to Sunday: Eat at TDEE.
I want to eat at TDEE on non-fast days as I don't want my weekly calories to go too low. I lose weight well eating 15% below my TDEE so I want my weekly average to reflect that.
Struggling today. . Second fast day of the week and I think I am going to have to abandon. Using up some time before eating by writing this, but the hunger has just not disappeared at all today. Guess its just one of those days. Funny really but Mondays fast was a breeze, and over before I knew it (it was my 8th fast to date) in fact I struggled to eat all my 500 cals! I do wonder if having a fast after a good few days of eating is easier on the system than a fast, feed day and a fast again, almost as if my body hasn't quite replenished itself from the fast on Monday. Anyone got any opinions on this? I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts.
I'm also interested to hear more about what those people who have now reached their goal planning to do about maintaining. I've just read bcl (or it could be bandw?) view of once reaching the ideal weight, having one fast day and another fast, but reverting to normal calorie consumption. Is this a standard thing?
I was planning on continuing my 4.5:2.5 ( sorry catsrus, can't quite manage the 4:3!) and then dropping to 6:1 at goal and staying there for all time. Is there a health benefit of doing 6:1 with another fast day and reverting to normal cals after?
Have I got that right or is my hunger causing me to misunderstand today...tbh, it wouldn't surprise me, everything just seems to be a little too hard today and I'm not even at TOTM!
There is burger all evidence about this in teens but I'd be very, very wary.
I've told my kids (12 & 14) its not for people who are still growing.
Could you persuade her to add enough food on fast days to come up to her BMR (link in the OP) ....
Betterlatethan why don't you try spacing out your fasts more - eg Monday and Thursday or even Monday and Friday - and see how you get on. You may be right in thinking a Wednesday fast is too soon for your body.
Try it for a week.
Hang in there Better! What about a cuppa soup? Waitrose chicken noodle love life ones are only 40 calories and I make in a really big mug. You also get the cosy wrapping your hands around it feeling. Also I'm getting a thing for sugar free jelly. 1/4 of a jelly is 9 cals. Sorry can't address any of your technical points.
I think there is something in what you've said - maybe it would be better to leave 2 days between fasts . I was much hungrier yesterday than the first day after fasting - because I ate well yesterday fasting today is easy.
I wouldn't look on it as a failure either, you've managed to get to 12.30 without eating and you fasted overnight
Just try again another day. Surely what's perfect about this is that if something goes tits up during the day you can abandon it for the day and then come back to it another day.
Hello all, I posted once on the last thread but have decided to do my first fast day today! I work part time so am doing my days on my days off work.
Haven't read all the OP bits yet and still waiting for the book.
I have stocked up on some of the M &S feel fuller longer meals. Have worked out today I can have 1 cup of soup, 1 10cal jelly, 100ml milk and 1 m&s ready meal. Doesn't sound too bad. Think like others have said I am going to try and hold off eating until as long as possible and save my meal bit for when I am hungry later. Have found a tiny little jar which holds exactly 50cal worth of milk, so I can take it out with me and not go over.
I am 15stone with a BMI of 35, would love to get down to 12 stone, as what that weight when I got married and think that being a size 12 when I was that weight suits me. That's me!
P.s. on our non fast days do we have to be specific to make sure we don't go over our 2000cals?
Soups wise, I think the TESCO glorious soups are quite low cal for a tub, like 120cal low if I remember right.
iseenodust will have to check out the waitrose cup a soups. Was really surprised that my cup of soup was 90 calls, expected less!
Thanks all.....currently sitting in Starbucks with some sushi from M and S and a hot chocolate ( not as good as the cuppa soup on the calorie front, but sure gives the 'hug in a mug' feeling!
The good thing about this WOL is that you are constantly learning about your body as you go along. For me, I think I need to space out my fast days more and fit in a 16 hour fast on my other day. (I usually go straight through to 6pm with no problems before eating my cals on a fast day and my half day is a 16 hours fast from dinner to lunch)
The thing is, I'm just so unused to actually listening to my body that anytime something falls outside of what I've planned, I automatically think 'its obviously not for me'!
Really learning a lot about my physiology doing this!
Feeling better now, so best wishes to everyone and thanks for the support!
betty both dh and I feel that the second fast of the week is tougher and I agree with your reasons why - the body is using up reserves on the first day and on the second the tank is empty - that's my theory, interesting to hear if others feel the same. We fast Mon and Wed because we like to get the fasts out of the way.
if your BMI is 35, I would suggest working out your TDEE (link in OP) and then logging everything you eat in MFP (link in OP) to find out where the extras have been coming from.
Do not stop eating that day when you get to the limit, and do not miss things out, just use it as a tool to teach you what should be eating on non fasting days.
Very, very few people have a TDEE of 2000 calories ... because correct intake depends on size and activity.
Betterlatethan what did you have for dinner last night? I remember reading on an earlier thread that high-carb meals the night before make for a tough fast the next day, so pasta, risotto, etc. best avoided. But I am not very clued-up on the science side of it so someone else might have a better explanation!
im coming 'on board' today ,and have started my first fast day today.Ive been lurking on this thread for an age and a couple of days ago thought Ill start next Monday( i dont know why I think I should start any diet on a Monday,but thats what I ve done over the years with other diets and always failed) .this thread has been so inspiring and Ive got the book, read as much as I can .... Loving your blog and recipes breadandwine . So I thought why wait until Monday? get on the horse now and get on with it.
Im not massively overweight but its crept on over the last 10 years, all around my middle so I want to reap the health benefits of this as well as lose 20 pounds ideally. im 50 in November and would like to be svelte for my 50th.
Today Ive got up ,missed breakfast and had a light lunch of boiled egg ,2 slices of pastrami and a tangerine .( i dont think I could go without food all day but I'll 'suck it and see'
plan on having a big bowl of lentil and spinach soup for dinner and
ive drunk my coffee without milk today . Right now Im off to watch the Horizon programme if I can find it for more inspiration!
Thanks manicbug. Very interesting. I had a homemade chicken in black bean sauce stir fry with a small portion of 'straight to wok' noodles. Not sure that's massively high carb, but something to watch out for, for sure. We are pretty healthy in the main, most of my feed day meals are variations on a theme of stirfrys or fish, veg and a few potatoes, but maybe I will cut out the carbs a little more and see how I go...thanks!
Re the exercise/calories thing:*TiP*'s way is surely the right way to do it as exercise is accounted for in TDEE?
I am currently doing something a little different because of a plateau situation. I thought about TDEE and realised it's only an estimate based on how much and how hard I tell the calculator I exercise. This can vary wildly from person to person and for me, from week to week.
So right now, on non-fast days, I am aiming for TDEE if I were sedentary and just adding extra for exercise cals IYSWIM.
better - I'd hazard a guess that that stir fry sauce is loaded with sugar. And the salt probably isn't your friend in that scenario either
I have bought a Fitbit which calculates my TDEE as accurately as possible. Have been surprised by how active I am - also great incentive to keep moving. Over January I have been monitoring the numbers trying to achieve a 7000kcal deficit as I wanted to knock the Christmas gain on the head while I was keeping to a dry January - I have guessed food quantity on my food on feed days but you log your food on mpf so you can be as precise as you like and then mpf and the fitbit "chat" and tell you how you are doing.
better - FWIW, I had the hardest fast last Monday, harder than it's ever been before. I felt dizzy, cold, could barely keep my eyes open, could barely speak to anyone. Still felt dizzy on Tuesday when I was eating again.
Two things came to mind - one I'd not fasted the week before due to illness, and second, it was my birthday on the SUnday, so I'd rather over-indulged. I think the various bits of cake, alcohol, etc had disrupted my bloodsugars so much that I just crashed on Monday. Is it possible something similar happened to you?
hi all im a relative newby (posted once on the last thread) im in to my third week of fasting, week one i did 2 days lost 4lb last week i did 3 days and overall i only lost a couple of ounces- totally gutted. i dont overindulge on eating days and as a dance teacher i am pretty active at work also i try to walk the mutt an average of 20 miles a week anybody give me any ideas where im going wrong or am i just being impatient??? on a positive im fasting today and its going ok so far-no desire to eat my hand yet.
I seem to remember that the general advice for the night before fasting was less carbs, more protein - can anyone clarify?
(Better I am still at the trial-and-error stage myself + remember suffering the morning of one of my first fasts after a big veg pasta dish the night before in the misguided belief that carb-loading would be a good idea.)
I think I definitely need to pay more attention to what I eat the day immediately before a fast, so any advice on what works for others will be very gratefully received!
Also have been reading a bit today about the difference between drinking cold/warm water. Apparently far better to drink warm water/herbal tea with and after food: I had heard this before but always thought it was so that your body didn't have to work to warm it up, but have learnt today that cold water solidifies the fat molecules in the food you've just eaten and clogs up the intestine, whereas warm water actively aids digestion. Interesting.
Marking place
I'm in a real rhythm of fasting now and finding fasting a piece of cake (fnar). Doing mon wed and fri seems the easiest. To all newbies; stick with it. It gets easier, and the urge to binge on feed days does abate!
Dinner before fasting should def be high protein, low carb if you are worried about being hungry. A carb heavy dinner tends to make me really hungry first thing next day!
my husband has started the 5:2 fast diet today...he is very overweight but has been dieting for quite a long time and is not able to shift his tummy. I work with him, so I know exactly what he eats during the day and he may very occasionally 'sin' but not enough to remain as large as he is. it would be good to hear of anyone else who has really tried hard and yet lost very little....he was eating 1000 calories per day for a week after Christmas and lost 2lbs! We eat very healthily...very little bread or high GI carbs (except perhaps a small cheat at weekends). Very depressing when he has 4/5 stone to lose. sorry! just needed to download my thoughts.
Just a quickie (fnar back atcha Erik )....fasting today but bouncing hectically between meetings. My diary is showing no breaks 9am-7pm which ones again leaves my Itsu miso soup out of reach
Looks like its going to be another 24 hour fast...hey ho...
But I wanted to give a quick update....I had a frustrating first few weeks as my weight was completely not shifting....or at least, it would go down after a fast day, but shoot back up immediately after.
Now, i know that I am completely within my healthy bmi, and only have a few lbs to lose (7 max) but was getting a bit frustrated, and starting to wonder whether this WOE/WOL would actually work for me. Bear in mind that I rarely eat more than 1500cal on a 'normal' day anyway.
Aaaaanyway, I finished last week at 10st, at I had started. Had a normal weekend, with a few big meals with friends. Got on the scales on Monday morning (normally says 10st xxlbs at this point) at they said 9st 11.8lbs. Fasted Monday (24 hours fast then 400cal), started Tues at 9.10.8lbs. Ate normally yesterday (with some 'extras' as I held a mini birthday tea party for dd1, so had crisps, cake, smoke salmon sarnies etc in addition to lunch and dinner....)...got on the scales this morning and.....
(drum roll please)
9st 9.8lbs
Thank you everyone for encouraging me to stick at it
Hopefully today's fast will help to consolidate some of that loss - esp since I'm going away next week and not planning to fast through that time (although will be snowboarding for 8 hours a day, so should burn off the extra cals...!)
Thanks manic and justice, I think a carb crash could be what happened to me, although I still maintain that my food day meal was actually fairly healthy. literarygeek I make the black bean sauce myself, using no added sugar, salt and black beans from the Chinese supermarket, so no packet sauces for us!!
I will be keeping an eye on my carb/protein balance in my evening meal from now on, although I have always felt it was more difficult to fast on a day when I had already had one fast for the week under my belt, so it could just be my make up!
Well done Filly, just goes to show that great things happen when you least expect it! For all the people who are finding fasting difficult or weight loss slow, please stick at it. The fasting does become easier as it becomes habitual and there is so much more to this WOL than weight loss - focus on the long term health benefits whilst the weight loss is slow.
Fast day for me today. I plan a small fruit salad this afternoon and some lentil soup for tea.
snowkey hi, have only read upto your post earlier today as have been out all day. You ask about advice re statins for your friend. I don't know if anyone else has posted this but, a few posts ago someone put a link to Miriam Stoppard in the Mirror writing about alternate day fasting.
Whilst I was on that page reading her article there was another article which caught my eye titled 'what doctors won't do' and one of the things was about taking statins for cholesterol (as above). Hope this helps.
Filly That's awesome! Well done!
I have to admit, if the scales weren't happily heading in the right direction, I would have given up in yesterday's fast. I was ravenous! And today, I feel so sluggish...I'm craving that Chinese buffet we were talking about the other day! I guess, just have to eat healthily today ready for tomorrow's fast and then relax for the weekend.
B&W just caught up with your post re fasting for 24 hours then eating normally to keep health benefits but no longer lose weight. You are not harping on although you are an angel
I for one will be very interested to hear how you get on and what impact this has on your weight.
Hi wheresmybook - my father in law is doing it in his 70s. I too am sleeping better and find its good to stay busy in the evenings. Metabolism does slow with age. Good luck with the fasting . reading the blog is very motivating!
Ezzza Well I enjoy your anecdotal posts here! But then they are about food, my favourite subject...
Fillybuster great to hear the scales are suddenly heading the right way - I must admit I had been wondering if fasting was worth it weight-wise for a couple of weeks, but after a highly indulgent Sunday roast I suddenly lost a troublesome couple of pounds which have stayed off even after a feed day! Persevere folks!
I got mistaken for someone who I consider a much thinner colleague today so I guess I have slimmed down more than I'd thought & all the Christmas podge has definitely disappeared .
fillybuster well done for sticking with it - your results are inspirational.
Hi, everyone. I'm new to Mumsnet & interested in giving 5:2 a go. I've got about 3 stones to lose and have probably done every diet there is!! Always lose the weight, but it goes back on. I've just finished reading "The Fast Diet", so I'm hoping it's gonna be as straightforward as the book suggests and a WoE that I can maintain when I reach a healthy weight.
Are you logging every thing you eat - and drink - on MFP?
Sugar in hot drinks? cold drinks? booze? chocolate?
also, how much exercise is he / you both doing?
as this fasting malarkey works for slim people too, eat exactly the same as him and see how you both do ...
could you go for walks together at lunchtime?
go for it
Really feeling positive about this WOL. Thanks for the posts about the urge to over indulge on non-fast days and how they begin to settle as they have been really encouraging. This is my 5th week and have been doing 4:3 and the need to overeat on non-fast days has gone, never thought it would. Was also worrying about the slippery slope of fasting/binge eating. I think it's taken me this long to properly get my head around this WOL and get the right balance for me. So I guess that although the basics of this WOL is a given, we have to make it work for us and if we have to make tweaks some days then so be it, we're not failures because we do that.
Better you've defo done the right thing for you and I think you're soooo right about listening to our bodies.
I feel like I've spent my life on some kind of diet with soooo many rules that to have the freedom of 5:2 can be a bit daunting and if I'm not careful I could make 5:2 way more complicated than it is. So for me sometimes I fast until dinner, or have 2 x 250 cal meals and even on on the odd fasting day intake may be 900cals. Whatever, I'm seeing the results and even the 'back fat' is beginning to disappear So for newbies my advice would be to take it one fast day at a time and experiment, before you know it you'll find what works for you.
virginPoster thanks for the link. I'll pass it on.
filly that loss is brilliant, I did this diet for months without really losing but then I didn't gain either, which is a big deal too. I'm losing now but that's after dropping alcohol and sugar for January.
Well today (first ever fast day) wasn't too bad - though it is only 5.50pm so I should perhaps not speak too soon ! Had a few wee minor hiccups making the kids dinner and ate about half a teaspoon of mashed potato (was checking for lumps !) but hoping that won't make too much of a difference. Will weigh myself tomorrow morning....
Hi fillybuster so glad I read your post as I was seriously thinking of throwing in the towel. This is my third fast day on the 5:2 and am finding it difficult, coupled with the scales hardly moving. I only want to lose 5lb, I'm 5ft. 6 and weigh 8.10. Hopefully scales will start moving soon.
talking calculated my tdee is 2079 and bmr is 1733, so should you be making sure you eat the 2079?
So far so good on first fast day, looking forward to evening meal of 350 cal. Never realised how much milk I drank in tea before I was limited to 100ml for 50cal, think I was having 80ml per cup!
Glad people are saying they eat less on normal days, really worried about being starving the next day or wanting to continually eat!
Thanks for the supportive messages people! Nearing the end of the second fast day - kept busy and didn't have anything for breakfast - found that much easier. Am going to hold off weighing myself till I've done a week (if I can!) .
What do people know about low cal ginger ale? I don't touch fizzy drinks in general, ever, but sometime feel like having a non sweet drink when I'm out, and don't want a tomato juice. I seem to remember reading something here about sweeteners having a bad bounce back effect.
hi - hope people saw my post on the end of the old thread - was just thanking those who replied to me and apologising if i sounded critical. just really want to find something sustainable rather than 'faddish' and so was being a bit cautious.
i have decided to give it a go and see.
so: i am 12stone on the nose which is the heaviest i've been non-pregnant in my life. i'm 5'7 and not a tiny frame so i would actually be happy with ten stone if i could actually easily stay there. as in previously i was always wanting to be 9st and getting myself there and then it being impossible to stay there so yo-yoing between that and 10.5. so i'd like to get to ten and easily sustain it.
must admit i'm not feeling too optimistic this weight just sort of instant ballooned on me about a year ago and has stayed put. i think it was a medication that started it as it made me crave lots of sweet stuff at night. have cut that medication right down but still taking a small dose. i've also started eating breakfast after a lifetime of not and am trying to eat regularly rather than my usual pattern of starve all day then binge at night.
did my first fast day today. have eaten two boiled eggs and some fresh prawns over the morning and i've made a veggie and herbs that i'm drinking now. if i get hungry later i have more prawns or some fromage frais that i'll add oatbran to (dukan hangover).
sorry for long post. lots is going really well in my life - i've gone back to work to a job i love and am doing well in and i'm being more active and sociable and happier than i have been in years - the only thing getting me down or that i'm not happy about is this fat so i think it's time to deal with it.
sorry - that should have said veggie and herb juice! seem to remember reading somewhere that having lots of flavours satisfied appetite and to use lots of herbs and spices. so my juice was carrot, ginger, garlic, apple and coriander and parsley. suprisingly it has really satisfied me.
artificial sweeteners are thought to make you hungrier and prime your appetite to want more sweet things. Someone on the thread said that apparently professional cyclists fill up on bottled fizzy water when they want to lose weight.
I'm on an eating day today but not very hungry which is weird. Have just made some soup and have a loaf of bread in the oven. If I don't eat much of it I'll just eat a bit more tomorrow on my fast day if I seem hungrier than normal.
I love how flexible this way is - you can just mix and match as required.
My first fast days I ate 900 cal anyhow and got down to 500 over a couple of weeks. I intend to stick to this so was in no hurry.
Hi, I've just started the diet - I just want to lose 8lbs to get down to 9 stone (am 5'8"). My brother lost 8kgs doing the 5:2 diet and found it quite easy. Good luck to everyone on it. I live in France and have been telling all my French friends about it, some of them are trying it too as the benefit of 5 days of non dieting are very attractive compared to the restrictive Dukan diet.
welcome SaF fingers crossed that you find this as successful as some of the rest of us.
For me it's really given me back a sense of control over my weight - if I want something I can have it, or I can wait and have it another day. No such thing as "falling off the wagon" because tomorrow (or the day after) can always be a fast day.
Yesterday I felt picky and and a bit of a carb fest, today has been fine, soup for lunch, veggie curry with brown rice (plus pickles!) for dinner. Its a non fast day so I'm not watching calories but I have no desire to overeat (touch wood) I can feel I'm in the zone for healthy eating and am not beating myself up about last night .
Tomorrow is a fast day - which I do look forward to - and I'll be out and about and busy. Tomorrow night I'll have the remains of the curry without rice (unless my dcs get there first!). Am planning to meet a friend for dinner on Friday and I will eat whatever I want!
thanks castrus. i like what someone else said about having worked down gradually to the 500. i think i can manage it today - i just feel motivated to but it's a nice attitude/thought that it doesn't actually matter another time if i find i can't do it that day because actually you could do it the next day. like the sound of that - so long as it doesn't turn into a manyana manyana thing
better, I stand corrected. I should have known better as I tend to make my own sauces, too (to avoid fish/oyster sauces and because they taste better).
Your black bean sauce sounds yum, even though I am more of a Thai food girl myself.
Welcome to swallowed and anglaise. Enjoy!
Lots of posts. Sorry cant keep up with remembering who to post too. Welcome to all new fasters and well done who are all sticking to it.
After a week last week where I seem to plateau -Ish I have had a good week. I lost about 0.4 kg after first fast of the week. Doesn't sound likea lot but it took me sub 59kg for the first time. And then the day after a eating day (and boy did I eat) I lost another 0.5kg so feeling really grt.
I have to say I don't exactly measure all my calories either in fast or eating days but use mfp to roundabout look up things. Had a lunch appt today so have swapped days with tomorrow.
Feel good in myself in clothes and have started getting some comments on apparent weight loss.
Thanks all - I do love this thread.
I have now lost all together 5.3kgs since beginning of December.
hi everyone,
just been reading through all of this new thread as DH and I are considering starting to do this.
There seems such a lot of information that it seems both simple and confusing all at the same time!
Those of you who've been at it a while, what's your top tip for getting started or that has really helped you?
Betterlatethan apologies if BandW has already responded, I don't have time to trawl through so many emails! It was me who suggested that once an ideal weight has been reached perhaps fasting for 24 hours followed by normal eating might bring the health benefits without further weight loss. This is just what I think, based only on reading everything I can about IF over the last 8 months so may not be correct. There seems to be an optimum fast length of between 16/19 hours ( different opinions on this ) and 36 hours. Any longer and some of the good things are lost. However even this is not definite, mainly scientific conjecture yet to be proven or disproven. I have not read anything which suggests that the calorie deficit is also needed for health unless there is weight to lose.
Probably by now someone else on he may have something to add on this.
Just go for it.
Pick a day - tomorrow is good - and skip breakfast. Have plenty of tea and coffee and water to drink. See if you can skip lunch. If you can't, have soup or something vegetable based. More drinks. See if you can make it to supper and have something off the BBC 300 calorie menu options. Then pat yourself on the back. You have just done a 16/24 hour fast and a 500 calorie day.
Sleep well, eat normally on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fast again Monday.
Hi everyone I've been following these threads since I started this diet 3 weeks ago after stumbling over the 5:2 diet book on my kindle. Thank you for the huge amount of information on these boards I'm 5ft 5 and was 12st 6 when I started am now 11st 13
I started on the 4:3 method as basically I thought giving myself 5 days unrestricted eating would be too tempting as it stands I think I have probably overate on a few feast days tho not too concerned as from previous posters it seems to level out. I have noticed after a fast day my portion sizes have reduced on a feed day as it looks massive compared to fast days.
I only have a main meal on fast days as I don't feel hungry until I eat during the day I survive on black coffee and peppermint tea so far so good anyway I'm rambling onwards and upwards x
ooh, you make it sound so simple talkinPeace2 thank you!
Between 8.30 last night and 8.30 this evening I've had 618 cals which goes over my 500.
My questions are... Does this matter? What's so magical about 500? (I have ran for 30 mins today as well)
Also, this is a 24 hour fast right? In terms of the time-frame? Do you still call it a fast despite eating 618 cals?
talkinPeace2 I can't find that 300 cal site - any chance you could link to it for me please?
Hi just had a normal day and planning to fast tomorrow. Will do 5:2 or possibly 4.5:2.5 this week. Have decided to space the fasts out to Mon/Thurs instead of Mon/Weds as I don't think having several "normal" days in a row is helpful for a snacker like me!! I think its easy for me to lose focus so hopefully shorter intervals will work better.
literarygeek - I think you are very sensible to be using TDEE based on being sedentary. Have calculated mine on light activity but will be recalculating!!
PS Dr M is on Horizon on BBC2 at the moment - programme about exercise.
Lottie63 (you're not ebay lottie are you?)
118 calories is no way the end of the world. Just have one less square of chocolate tomorrow and slap yourself on the wrist
yup, its the one he did before diets ....
Dotty342.......the reason TiP2 makes it sounds so simple is because....it is! There really is nothing more to it than "fast for 24 hours then eat up to 20% of your recommended daily calories. Don't eat again until the next day, then eat normally. Repeat twice a week". And that's it. If you can't fast for 24 hours at first, so what? Start slowly as TiP2 suggested and within a week or two you will go the whole 24 hours. Good luck.
I have read and read and read and read about this today.
And it is talkingpeace2's post above explaining it in 1 paragraph which has made my mind up.
I start tomorrow.
1st day of 5:2 went well for me. I had a few hunger pangs but hot herbal tea, lots of water and the thought that I can eat well tomorrow kept me going. I didn't eat all day so I thought I would be ravenous by dinner time and wolf down my 483 cal (!) meal but I wasn't ravenous at all and the meal was sufficient. I'm completely satiated now even though I have hardly eaten today. Very weird.
It was nice to experience true hunger and emptiness. Haven't felt that in a long, long, long time due to constantly snacking on food so never having a truly empty tummy.
Feed day tomorrow and I plan on eating to my TDEE. I've lost a lot of weight aready (42lbs) eating just 15% below my TDEE this past year and am afraid I won't feel like eating to TDEE on non-fast days which scares me a little as I don't want to undereat over the week (don't want my body to think I'm starving it so it will hold on to the excess pounds). I'll have to monitor that.
bcl thanks for clarifying for me. Are you at goal now? Sorry, I can't remember where your original post was and there are so many to scroll back through, I thought I would just ask instead! If so, how are you finding just doing 1 fast day a week and not eating just 500 cals in that day?
I think that is a very clever and 'easy' way of getting the health benefits of IF, without needing the weight loss to continue. I shall certainly give that a go once I reach goal (which, if the last 5 weeks are anything to go by, will be in roughly 4 and a half months time...I seem to be losing around a pound a week and have just over a stone to go)
Someone mentioned marks and spencer meals in an earlier thread, I just wanted to say that they are doing 3 for 2 on their ?count on us range ( sorry, can't remember what their version is called!). I'm not usually one for ready meals as you can't control what goes in them, but I must say they are a lifesaver after a busy day, and I had the Bengali fish curry on my last fast day which was lovely!
*46lbs lost
Hi better late. No, unfortunately I have a long way to go to reach my optimum weight. The discussion arose because BandW is at his goal weight and wanted to get the health benefits without losing more weight. I really have no idea whether my answer is correct or not. I think BandW tried to ask DrM but wasn't answered so we are none the wiser.
I am still doing 4:3 and losing only a little, very slowly , but then I don't monitor what I eat on eating days and only guess at my 500 cals on fast days and don't exercise so that explains all!! I am quite happy though, this creeping weightloss really just mirrors the creeping weight GAIN I experienced for the previous 15 years so is probably a healthy rate of progress for me.
Hi new to mums net and the 5/2 diet. Just started this week. Had my first fast day on Tuesday and managed to stick to the 500 cals but drank 3 cans of caffeine free diet coke, is that ok? Today I managed to stick to 1250 (it was actually more but I went for a five mile run)
I have 18 pounds to lose to get to target weight of 132 pounds - seems like a huge amount but I'm hoping this 5/2 will help - trying to loose weight by July. Any tips and advice will be gratefully received
Snowkey re statins and cholesterol. Have you looked at the article on the Briffa blog?
I'm anti diet drinks but others find they help.
Personally I LOVE caffeine :-)
Remember that unlike WW etc, exercise does not count as negative calories. Count your actual intake on food days, and make it balanced.
Thanks BCL .....off to Dr Briffa's patch for some light reading.
Hi Reezle, I don't see why no-sugar drinks (Diet Coke or Pepsi Max etc) should make any difference, to my knowledge there is no clear evidence that shows that diet drinks cause weight gain. To me its a nice next-to-zero calorie treat that fills me up!
Has anyone tried quark cheese? Its a virtually fat-free soft cheese which is very bland but very creamy... you can get it in Sainsburys and its not expensive. I sometimes have it spread on ryvitas with some marmite too. I haven't tried it on a fast day yet but I think I will as its so low-calorie.
Ooh, quark, great idea joey. I am getting bored of cottage cheese on my ryvitas! Will try to seek some out for tomorrow's fast.
I have also found that pseudo-feta (Waitrose 'Greek Light Salad Cheese' or whatever) is a good way to add interest to veg stir fries, casseroles, etc. As it's so strong tasting 25g crumbled over the top is enough for me, and it's only 47 cal. Either makes a change from/complements the usual suspects (lime/chilli/soy).
I don't see why no-sugar drinks (Diet Coke or Pepsi Max etc) should make any difference, to my knowledge there is no clear evidence that shows that diet drinks cause weight gain. To me its a nice next-to-zero calorie treat that fills me up!
Might not cause weight gain, but this film might give you pause for thought.
The whole film is well worth watching, but about 20 minutes in, Dr Christiane Northrup describes how brain cells are affected (read 'killed') when aspartame and caffeine are combined (both of which are in diet cola):
Sorry, joey, meant to give you a name check but hit 'post' instead of 'preview'.
My 3rd post. Have been on 5:2 for a couple of months now, lost over 25lbs and 12 cm from waist. Another 14 lbs to go, but in fact that was not the core issue: I started 5:2 to get rid of pre-diabetic blood sugar condition, also high cholesterol. Am looking forward to results from blood tests taken a few days ago. Really hope I have knocked those things on the head!
My experience: 'easy as'. If I feel hungry I drink a big glass of water or make a hot tea - mate, green, gumboot, whatever. Funny that these 'tricks' we have always known about have been thrown into new focus by 5:2 and seem absolutely relevant & do-able, rather than diet-y.
Am also keeping up with a brisk 25 minute walk most days, including fasting days. Doesn't make me more tired. By the way, I am 62 with a long history of yo-yo dieting. I now feel younger, fitter, and happier than I have for ages. Plus, I know that this is the real thing, a permanent lifestyle change. Cheers
Just saw this on Dr MM's twitter:
@NCG1973: should protein be avoided on fast days ?" Am on holiday but sneaked off to tweet. Less protein on feast days, more on fast days
Good advice for newbies.
Re maintenance: I've been extra lean for decades but want the health benefits, so I've been fasting one day a week (I'm into my fourth month). My fast "day" is 30-some hours of no calories. Because I don't want to lose weight, I've increased the amount I eat on non-fast days. (For the first time in years I've been using my scales and paying attention to calories.) I find that I typically lose between 1 and 1.5 kg after a fast but put it back in the next day or two. So this is working out well for me except for one thing - the need to eat more calories on non-fast days has thrown me for a loop. Over the years I'd developed my own subconscious mechanism for sensing what and how much to eat to stay steady. Consciously adding food has thrown that out of kilter. It's also been a challenge to eat more without sometimes feeling uncomfortably full.
I've continued with my programme because, aside from being a bit stuffed on occasion, I've felt so much better physically and otherwise. I've also been tinkering with the "what" part of my diet for the past year - reducing or eliminating processed food, dairy, sugar and wheat, but it's clear to me that fasting is the biggest factor in the improvements I've experienced. I'm going to give it a little more time and see if my internal monitor adjusts. But I hope that B&W and others will continue to post about their maintenance regimens. A full fast for 24 hours followed by a normal meal sounds attractive. Based on what I've read (not only about 5:2 but fasting in general), that should offer the health goodies without the need to add much intake on other days and may suit me well.
Natasha, nuts and seeds are very calorie dense so it might be worth adding them to your diet on the eating days if you want more calories.
Someone asked a few pages back about how many days between fasts people find better. Personally I prefer to have 2 days between fasts. Sometimes this is not possible because of the days I have available to do fasts, or somethimes I do 4:3, but in general I try to have 2 normal eating days between fasts. I find the fasts generally easier if I do this. I have noticed that I tend to look forward to the fasts if I have 2 normal days before them.
I reached my original goal weight yesterday morning . I am 5 foot 4 inches and weighed in at 125.6 pounds (or BMI of 21.6). When I started this in August I was 144.6 pounds (or BMI of 24.9, just the upper end of "normal", but overweight for me). I have lost 19 pounds doing this WOE.
I had adjusted my final goal a little a while ago to go down to 123 pounds or so, which would bring me to a BMI of 21.1, but I'm very happy to reach the 9 stone milestone.
It is about 9 years or so since I was 9 stone. I had more muscle mass then than I do now, so I think it would be no harm to go down another few pounds, but I don't want to lose too much more.
I should reach that weight over the next few weeks so intend to go down to 6:1 or so after that (though I might skip the fast during my TOTM so really only fast 3 days a month).
Dotty (I think?!) asked about tips for getting going. Vegetables (in the form of salds, soups, or stir "fried" in water/broth) are your friend on this diet . Low in calories, filling enough, portions can look big and more like a "normal" meal, and they are healthy. Don't forget to calorie count them though, and some vegetables (the starchy ones like potatoes) will have more calories than vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes etc.
Sorry my last comment maybe wasn't very clear. I don't totally avoid starchy veg on my fast days, just limit the quantities, and I would eat a lot of them on normal eating days. I do find beans and lentils (in soups etc) quite filling, but they are higher in calories than a lot of veg, so I limit the amount on a fast day.
Some blighters gone and given me a cold! Dont know anyone who has a cold but given that I take the bus everywhere it could have been anyone. (Taking the bus at peak time in China is not like sardines in a tin. Sardines in a tin have much more room. The bus comes and you think youre not going to get on, but not only do you manage to squeeze on but so do ten other people behind you. Not comfy but an experience to remember!)
Hopefully my fast day today wont be too difficult as a result.
BettySuarez, I too would be a little unsure of 17yo DD doing this WOE because at the moment theres not any research showing the effect it has on teenagers. Its certainly not for children as children are still growing and the health benefits that are suggested come from this WOE come in part from switching off the growth hormone and encouraging the body to repair existing cells instead of producing new ones great for adults who have finished growing, not good for children or teenagers who need to keep growing. Personally, I had already finished growing at 17, but I seem to remember from biology class that some girls continue growing until the age of 19 and some boys continue growing until 21. I think that ones got to be your call Betty
MonthlyNeedsToDecide, you dont have to count calories on non-fast days if you dont want to. Since the idea is to eat normally, i.e. what your body needs to stay the same weight, not to binge on non-fast days, some people like to count calories to make sure theyre not overdoing it or to make sure theyre not restricting themselves to diet sized portions on non-fast days, so some find it helpful to log the calories they eat on non-fast days even if just for a week or two until they get used to the amount of food that is normal for them. Thats what the TDEE business in the OP is all about, for anyone who wants a number to work to on non-fast days. 2000 calories is for the average woman, whoever she is, but we all come in different sizes and have differing levels of activity during the week so our bodies all need slightly differing amounts of food.
But dont be put off if you dont want to count calories on non-fast days. I havent counted one single calorie on any non-fast day in the 5 months Ive been doing this. I found after a few fasts my appetite adjusted and I didnt want to overdo it on non-fast days anyway.
lottie63, dont worry about the extra 118 kcal. Id call that a fast day and try to stay inside the 500 next time. The 500 figure comes from being 25% of the average womans TDEE. I could be wrong, but I dont think there have been any studies into the optimum number of calories for fast days so far, but 500 is the figure that has been plumped for (for women) for now. Personally I eat closer to 400 kcal on my fast days as Im short, not very active and the pounds come off very slowly, but Im sure the weight would still come off if I were to go up to 500.
swallowedAfly, welcome on board. Its quite understandable to be sceptical to start with, especially as this WOE goes against some of the more accepted advice out there (e.g. never skip breakfast, eat little and often) and as I mentioned I was a big old sceptic too at the beginning, but I gave it a fair go for a month and was won over!
joeysdreamgarden, oh yes quark is good. My mum made a very low cal baked cheesecake with it which tastes pretty close to the calorie laden version. Yummy. (Sorry, dont have the recipe here)
Dotty342kids, dont be put off by the length of the discussion. This WOE really is as simple as TalkinPeace2 made it sound. Its not complicated, we just love talking about it! And swapping tips of course.
I guess my top tip for fast days would be if you find yourself tempted to eat something thatd take you outside your calories for the day then remind yourself you can have it tomorrow. Always works for me (well, very nearly always).
gonepearshaped I think you really hit the nail on the head when you said this WOE gives you a less emotion driven attitude to food. Thats exactly how I feel now. Finally food is for nourishment, not punishment!
Ah, ezzza, I can always rely on you to be up making considered responses halfway round the world no matter how early I wake up. Will quite miss that when you are back!
I will be away for a few days and other than fasting today (thus avoiding the crap airline food), I shall be eating happily and without guilt.
See you when I get back!
I have completed first week of 5:2 and survived. Exercising too which sparked some debate about how energetic this should be! As mentioned I am doing this to reduce my cholesterol so I am effectively a TOFI (Thin on outside fat inside). Watching Michael Mosley last night which someone mentioned was his pre-fast time, he has a slight tummy which I would be guilty of too, so heres hoping.
Tips for dotty342kids, get a friend on board for moral support
I slept poorly first night of fast but as recommended on these threads sleep easy tea worked a treat the second day
Plan, plan plan your food on fast day and use flavoursome ingredients, basil, lime etc.
My appetite has decreased already on non-fast days and I actually find old foods less appealing as tasting more
Ezzza, what on earth do you eat to have only 400 cals on fast days. Yesterday I had a boiled egg (95c) for breakfast, a small baked potato with tuna & sweetcorn for dinner (302c), greekstyle lemon yoghurt (54c), Options hot chocolate (38c) and a diet chewy bar thing(95c). A few teas with milk brought it to 618.
I managed the nonlunch as I guess the egg was a late brekky and would have helped. Once having eaten dinner, I needed something sweet i found.
Thanks for reminding me about nuts and seeds, rosemarysage. I normally keep some around but have never incorporated them into my diet consistently except for sprinkling sunflower seeds on salads and pureed veggies. Maybe keeping a small container of nuts visible (the rest in the fridge) will prompt me to use them more often. I also should investigate nut milks.
For all those worried about not losing weight- Some may remember I posted a couple of weeks ago. I had lost 7lbs after week 1. yes that's a big weight loss but I know that was water etc caused by sudden Christmas gain. I posted as I hadn't lost anything after week 2 and I was gutted.I didn't lose after week 3 either and was getting quite despondent. I've just weighed after 2 normal eating days (8fasts in) and another 3lbs off. I'm so motivated now as I start my 9th fast day today. I will admit that I have been watching what I eat on normal days(not calorie counting) just not pigging out. this WOE is now working, so persevere if you are not losing, you will get there ;)
Welcome to all the new posters, hope it's something that works for you. It's been a bit of a journey for me...gave up a few times in the first months but started again pretty quickly, sometimes reminding yourself that this is a choice helps...no one is forcing you, a fast is nothing to be scared of.
Fasts finished for this week, and tomorrow starts a catch up on eating out, I have about 6 meals out in 2 weeks, I'm hoping I can use some self restraint. Oh and back on the wine tomorrow too - I've been dreaming of it all week, I currently have a very sore throat so I'm betting the wine doesn't appeal much at all when I taste it.
Morning everyone, well today is the day and I have kick-started it with a cup of tea.
I feel really nervous, don't know why as I rarely eat breakfast anyway!
I have a low cal noodle soup lined up but will try and leave that for as late as possible in the day. Then salmon fillet and salad for dinner.
Good luck everyone and thanks for this brilliant thread x
Lost 3.5 lb after first week! Yippee!
Apologies if this has been addressed in threads 3-8 (which I haven't read) but what are people's thoughts/experiences of fasting when they've got a cold? I'm clearly coming down with something (I work in a school so it's inevitable!) but my fast day is planned for tomorrow.
Lottie Glorious meal soups are good as they come in around 250 calories for a whole pot and if you enjoy cooking it's easy to make a low calorie but highly filling and tasty veggy soup/stew. Most vegetables are very low in calories so you can pile them up. A bit of spice goes a long way and I'm big fan of using a lot of fresh grated ginger & hot sauce to pep up hot meals, and very partial to a lime juice & ginger dressing on salad leaves or a big pile of steamed veg. The desire for eating sugar straight after a meal should lessen over time - this thing does re-train your brain to stop those horrible sugar cravings! However, don't worry about the extra calories, just try and reduce it over time, it will get easier .
Fast day number two for me today (lots of people doing mon and thurs, arent there?)
Scrambled egg with mushroom and red onion, and half a tin of tomatoes
More veg casserole for later, I portioned it up and froze five of them
So thats another two weeks where I don't have to think about what I'll eat on fast days. And after that I'll prob make more, lol
Well done - that is great
What are you eating on your fast days? Do you skip breakfast?
Do you calorie count on non-fast days?
That was to wheresmybook
Don't know Betsy - I had a really bad throat/chest infection in Dec and I ate my way through it, I have another really sore throat again just now but at least this time I don't have a fever, and I have fasted through it...not sure there is a recommended approach other than do what you feel comfortable with.
Yay - have lost 2lbs - this is my second week and after 3rd fast day. Helps me to face today's fast with positivity. I've also discovered MFP - what a great website!
Hello all. Have been lurking on these threads for a while. Have 2 under 3s, work FT condensed hours and am sick of avoiding mirrors. Though I'm thinner now than at many times, I'm still overweight.... But somehow apprehensive about starting this WOE.
So. Please give me the kick I need to take the plunge? Is it really as doable as it sounds? Inspire me with your losses, despite busy lifestyles?
Thanks for all your tips and advice on getting going. I love vegetables and often make soups anyway so am relatively confident that it's acheivable.
However, bit confused by concept of a "fast" day.
Does it mean "eat nothing for 24hrs and then eat 500 cals" or does it mean "during one 24hr period, eat no more than 500 cals"?
I'm a bit disgruntled to find this morning that when I weighed myself I weigh 2lb more than I weighed this time last week (ie. the morning after my 2nd fast day of the week). Now I do have my period at the moment and definitely feel bloated, but can't help feeling as though 5 days of normal eating for me (Thursday through to Sunday night) is too much to counter two days of 500 cals.
So I'm looking at either calorie counting on MFP properly on those days, which frankly I feel as though I don't have the commitment for (and really hate calorie counting; find it so tedious), or stepping up to 4:3. Sigh.
Welcome to all the newcomers - you've come to the right place!
Ezzza I'm another one who'll miss your overnight posts! I got your PM, thanks.
Natasha No intention of giving up posting just yet! I'm still learning about this WOL. And I enjoy reading these threads too much - always with a smile on my face.
I had my first day of 24 hour fasting followed by a normal dinner, yesterday. I had a huge pile of chilli with r-k-beans, oven chips and broccoli - followed by 100g of chocolate cake with Alpro custard.
Then, while my coffee was still hot - always a danger time for me - I had a couple of chocolate liqueurs (only 'cos I've got to get rid of them - two more packets to go!) and some chilli chocolate. It was so easy to let myself go. I didn't feel as good after all that as I would have done having a <600 cal meal. Hmm.
See how I go next week.
Betty, Dr Mosley was pretty specific about who wasn't suitable for this WOL - and that included growing children. Once all growth has ceased, then by all means your daughter can join you.
And I'm firmly of the 'starve a fever, feed a cold' school of thought - so I wouldn't fast when I have a cold. Soddit - there's always another day!
Loolumboolum consider yourself kicked! There are all sorts of people with busy life styles doing well on this WOL. A lot of them prefer to be busy at work on a fast day. Go for it!
Dotty Does it mean "eat nothing for 24hrs and then eat 500 cals"
That's exactly what it means.
Stick with it, Lady - the cards are stacked against you this week - but this is for life, right?
Just thought Id share a couple of things.
Firstly Ive accidentally examined the long term sustainability of this WOE my first 10 weeks I did 5:2 and lost an average of a pound a week.
Ive since had 8 weeks that included a weeks all inclusive holiday (where I ate and drank everything I wanted), Christmas (where I ate and drank everything I wanted) and a lads Ski holiday (where as well as 5+ hours skiing a day I ate and drank everything I wanted); I averaged 1 fast a week over these 8 weeks some weeks no fasting, some 1 and some 2 fast weeks and at the end of the 8 weeks my weight was exactly the same which is the best I had hoped for. I know my weight went up by 4+ pounds at least twice over this time, but even the reduced number of fasts kept everything under control. Hopefully Im about to embark on the last 7 pounds to my goal over the next 7 weeks.
Secondly Ive noticed a few people mentioning a plateau I know everyone seems to hit one. For me it helped to remember I was looking for an average of a pound a week when I started, and that should include that magic first week when I lost 4+ pounds. The plateau is (to my mind) the reverse of that week, just a time when the body catches up with the new WOE. It does end!
Please can I join you guys.
First day fast yesterday and I did it, had an egg and one dry slice toast at 1pm then a massive bowl Moroccan soup at 8pm. It was ok. Just the tea times kids tea bit I was really hungry but it passed and I was fine by the time I ate tea and couldn't finish my soup! I have stinking cold too so that's not helping as I just want to curl up on sofa and eat chocs.
I've lost 7lb calorie counting and shredding or swimming since Xmas but I've got bored now and think this is the solution for me to be able to stick to it along with the excerise. I'm currently 5.4" tall apple shaped. 11.4lb and want to get down to a max weight of 10.7lb but less would be a bonus. Got into my old size 14 jeans yesterday and they were loose instead of tight so that pleased me. ALso have a back problem so hope shredding weight will help with that too.
Just had breakfast of toast butter and a little marmalade. Bliss!
Fasting again tomorrow as hubby is out so it will be the best day. Looking forward to the weekend after! Think I will do Mondays and weds or thurs depending on my schedule for the week.
Been totally inspired by everyone on here. Seems most of you have done brilliantly.
So, if you have nothing for 24hrs, then your 500 cals what do most of you find is the best start / end time for this? Do you have a "normal day" eg, breakfast, lunch and tea at, let's say 6.30pm. Then eat nothing the next day till 7pm when you'd then have your 500 cals?
BettySuarez I had breakfast the first fast day but listened to my body the second one and didn't eat till lunchtime as I found I wasn't hungry. I absolutely don't calorie count on the other days, but am really trying to keep up the 'listening to my body' approach. I don't want to get obsessional, as I have too much of a tendency that way in any case.
I'm sure I'll have blips and fall off the wagon at times but somehow that feels much more acceptable with this WOE.
And thank you for your support !
Exactly, Dotty - that's just what I do. I'm a stickler for timing when I've finished the evening meal before a fast - and then going the full 24 hours.
Don't forget to look at the clock when you have your last mouthful!
Does it mean "eat nothing for 24hrs and then eat 500 cals"
Sorry Breadandwine but I thought the idea was to eat 500 cals on a 'fast' day (either in 1 meal, 2 meals or 3 small meals) not to go 24hrs without food and then eat? Not so much a fast but more a low calorie day.
I tend to go 16-18 hrs without food (most of that sleeping), skip breakfast then divide my 500 calories between lunch and dinner but Dr Mosely hasn't as far as I know suggested that you don't eat for 24 hrs.
Dotty That might be a little hard going at first - I don't get beyond 16hours of no eating (6pm supper, sleep, no breakfast, then lunch at midday) so maybe ease into it if you want to do a full 24 hours - I couldn't (yet?)! I aim to have 500 calories over the lunch and supper of the day I'm fasting then a normal breakfast the nextday. B&W is clearly hardcore!
Yes welshmill That's what I do too, seems to work fine too, I'm assuming Breadandwine that nothing for 24 hours and then all 500 cals is what you've found best for you - not necessarily a must
Ah, phew! I think I could go from 6pm to lunch the next day without too much difficulty. Then can just use the 500 cals as I see fit across that day's lunch / tea by the sounds of it?
rosemary well done on reaching your goal weight! Fabulous achievement. Your starting stats and background are similar to mine so it's inspiring to hear that you have reached your goal weight. I still have another 13lb to go.
Welcome to the newbies and congrats to the losers. For the plateau-ers, stick at it, it's a WOL and you're in it for the long haul.
I was pondering this WOL when I was up in the middle of the night with DS (3.5yo, woke me up shrieking because he had lost his teddy) about how in my early 20's I used to be slim but still ate everything I liked. When I really think about it, I used to naturally fast because I was so busy with studying, working, boyfriends, friends etc. So no, I wouldn't calorie count but I would often skip meals to spend money on cigarettes (I'm not condoning it and I've long-since quit!), and I would never go out with friends and have a meal because we didn't have enough money for that sort of thing. Food just wasn't so important. I had 'proper' meals with my family at the weekend but I'd never sit down in the evening and think "oooh, I think I'll open a family-sized box of chocolates and scoff them all myself" because I was too busy doing other things. I probably had several days a week where I would skip lunch and I would normally shovel down a quick ready meal in the evening before going out to meet friends and I never snacked. Frankly I had better things to do with the little cash I had.
Hmnn, food for thought
Dotty Thats pretty much how I go, though I have just two 250 cal meals cause I reckon constant grazing on tiny amounts might be harder to keep under limits IYSWIM. From what I've read here, lots of people do different things and if you can find a pattern that works for you then stick with that
On a fast day today & really hungry . Had a really interrupted nights sleep & wonder if that's why? Anyone want to help me get through today?
On the plus side, I have gone to the next hole on my belt
hels bels 74 I am fasting today - its only my 2nd but trying to get to 1pm to do the 16hr thing from last night.
I have had a cup of tea though with ( accounted for) skimmed milk and am drinking ver ver ver very dilute elderflower cordial.... so not no calories reallly - but very few.
Stick with it ....
When I started this in August I would have an apple for breakfast egg for lunch & a light dinner. I know fast for 24 hours & then have a meal of around 400 calories. I prefer the way that makes me feel. But it took me a while to get used to not eating for 24 hours & some days it's harder than others.
Just find a way that suits you there is no wrong or right way as long as you stick to 2 fasting days a week.
I've not lost any weight for a while now but then I haven't gained either an sure weight loss will start again eventually but not really that bothered at the moment.
mrshelsbels. keep going, I'm fasting today too. Feel a bit hungry but going to keep myself busy for the next few hours and then allow myself a small snack.
Tell me about your progress so far, how long have you been doing this? Have you made any progress?
Alaska I think you've hit the nail on the head there - kids certainly make life routine led in a way pre-kid life often isn't and therefore it changes the way we eat. Also it took me a long time to realise that I didn't have to respond to every hunger pang in the way I did when I was pregnant and BFeeding so, for me, eating regularly and often was a learned way of life during those months/years. And then there's the boredom snacking of course, so much time to eat when you're trapped in the house with infants/children!
I did mean to say that Dr Mosley doesn't do this. Those of us on this thread who do fast for 24 hours do so because of the advise now given by Dr Mattson and other scientists from the programme, who say that, if you can manage it, a 24 hour fast is the best way to go. Followed by your <500 or <600 cals.
All this info is on the Tips and Links thread - well worth browsing through for the science behind this WOL!
Hi there all
This is my second day fasting. The first one I did the MM way - breakfast and dinner, but hated going to bed so hungry, and didn't sleep well. So today I'm trying to get through til dinner with nothing, then having my 500 calories then.
Is there a resource for 500cal meals? There seem to be loads for 250cal ones... (sorry if it's been done before...)
I'm on my 4th week. Only lost about 3lb but better than nothing. Have lost weight around my waist as moved up a hole on my belt as I mentioned before.
I would lose more weight if I was more careful about what I ate on non-fast days but I do eat whatever I like which sadly is chocolate & biscuits most of the time.
Am stuck in waiting for a delivery so limited options on keeping busy.
Many people start off on this woe with 2 or 3 small meals during their fast days then slowly find that they can miss the earlier one out and then eventually have just the one meal within the 24 hrs. I did the 24 hrs straight away as I don't like to go to bed hungry and this suits me. I'm sure that there are some who still don't go to the full 24 hrs and that is fine.
We think the key thing is to go at least 12 hrs without eating, which includes sleep time, but hope by doing more we will gain more health benefits (the jury is still out on that).
When I'm struggling on a fast day I find that keeping the mind busy busy busy is the key (and plenty of liquids). I either make sure I am away from the house and temptation but failing that then finding a project to do like sorting cupboards, filing, clearing out my wardrobe and generally cleaning the house really makes the time fly and all thought of food disappear.
And remember tomorrow you can have anything you like
If you check the recipe thread, herbaceous you'll find loads of recipes around 300 - incl. a couple of mine. If you then add on a piece of the chocolate cake - calorie counted - or a couple of pancakes, you can enjoy a satisfying meal.
Or try half of the pizza recipe I've posted on there! Still less than 500 cals!
You don't need to go 24 hours without eating. Just eat around 500 cals between waking up and going to bed. Easy.
I disagree partly with B+W. I prefer to have a 450-500 cal meal, than to have a 300 cal one with some pudding.
There is a lot more choice for meals if you go up to 500 cals. There are already some ideas on the recipe thread, but for more try:
Anyone else find that they are peeing loads...honestly I haven't eaten yet today but am drinking a lot of very dilute elderflower and honestly its like 1 sip in and I need the loo again...
My bladder is poor at the best of times (although thats another thread!) though this is ridiculous!
Any views on whether I'd be mad to do bikram yoga on a fast day?!
Ladymuckbeth, don't get disheartened! Most of us put up a few pounds during the week of our period (I usually have an increase of about 3 pounds that week, but sometimes up to 5 pounds). I skip weighing myself once my period starts, or once I feel myself bloating before it starts, as the weight is all over the place that week. See what your weight is once the period is over for a day or so (my weight often takes a day or so after it has stopped to come down again) and then decide.
I don't calorie count on non-fast days, though I have done some 4:3 weeks, but you might be doing fine on 5:2, just that your period is masking it.
One more for you if you use pinterest
Dotty342kids I think alot of people can't cope with waiting so long to eat their 500 cals so they eat it spread out during the day. This is fine for weight loss but in order to get the best benefits of fasting (not just weight loss) you need to hae your 500 cals in a single meal. My example is this:
Sunday night (non-fast day) Last meal (dinner including pudding) finished by 8.30pm. Stop eating.
Monday (fast day) No eating until 8.30pm where I consume 500 cals for dinner (including pudding). Stop eating.
Tuesday (non-fast day) Eat as normal.
Hi, I've not read the full thread yet but am really interested in trying this out. I can maintain reducing calories for a couple of days but then go on an all out binge. I think if I was to do this diet I would probably manage the fasting days knowing I could eat normally the next day!
Will read the thread later on today when I get a chance, just wanted to pop in and say hello
Thanks for the support rosemarysage and Breadandwine - I don't find the fast days too onerous but know that psychologically it's important for me to feel good about the non-fast days, otherwise this is just going to feel too restrictive. Hence my reluctance to get all vigilant and use MFP all day, every day...
Am going to keep going though, I think deep down I'm just hoping that I don't need to do low-carb as well as the 5:2 in order to lose weight. Having low-carbed for a long time, I'm really enjoying the feeling that I can eat alongside my family and am making more effort to cook interesting meals for the children because I know us adults will be eating them too
Thanks for the 500cal links Frenchfancy! I would indeed rather have a big dinner, than a little dinner and a pudding. I haven't got that much of a sweet tooth, and am trying to knock it out altogether!
I can't look at the recipes in any detail now, though, as they make me too hungry!
hi all, just wanted to pop in and say hello, i seem to manage one post per thread at the moment, they are moving so fast! no chance of reading all to catch up at the moment.
Life very busy, managed to fast last week, but this week I tried yesterday, got to the evening and then realised the stress of desperately trying to get my house on the market by Saturday (estate agents coming to photograph then) looking after 2 children (who constantly mess as quickly as I can paint/clean/tidy one room, they mess up another) and look for a new job, new home work out how i'm going to move us half way up the country and when to tell my boss.....aagghhhh
ie stress and lots of it, made me last night go, sod it, I'm hungry, irritable and in normal bmi (thanks to 5:2), so if I take a few weeks off or just manage 1 fast every now and then, that's fine. I know it works and I can do it, but i needed food last night.
but good news is Decree Absolute came through last week, so I had some champagne and I feel like progress is being made.
sorry for many of you lovely new peeps you won't have a clue what I am on about and so apologies for being totally off topic, but maybe it's helpful to know that life can get in teh way sometimes and I think this is a WOE that you can step in and out of, would be interesting to know how it would affect the health benefits though.
Thanks for explanation BssBossh, very helpful.
I'm quite looking forward to starting this. Got a friend coming over tomorrow who's doing it so will talk to her, discuss best days / ways of doing this with DH who may do it alongside me and take it from there.
Will def use this thread though as you all seem very lovely and helpful
Nice to be doing it with a friend Dotty342kids. And even better if your DH can join you.
Hello everyone and welcome new fasters. Just have faith that it does work and don't overthink things - 2 days a week only eat 500 cal. No other rules.
However there are lots of interesting tweaks with some research which you can use once you get into the swing of things.
well done rosemarysage you must be delighted. I can't wait to get down to goal weight. I already feel so much thinner though
Apologies if this has been answered before on the other threads - haven't had time to read them all.
I an fasting Tues and Thurs and finding the Thurs much harder. Today I am lightheaded, tired and 'foggy' brained, though it's been better since I ate lunch. Also finding it hard to sleep on the Tues, Weds and Thurs nights. Has anyone else found this and does it get better?
Must add that I am also perimenopausal, which could account for a lot...
Total newbie here saying hi! Came to netmums because many of the comments in the book were from here, so I figured it would be a good place to get support and tips.
It's my second fast today (My first was on Tuesday and I'm still reading the book) and I am finding it VERY hard. It's lunchtime at work and everyone around me is eating eating eating.
Look forward to reading all the other sections mentioned in the sticky.
virginposter the link you posted turned out to be more useful than you imagine.
I have been having dizzy spells when I stand up and these feel particularly bad on fasting days - was pondering the cause, googling etc and then I read your article - not the one about the Doctor not wanting to take statins because they didn't work but further down the article there was a doctor who wouldn't take ibuprofen because it caused dizziness - I've been taking loads due to an aching shoulder. Immediately I stopped and I already feel 100% better today, what a difference, I've never had a reaction on them before but sometimes you just develop a sensitivity. Will use heat for shoulder pain in future so you've made me a happy healthier woman!!
lireal - it does get better. Make sure you are drinking enough fluids. A salty hot drink like Marigold buillion stock powder in water or a cup a soup can really help as it tops up your sodium etc levels.
snowkey - glad you sorted out your dizziness
Fast day for me and finding it hard going. Haven't eaten anything so far and trying to drink plenty to stop me thinking about food! At home with DS this afternoon so not especially busy which is not helping! Might have to get the vacuum out or something! DS currently tucking into a humpty dumpty biscuit from the bakers!! But its OK I can have one tomorrow...!!! (think might find a better option if I do decide I need cake/biscuit tomorrow).
Thanks Kiwigirl - have been drinking loads and not peeing as much as I would expect, so wonder if I am a bit dehydrated.
You know, cardiffmummy, after fasting for the first time on Tuesday, yesterday I hardly went mental at all. In fact I ate fewer biscuits and chocolates than I usually do (they are my Achilles' heel) and even ignored some chocolate cake we have in the house because I didn't really feel like it, It was amazing - I don't expect it to last, but it was amazing.
Does anyone else get a blocked nose?
dotty I'm pretty sure I've never gone. 24 hrs without food since starting this in August, I often go over 500 cals on a fast day and I've lost 25lbs. My BMI is around 20.
Just start gently and do as much as you can - you will find fasting easier as you get used to it - do what works for you. When I started I ate 3 meals a day, then 2 and now one. I do go for about 20 hrs sometimes without solid food - but that is only because I now find that's easy to do
Mumofcrazynamedkids glad things are getting sorted for you. Even a tiny bit of stress can make me head for the biscuit tin so you have done amazingly. By the way do I remember you from a money saving thread-this woe is perfect for economising as opposed to low carbing say!
Hello, it's my first fasting day today. I've only had a coffee, 2 cups tea, a bannana and an apple so far. And i swear i'm not hungry. This is bloody amazing for me, normally I can't stop eating all day long. Planning to have some soup later but really impressed with how I can actually not eat - always thought I couldn't help it.
I must say, trying to not eat until dinner is blasted hard. And miso soup only does so much. But I'm looking forward to my baked potato and beans soooooooooo much!
On fast days I find myself lusting after such delights as sticky toffee pudding and scones with cream. "Tomorrow" I promise myself. The strange thing is the next day I find I want much healthier options. Today for instance I no longer wanted the doughnut I had promised myself whilst fasting yesterday but really fancied grilled peppers, ham and artichokes. Very odd (but in a good way!)
Hi headintheclouds. When my motivation is low I brush my teeth. Make a peppermint tea. Read this Blog or watch horizons to boost my motivation
That's one of the best things about saving your cals on a fast day, really simple food tastes amazing. I hated soup before I states this woe now its my best friend! An eating day today haven't been healthy but those links to 500 Cal meals look really interesting thanks French fancy and tip. Snow key I had a dim reaction to ibuprofen when I had a breast abscess and took them for Weeks but I am ok with one now and again.I have avoided medication while doing this luckily.
lireal I wonder if your fast days are too close together? I know other posters have had had problems like that but felt better when they had 2 or 3 days between fasts. I couldn't manage 2 so close together. You could always try going down to 6:1 for a while and see if things improve.
tomorrow yes "tomorrow" is great incentive on a fast day. I rarely actually follow through with what I want, but the fact that I could is very motivational.
catsrus do you mind me asking how long you have been doing this? 25llbs is amazing
Today is my first day but I already know I won't stick to 500 cals. More like 600 but 100 of those are a half drained can of salad beans to go with my salad (so reasonably healthy)
Will an extra 100 cals ruin everything? I have 4/5 stone to lose
snowkey you are very welcome. I've said it before and I will say it again, it never ceases to amaze me the knowledge that is within these threads. I try to read all of them (I know not everyone has the time) and I always go to the links posted just incase there are nuggets of info which may not be relevant at the time but useful for storing away for another time.
So, thanks again to everyone who posts on here and especially to all those who link me to more information
No of course it won't ruin everything. In fact lots of us recommend that you ease into the 500 cals. Well done for getting this far.
Thanks it's only my first day
Just lurking....
Time to eat .... been fasting and working all day. Soup beckons.
tomorrowweeat I'm exactly the same on a fast day, it's that day today and I've watched work colleagues scoff cakes today so I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes, I know I will eat relatively healthily. I think it's because I know I could stuff the chocolate that I don't. if you are on a 1000 cal a day type diet you know you can't do that and that's what makes it such a miserable existence that eventually you crack and then your diets blown.
Bsshbosh said above:
I think a lot of people can't cope with waiting so long to eat their 500 cals so they eat it spread out during the day. This is fine for weight loss but in order to get the best benefits of fasting (not just weight loss) you need to have your 500 cals in a single meal.
I think you'll find the jury is still out on this and the expected health benefits ..
Lots of us eat 2 meals - its quite alright to do so - DR M has eaten 2 meals the whole time.... and I dont think its helpful to state that one or the other is optimum because were all different . I've tried several times eating just one in the 5 months i've been doing this and I simply cant eat 500 cals in one go on a fast day - and not because I simply 'cant wait' or 'cant cope'.
I do agree that its a really good idea to get your 16hrswith no food at all in if at all possible, but its better to fast even eating 2 meals than not at all or to think you've failed by not doing it one way or another.
if you are new to this or doing it another way dont be put off by the fact that some people (inc myself quite often do the whole 24hr or one meal thing) the beauty of this WOE id that the rules are plain and simple ..
500 or 600 cals twice a week n 3 meals if you want (ihappento belive two is best for me) in one two or eve..lots of fluids.. eat 'sensibly' the rest of the time ( i.e dont stuff yourself)
Thats it .. Easy..
We are all waiting to see what the health effects are ,because of course, we dont know if it will help us live longer healthier lives.. we're just hoping so..
sorry text probs .. that should read ....
500 or 600 cals twice a week in one two or even 3 meals if you want (I happen to believe two is best for me) ..lots of fluids.. Then eat 'sensibly' the rest of the time ( i.e dont stuff yourself)
Laska42 yes I think you're right, have been reading around and nothing's yet conclusive about length of fast.
Hi betty I started way back in thread one saw the original tv documentary in August - so 5 months in all. So that's only 5lb a month - very do-able!
and very impressive anyway cats!
bsshbosh I've just read my post again ..not best worded.. sorry if it might have looked like an attack on you ..wasn't meant to be..
Dr M doesn't do the 16hr fast either, but a lot of the stuff around does seem to indicate that is a good idea.. I eat my dinners early on fast day .. about 4.30 5 if I can (even if i have to take it to work) so I can get in 16hrs until I eat again the next day .. that I find is very do-able.. i have gone 24 on several occasions though I find past 22 its gets harder .. but that's probably in my head
Do most of you manage to eat your TDEE on your non-fast days? I only fasted yesterday and today I'm struggling to reach my TDEE. I'm hoping I can make up for it over the weekend . But seriously, I don't want to undereat too much on this diet as I don't want to compromise my metabolism.
I often don't eat up to my TDEE during the week, particularly as I am no longer drinking during the week. I make up for it at the weekend.
bsshbosh today we had a leaving do at work and I think I ate my bodyweight in cheese and bics and cheesecake!!, However this was an unusual day but yes, its near enough when you put it all together over the week but I dont really count .
I do usually tend to save my treats cheese wine etc for the weekends and eat a mainly veggie and protein based 'healthy' diet during the week , but is not far below my TDEE i would imagine (but I also count mine as on a sedentary lifestyle as I really dont do much exercise so that's about 1550 cals for me).
Hmm dont think im being that helpful here..
All I can say is that STARVATION MODE IS A DIET INDUSTRY MYTH .. ( no really it is.. you'd have to eat hardly anything for a couple of weeks really .. Do read Dr John Briffa 'Escape the Diet Trap'...
Also as TIP2 often reiterates (so rightly IMHO) .. the idea of eating several small meals to 'keep our blood sugar level up@ and three square meals a day so as not to go into 'starvation mode' is also a food industry myth to sell us snacks ....
I would like to do the 24 hour fast thing for the health benefits but have medication that has to be taken three times a day with food. Do you think that means I will miss out on the health benefits? The most I can manage not eating and still spacing out my medication is 16 hours
Tomorrow eat. I think you will find that the CRONYs, who practise daily Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition, also get all the health benefits but do not fast at all. The idea of intermittent fasting is to get their health benefits without the pain of daily deprivation.
So no, it won't matter if you divide your calories up to allow for your medication, inmho. I think almost ANY move toward IF is beneficial, no matter how you modify it to suit yourself.
Can I join and ask some advice? I have been doing this a week and a Half, and am stunned at how easy the fasting days are. Normally I love eating, but tbh I don,t even think about food on fasting days, and whilst only a week and a half in, my terrible bingeing on crap has stopped completely.
However last week I lost a pound and a half (weighed on Tuesday). On fast day to day, and jeans are tight. Get on scales and wham 3 lbs out of nowhere???? Why??? Am gutted! No periods due either
Thanks french and Laska. I need to stress the numbers less! I think it will all balance out - especially after a typical weekend .
No tomorrowweeat that was the point I was trying to make (so badly) above.. We simply dont know.. DR M doesn't do a 16hr fast and the original researchers didn't expect one.. Prof Lungo said that after a three day fast you got certain benefits , but DR M started the 5:2because it simply wouldn't work in most peoples lifestyles and after the 6 weeks his health indicators were just as good as after doing the 3 day fast..
Some people (Brad Pilon etc) who have been intermittent fasting for a long time , believe that the optimum time to fast is 16hrs for men and 14hr for women.. I read this way back in 'thread 2-time' and started doing 16hrs .. though i'm a girl!! .. and writing about it (though I'm not claiming to be the first one here) .. since then several of us now do it ..
Its an experiment.. dont worry we dont know.. no one does. We just think its Its good to fast .. just do what you are doing.. and dont compromise because of your meds.. like I said lots of us here also have 3 small meals..
PS tomorrow, just RE read your post. Lots of people say that 16 hours is enough to bring all the benefits anyway!
Oops x posted with Laska, it all moves too fast!
Has anyone felt nauseous after and during their fast days? I fasted on Tuesday, spent most of yesterday feeling queasy and am fasting again today. I was going to wait until tomorrow but seeing as I still felt nauseous, I figured I would capitalise on that!
Just not sure if it's related to the WOE or if I just happen to have an upset stomach.
orangesandlemons Don't worry about the odd blip on the scales. Give your body time to get used to the fasting. If you weight regularly you won't necessarily see a loss every time you step on scales, but you will get a downward trend. Keep with it.
Yeah oranges i've found it goes up and down and even sometimes after fast days its up ..but its been consistently down, although recently i've plateaued at about 21lbs off , - id like another 7 off to get to my 'ideal in my head weight' but hey, 21lbs is just great anyway) ... but I certainly wont getting on the scales tomorrow after all that cheesecake!!
catinthehat no never.... I hope you dont have something..
Hello !!
I've been trying to follow this thread but I can't keep up !
Would someone mind summarising how this diet works ??
I'm very curious !
Is it quick weight loss or slow ?
The diets I've tried before all stress how important breakfast is, and if I don't eat as soon as I get up my metabolism rate will slow down. Am I right in thinking that this is also a myth? In which case, I'm wondering if I could skip breakfast anyway on my non fast days as I always find that if I have breakfast, I'm likely to eat much more during the rest of the day.
cat I occasionally felt nauseous after 3rd fast day of the week but mine was due to medication I take, since I've dropped to 5:2 no longer have nausea.
I've done a semi fast today around 800 calories to ease me back into fasting as doc didn't really want me doing a proper fast this week. But I've felt so sluggish after my op that I wanted something to make me feel more alert & it's worked! Yay. I know I've gone 300 calories over but i don't think that's too bad in the circumstances.
mum take it easy it's hard when you come across stressful situations & I hope things get easier.
Hi orangeandlemons I don't have any answers I'm afraid, just wanted to say I'm having exactly the same problem...lost 3lb then put on 6lb all in the space of a week! I am at the end of week 2 now and back to my original weight. Fingers crossed I am just adjusting! I feel good on the fast days and eat healthily on normal days so it feels manageable...will keep going and hope to see some results soon! Good luck.
have a look at the tips and links thread ....
its a way of eating that has a side effect of bringing you down to a healthy weight, steadily,
quite quick if you've been overeating before, slow if you've not.
in my case just over 1lb a week ....
YUP, its a myth.
Mumofcrazynamedkids its good to see you back.. sorry you are going through a tough time , but keep strong ((hug)) and post when you can..
Jinglelook at at the hints and tips thread. Buy the book
Eat 500 calories twice a week..and dont overeat on the other 5 days look up your Total daily energy expenditure TDEE
Fast or slow? depends if you follow it or not.. was quite fast for me... 21lbs in about 4 months
evening TIP2 I got over it.. sort of.
Laska - I limit myself to two visits a day.
lottie63 on my fast days I tend to just eat biscuits. Im not recommending it as its rather nutritionally vacant but Im kinda forced by circumstances to do this at the moment. Next to nothing is calorie counted here, I have no access to an acceptable kitchen to cook for myself and I couldnt even hazard a guess at what goes into the food I buy in the canteens and restaurants (dripping in oil so I probably dont even want to know), so at the moment biscuits are the only things I can find to survive on on fast days that I can get an accurate calorie count for.
Id actually prefer not to eat at all on fast days if I could as I find Im never hungry on fast days. As others have found, once I start eating the hunger switch is turned on and Im suddenly ravenous, so not eating anything is preferable for me to a teeny portion of real food. Sadly, my stomach rebels and wont allow me to fast completely. I think my stomach must be staffed by mischievous imps or something because if I ignore any (rather half-hearted I must say) hunger signals coming from it the hunger passes quickly, sometimes to be replaced by much more insistent waves of nausea. The naughty imps know I can ignore a little hunger but that Im afraid of the nausea. (Maybe this partly answers your question too CatInTheHairnet.) This isnt caused by this WOE in my case though as for the last maybe half dozen years mornings have been dominated by making sure I have some food with me so that I can eat something in the short window between tummy waking up and nausea starting. So I guess I see the biscuits less as food and more as non-drug anti-emetics IYSWIM.
Actually, this WOE has been helping with this problem, as the window between me waking up and needing to eat something to avoid nausea is getting longer. I can now usually get to noon before I need to eat anything. I think this WOE has been teaching my tummy not to send danger signals to my brain just because its been empty for a couple of hours! Im hoping soon Ill be able to go until dinner time. If so, I might start having something more nutritious for my 400 kcal, like a proper dinner. Over the years Ive collected quite a few satisfying dinner recipes for under 400 kcal so thats an option I might be able to explore once I get home to my kitchen.
If not, I do have a few very low cal dinner option recipes up my sleeve. Ive posted my 250 kcal per portion broccoli and leek bake recipe on the recipe thread. I have others too, but my cooking style is more bit o this, bit o that, smack it in the oven/chuck it on the hob and count up the calories while its cooking, so I have no clue how to estimate a calorie count for my other recipes from here.
Oops, sorry, long post there. Probably because I dont like anyone to think I recommend only eating biscuits on fast days, because its not a particularly nutritious way to go, so I feel I need to explain myself a bit.
BestyVanBell, I have a cold at the moment, came down with it Tuesday evening. Yesterday was a fast day and I muddled through it ok, but then its only a bit of a head cold. Im not really suffering, just a minor annoyance so Im carrying on as normal. I think Id try and stick to my routine where possible when Im ill, fasts included, but at the same time theres no need to be a martyr.
Two of the great things about this WOE are the flexibility and that it doesnt seem like a chore, so on days I really cant stick to a fast I just chalk it up to experience and try again next time. You wouldnt usually lie in bed all day instead of going into work, but if you got the flu you wouldnt feel guilty (I hope) about doing just that. By the same token, you wouldnt usually skip a fast day for no reason, but if you get really sick theres no need to feel guilty about not fasting if you need to eat.
Id say see how you feel on the fast day. If you can do it: great. If not: dont worry, try again when youre better.
That said, I am a bit hungrier today (non-fast day) because of my cold and am eating a bit more than I normally would. Just wolfed the Chinese equivalent of a six pack of hot cross buns. Never mind.
spongebobsquareeyes, thats exactly what Ive found. I have willpower made of tempered steel. The only thing that can erode it is time. In the past Ive gone on daily calorie restriction plans to lose weight, which has worked great for the first few weeks, but then time has done a number on my willpower and I cave into cravings. Then of course I feel like Ive failed now, I may as well stuff my face with all the things I havent been allowed before I try again and before you know it I put on a few pounds and either feel like a failure and give up or if I do start again I feel despondent because Ive got to re-lose those pounds before I get back to where I was before I caved and my willpower isnt then quite as strong as it was before.
This WOE has been completely different. Im allowed to eat anything I want on non-fast days anyway so I dont have weeks of built up cravings to satisfy and I dont feel guilty about anything I eat on those days. Even if I have a less successful fast day I can shrug it off much more easily than I could a naughty day on daily calorie restriction. Because of this, and because one day isnt long enough to erode my willpower when fasting, my motivation and enthusiasm for this WOE is just as high now as it was when I first started 5 months ago, possibly even higher actually as I now believe Ill still be doing it months from now, something I found hard to believe when I started out in September.
everything has been going well, but suddenly awoke in the night with serious leg cramp. iirc this is a sign of potassium deficiency, but no bananas in the house. have others experienced this?
turns out my multi does not offer much potassium. oops.
Cold has really set in today (as predicted), I'm not going to fast exactly (already had a small porridge breakfast) but my next meals will be soup and more soup so it'll still be a calorie restricted day. I've had no sleep, have a poorly DS to look after this morning and work this afternoon so can't quite manage my usual fast routine. But as Ezzza says - this is a flexible WOL and there's no point suffering unduly.
Can I join?
I started on tues and did one fast then and another yesterday (thurs). I haven't found it easy, but not massively difficult either. The worst bit for me is having to prepare food for the children and watching them eat it! I like to sit with them when they eat and have had to make do with black tea when they're tucking into casserole.
I weighed myself this morning and appear to have lost 2kg, but don't know how variable that is. I'm mostly looking forward to feeling more comfortable in clothes and have around 3 stone to lose to get back to my pre-child (and pre-IVF) weight of 9.5 stone. I tend to hold onto weight whilst bf and hope to be finished with that sometime this year once DS2 turns 3.
I was wondering how much fasting for 2 days affects people's eating patterns for the rest of the week. I know it's very early days for me, but I'm finding myself to be more mindful of what goes into my mouth even on the normal eating days. I was actually quite shocked at how many times I found myself about to put food in my mouth without realising. I'm terrible for picking bits off the children's plates after they've finished
Lost a lb this week on one day of fasting (Wednesday) so am happy with this as I "only" have 18lbs left to goal weight. It's my second fast day of this week today. Am strangely looking forward to giving my digestion a break! Hope to wait until dinner to eat again but I won't beat myself up if I can't wait that long.
Tailtwister, I've only been fasting a week but the day after my first fast I noticed I ate less junk and also couldn't face eating loads. Perhaps our stomachs shrink a little after a day of little food? Or our bodies become more conscious of what fuels it? I have no idea and time will tell if this continues for me but it's really interesting how I didn't feel the need to binge.
Yes, I've found this too (am in my second week) - biscuits taste much much sweeter than usual and I'm not in my usual carb-craving frame of mind at all. On the evening of my fast day I'm imagining all the delicious things I can eat the next day, but when it comes to it I'm happy to just eat normally. Am finding MFP a godsend - has really made me focus on how much / what I'm eating.
I am wondering whether this WOE breaks the addiction to certain types of food?
Morning. 2nd fast for me today. Still suffering with cold but not hungry. Just done l2 shred and was starving before so maybe a bit of exercise on fast days works. Plan to eat at 12.30 and 7pm.
Really looking forward to sat / sun and will fast again Monday/Thurs
Going to a friends later so praying she hasn't baked. Will need wil of steel if she has. There is a group of us so hasn't just baked for me.
BsshBossh, Tailtwister, I think the stomach must shrink. I also found after the first week I simply couldn't fit in as much food on non-fast days as I used to eat before starting this way of eating.
Good morning. I think you are all right about appetites and stomach. I fasted yesterday and this morning 'treated' myself to a chocolate donut and now I feel sick and bloated. And guilty.
Does anyone else feel dizzy with possibilities the morning after a fast and choosing a treat just because they can? that's what happened to me today. It's only my second fast so perhaps it gets easier?
Just re-watched the original Horizon programme to remind myself that 5:2 or ADF is not just about weightloss but about improving overall health as we age. It's really so fascinating.
Hello fellow fasters! Well today was my weekly weigh in and I was prepared for little loss and looser clothers had been feeling snug again.
I'm delighted as 2lb down, making it 11lb in 4 weeks
I have a little question about those scales in boots which I have been using. I also do the body fat % reading. Whilst I lost 2lb, since last week the reading says my % has gone up from 33.7% to 35.7%....? Is it just that they aren't all that accurate? Or have I actually put fat on?
Mamamoomin2 Congratulations! Those scales aren't particularly accurate so I wouldn't worry too much.
That's good! Will enjoy my 2lb loss instead. So pleased
64zoolane I know what you mean! It was my second fast yesterday, and this morning had to get up at 6, thanks to DS. But instead of having a healthy breakfast, I waited until I could get to the shop to buy a pain au raisin, just because I could!
I then had a biscuit, just because I could. But didn't really enjoy it. I've got a sore tongue from drinking my lo-cal cuppa soups too quickly yesterday!
I find low sugar jelly a real help on fast days. Cannot believe how easy those fast days are. Years of bingeing and overheating....all gone....
herbaceous, my partner broke his fast this morning with a fried egg and bacon sandwich, and he feels fine.
Did you find yesterday gruelling? It was my second fast yesterday too and it was agonising. And it led to this blasted donut this morning. Tuesday wasn't anywhere near so hard. Perhaps there's a pattern?
To those who just a few fasts in so far:- firstly: welcome! , secondly: the fast days do get easier, and the crazed I'm-gonna-stuff-myself-sily-because-today-I-can eating on non-fast days does go away. As you get into the swing of it you'll realise you have months and years of non-fast days stretching ahead of you and you'll no longer want to pig out. In the meantime, if you have doughnuts and pain au chocolat etc. on your non-fast days don't feel guilty, no longer having an emotion driven attitude toward food is the thing I love the most of all about this way of eating.
Can i just ask.....do other people ever allow themself a packet of crisps on their non-fast days? Is this allowed? (oooooh have I just used a pre-5:2 "diet" word there i.e. the dreaded allowed/not allowed).? I know it mights seem a silly question, but I'm still in the process of changing over in my head from years and years of unsuccessful diets and woe......although I read this thread every single day and get such amazing motivation from it...I still feel hesitant that I may be doing something that will jeapordise it all. Been doing this woe now for about a month. After 2nd week I weighed myself and hadn't lost a single pound and was a bit upset. But I decided to just start using MFP, monitor what i ate exactly and continue. So am in about week 4 or 5 now doing 4:3, I am too scared to get on scales so will continue to just 'eyeball' myself to see if I can see any loss.
64zoolane I found it blasted agonising! Partly as I'd decided to save all my 500 calories up for my evening meal, as I hated going to bed hungry as I had done after a 300cal meal.
Oddly though, although my stomach had been grumbling away all day, by five o'clock I stopped being quite so hungry.
However, DS (3.5) chose the wrong night to bugger about before bed - my low blood sugar level meant I had little patience for 'I need a wee wee', 'I'm thirsty', 'I'm hungry'... GET TO BLOODY BED. I HAVE GOT TO EAT MY DINNER NOOOOW.
mamamoomin2 well done on your loss.The total of 11 bs in 4 weeks is so motivating &encouraging to me as a newbie on here! Im only on week 1, second fast today and so far feeling good and havent eaten anything yet! I found My first fast day surprisingly easy but I was probably abit euphoric reading everyones amazing posts on here. Ive been overweight for several years .I used to be very slim and reasonably fit until I hit my forties.Im now 11stone 2 ,and would love to be 9 st 7lbs again .also only 5 ft 3 and all the fat is on my abdomen and back ,so want the health benefits as well. Reading this thread has made me realise how achievable it is. Ive never approached a way of eating with this much positivity before!!
Ive been inspired by the recipes also and cant wait to try them.I also wanted to share that I was looking through ' the Greedy Girls Diet' recipe book by Nadia Sawalha today. it is full of great recipes and all of them apart from 1 were under 500 cals with many between 200- 300 cals. Im not going to buy it yet though,I want to see how this is going to pan out for me.At the moment I dont think I can do just 1 meal a day. Today I intend eating at 1 pm ish and then 7 pm tonight. i will have done no food for 17 hours then which Im thinking will be my limit!
sorry am rambling ,I dont think Ill be a prolific poster,but will check in on weigh days!
oh....just re-read Ezza's post above my last post. That answers my question about crisps!! Thanks )
Ghana anything in moderation, really. A packet of crisps is 140 calories or so. It can certainly be fit into a non-fast day. I wouldn't eat several of them, myself.
The whole point of this for me is that there isn't anything that's not "allowed", so it's very easy for me to continue to do it.
If 4:3 isn't working for you, I'd suggest going back to 5:2 and re-visiting what you're eating on non-fast days. Be honest with yourself re: activity level when you're working out what your TDEE is. Also be honest with yourself about what you're eating and put every little bit of it, including veg, milk and sugar in coffees, spoons of the kids' dinner, biscuits that no one sees you eating even though we know those don't count , etc.
You should weigh yourself after your next fast day and see if 4:3 is working for you.
This is my first week - I have done my two fast days (Monday and Wednesday). Am now a bit worried that I will undo all of my good work over the weekend - have not had anything to eat yet today. Please reassure me that this works.
Thanks ezza for the welcome and the guilt-easing. I have never dieted before but feel so positive about this diet in particular - it is great to have your encouragement.
herbaceous I was the same with my poor DD. I was in bed by 9 - what is there to do in the evening if you can't watch a film or catch up on Call the Midwife with sugary snacks on a conveyor belt?
Waves to ghana I am like you, I'm doing ADF and am just 3 1/2 weeks in. I haven't weighed myself yet either as I don't want to lose motivation. I am hoping to hold off weighing for another month! Hopefully there should be some good news by then. Finding ADF ok so far. Have had the odd binge on eating days, but this is understandable. Have also gone over 500 on one or two fast days but not by much and it isn't the norm. Not exercising but have 4 small children to keep me busy. I need to lose 2-2/12 stone. Current goal is 10 stone or below. I am 5'7''. It feels good to be in control. Good luck to all on this thread!
I'm going to give 5:2 a go as of Monday. I've been doing MFP which is set at 1200 cals a day (shortarse and old) for a 2lb loss per week. I've pretty much stayed the same after 2 weeks. Maybe a 1lb loss but nothing much.
I'll still count on MFP.
I'd like to know, or be pointed to a thread where someone else has asked:
1) How long have you been 5:2/4:3-ing
2) How much have you lost
Hi everyone fast day today at the end of my third week 4:3 lost 7lbs.
I have had 50cal slim a soup and a hartleys 10 kcal jelly (lifesaver) dont usually eat during the day on a fast however i could feel myself staring at the other girls lunch at work.
Have to say the downside of this diet i have literally peed a river today am sure they all think have some kind of problem at work
Prawn thingy for dinner tonight 232cals go me!
Greeneggs: thanks I really like the feedback you give on these threads...I'm on my third fast day today (just slurping a boilleon drink to keep me going in work). I will try to be brave enough to get on scales tomorrow morning (G-U-L-P).
Hi all
Started this on Monday - 1st fast day and then did my next fast day Wednesday - got on the scales this morning and they havent moved - i have been so strict too! Bit gutted as i know on the weekends i do like a drink and a takeaway - im hoping they are not going to go up and then come weigh day (monday) ive put on weight!
anyone else have a gain on 1st week?
Monday isnt here yet so there is always hope - gym 2mo morning x
I've been doing alternate day fasting for the past 4 wks with one day off but I'm going to take another 3 day break. Really struggled with my fast yesterday and had such cold feet and legs I couldn't sleep. So I'll just have a few days of eating a little of what I fancy, not very much, mostly vegetables ...
Hi everyone,
A few weeks in now and the scales show a downward trend, slow and steady. I have read on this (or previous threads) about muscle cramps and what I could do to stop them but I'll be blowed if I can find it. I had a fast day Wed and an eating day yesterday but both days I got BAD cramp in my toes doing body balance. I've always been a bit prone to crampy toes but not as bad as this for ages. I can't stand bananas- and would love not to have to stop for a foot rub during my downward dogs!!!
All of you who are worried about not losing weight remember that this is a WOE for life, so if you overeat one week it doesn't really matter. I've fluctuated since Christmas but I've not stressed about it & just carried on doing 5:2. The main point is I'm at a far healthier weight now than I was when I started this in August - & yes I'm still overweight but I consider that it's work in progress.
dalek you have done the hardest part which is your first two fasts - well done. No need to panic, just eat healthily this weekend and you should see results on your weigh-in.
Try not to starve yourself and then cave in and eat all the wrong things, if you feel like skipping breakfast then do so but only if you want to and not because you feel you should. You can allow yourself some treats but in moderation. After a few weeks you will learn what is too much and what is enough.
Try to read as many of the links in OP and as many of these threads as you can and all will become clear.
Aftereightsarenolongermine my feelings exactly. I'm still at the top end of my BMI and could do with losing another 12 lb but I'm no longer stressing. I'm over 2 stone lighter than I was in June last year and feel so much better for it both mentally and physically - that's got to be good, even if I don't lose any more weight.
Daisy I gained the first week and lost the second.
North Star try magnesium for cramps. You can take it as a supplement but it interacts with calcium in some way which might not be great. A spray is said to be good directly on to the cramps muscle, and Epsom salts in the bath or a footpath would help. Also eating good food sources of magnesium might be a plan.
TOTM started today and all I want are carbs and chocolate.
I'm never a chocolate fan until this day, every month.
Anyway, at least it's not a fasting day. I mostly want more ibuprofen and my bed. Have to be up early in the morning for an appointment with DS.
aftereights I totally agree. I had an epic plateau up to and after Christmas, but I'm finally slowly going down again. I'm pleased.
Quick update, as I may not make it onto this thread (or at this rate, the next one ) for the next 10 days or so. Don't forget about me <needy>
(OK, I haven't spent 10 days off MN in my life, so I will be around 'generally' but I'm not planning any more fasts until I get back from snowboarding, so will be lurking but not posting.....)
Welcome newbies - all I can is jump in, the water's lovely! - and well done to the losers.
To those who started recently but aren't seeing immediate results, I don't want to repeat my longish post of a few days ago, but please stick with it...some people see instant losses after their first few days, whilst others (like me!) don't see a gram of difference for a couple of weeks.....but eventually the weight loss really does kick in. Honest guv
In my case, I sat dead on 10st for the first 2 weeks, then this week dropped down to 9.9.2....I'm only aiming for 9st 6 or thereabouts, so was expecting it would take longer....of course now I'm not expecting great shakes for the next few weeks, especially since I'm taking all of next week 'off' to go snowboarding <wishful thinking that will burn more than I eat....!> so it will be 12 days 'off' between my fasts.
I fully expect to gain a few lbs over the next week or so, but seriously, I can't believe that I've dropped nearly 5lbs in a week. And I had cheese on toast just now (Admittedly, that was my very first food today...doing a little weird 20 hour fast followed by normal food as a 3rd day boost...mainly because I didn't get to eat until just now and really didn't plan to fast today.... )
Oops, sorry, stupidly long post. See you all soon
Yay! Had my carrot and coriander soup at lunch and could only eat 3/4 so have 350 cals left for tea. Happy days. Managed to resist the Victoria sponge at my friends this avo but have bought a Danish pastry for tomorrow. Really looking forward to that!
Was happy in Asda as treated myself to a new size 14 lacey top and two sets bra and pants. Have massive boobs so great to get a 14 top instead of a 16!
Well done all, please keep these inspiring story's coming.
have a great time fillybuster
I've just made a chocolate Guinness cake and have two very happy 13 yr old stuffed full. Its strong tasting. May make it with coffee instead next time. Its a really unusual method for making a cake and I'd definitely make a cake like it again. Perhaps a lemon almond variation.
I ate half a piece. I've never ever not scoffed a huge bit of cake. I blame the fasting. Really not that hungry today after starving during my fast yesterday
here is something which I have pondered since the recent Dr MM bit on You and Yours where they were discussing vegetables and the number of portions one should eat per day. I had always taken "vegetables" to mean......well, vegetables. But does it actually mean "unrefined foods of plant origin" such as lentils, beans, grains etc as well as carrots and broccoli etc. Or do they really mean traditional vegetables ?
I love the carrot and coriander soup on bbcgoodfood also heck out their broccoli soup. I dot had the blue cheese to keep the calories down. The first time I made it it just looked too green but tasted amazing
Weighed in this morning.
No more weight lost. But none gained either. And actually I could quite happily stay at this weight for the next 20 years.
Have started a thread about maintaining for those who have been on 5:2 or equivalent for a while.
I'd be interested to have the thoughts of some of the others who are well on their way to target weights and totally settled into fasting.
That way these big threads remain a support and information source for those who are new to it and those still actively trying to lose weight.
TiP that's a good idea - I think it may be a bit daunting to read about people doing 24 hr fasts at the beginning, so a separate thread for old hands would be useful.
My good news today - went and bought 4 pairs of work trousers in a size 12! Haven't been that size for 20 years!!
bordercollielover thank you for the tip on magnesium for leg cramps.
I am at the end of the 4th week of practicing adf, and this is the first day I am calling off a fast - or at least I will intentionally go over the 500 calorie target.
It has been surprisingly fairly easy (overall, despite moments) all month until TOTM arrived today. What a difference; leg cramp in the night, fatigue in the day, slight headache and fierce craving for caffeine. Time to go easy and pick it up later. Had a really energetic, fresh fast just on Wednesday so things changed quickly.
I am not doing regular weigh-in but the other day I tried on a favorite suit jacket that hasn't fit since before ds1 (almost 6) - and buttoned it right up. Still a little awkwardly snug but incredible progress. I only held on to it because I couldn't bear to discard. I had all but given up on ever looking anything like my pre-child self.
In mid-february I will be having a bp,glucose and cholesterol test and am curiously looking forward to the result.
kiwi42 that cake looks amazing. Did you do the icing as well?
Good idea TalkinPeace2 but please keep checking in on this thread as you and other seasoned fasters give such good advice (and kicks up arses!).
2nd day of fasting nearly over and I've not felt hungry much at all. It's so nice feeling empty too. Even managed an intense 45 minute cardio session at the gym. The weekend beckons and I'm really looking forward to all the nice things I can eat. Yet not desperate to binge at all. Will fast again on Monday.
Really good day today - met my target - have lost 10lbs since the beginning of January, now have a BMI of 20, bought a slinky size 8 dress to celebrate, have gone further than just the 5:2 diet to achieve that loss though, now on maintenance mode and 5:2 will be central to achieving this goal. Have a great weekend everyone!
Hello! Have been lurking around and am now leaping in...am doing second fast day this week. Found first ok but have struggled today esp at kids' tea time. Really interesting to read how you all manage it, but I have a query I can't seem to find the answer to. I have been spreading calories out over day, say banana mid morning, soup lunch then couple of ryvita and apple at night. Is this not advisable? Should I try and have a bigger food free gap? Does it matter? Advice from those who know would be much appreciated! Also can't stop drinking bloody tea (with milk); must measure how much I use...it keeps me going but must find an alternative!
jamille welcome to the thread. I am also a newbie but I think the advice is that it doesn't matter how you spread your days calories so just pick whichever option suits you best.
There may be some evidence to support skipping breakfast - so to spread over lunch and dinner as this gives you a 16 hour fast period after last nights evening meal. But it really doesn't matter.
You may find 3 meals easier to begin with, then gradually cutting down to two or even one.
Definitely count the milk
Congratulations Snowkey!
Stupid cold. Tossed and turned until 2am at which point I tried paracetamol, which didn't work so at 3am decided reading a book might help me get off to sleep. It didn't. So now (5am) on Mumsnet instead. Knowing me I'll want to sleep as soon as the sun peeks over the horizon. Fast day tomorrow so hopefully the cold/lack of sleep won't make it too difficult. Don't want to skip the fast if I can help it. I like the routine.
Go Snowkey....think there is more chance of my feet becoming a size 8 than my body they way I'm feeling today. Didn't eat too badly today considering it was a non fast day, some birthday cake was left over from OH's bday yesterday so that got polished off .
I'm doing another fast tomorrow and actually considering trying 4:3 to kickstart me. Having cut out so much crap over the last week (apart from the Bday cake !) it's really dawned on me how much I was overeating for the past couple of years. I'm quite sad when I think about it actually - but I suppose the thing to do is pull my socks up and do something about it. Will weigh in on Monday to see how I'm doing. Have a good weekend everyone x
are you that Jamilie? .... Half Term ... kids behinds the gate
PS for the "stalwarts" " Old fogeys" "experts" - I've started a thread which (in that cliquey way) is for those who have sussed this IF stuff and need support on the non weight loss aspects
which if we are right will be the BUSY thread and the death of this board in a year.
jamillie Once you have got into fasting it is recommended that you try to get a period of 16 hours without food in to get the maximum benefits, but even the great Dr M doesn't manage this. However many of us have learned that the longer we hold off eating the easier it is. Once you start to eat your body wakes up to the idea that there is food to be had and you get hungry. If you can hold of until the kids tea then have something with them and something later you may find it easier.
ezzzra - hope you start to feel better soon
Thanks kiwigirl4, me too!
Great idea TiP though as I've still got at least 1&half stone ill still be here!
ezzza wish you better.
Wasn't hungry at all this evening & thought I would make it a fast day then remembered that I've got my heavy meds to take tonight & tomorrow & no fasting allowed. So annoying I've had to eat chocolate to make up the calories - such a hard life.
I have lurked and read nearly all of the 10 previous posts. I was horrified as someone pointed out that's 10000 posts. Several have made me laugh and I have stacks of great info so thanks everyone!
I am 5 ft 4 and 12 stone so MASSES to loose. I also have a cholesterol test soon as I have hypothyriodism.
I had a bash at 4:3 for a week and lost 4lbs then I got a rotten cold and did some serious bing eating. Would love to get some control over my eating is I hope I can get some with this WOE.
TiP where is the maintenance thread?
TP2 I don't think I am but I don't know now - sounds very interesting though...
Congrats snowkey you must be feeling and looking fabulous. Hearing news like that is a great boost to ones moral and shows what can be achieved if you stick at it.
Fillybuster have a great holiday and don't worry we will be here waiting for you
Welcome mandy312 I think you mean you've read the previous 10 threads not posts? Well done! That info gathering is the way to go and now press forward, a half stone at a time and you will get there.Yes there's a lot of wise-cracking and banter on here and it's made me laugh many times too. The one that sticks out (and it was ages ago) is still manonboard and his TOTM (top of the morning), it still makes me smile to think of it. I do hope he's lurking in the background somewhere.
Iwearblack well done on your size 12s - doesn't it feel great to buy new smaller clothes. I'm hoping to need new ones by the beginning of April as I've heard that M&S have sacked their old buyers as last years stock was terrible and are planning a new launch in April. I expect many if you mums on here are too young for M&S but for us oldies it's quite exciting
Hey where is everyone??? B&W are you lurking there? Where are all the night owls? Seems like I've been doing an Ezzza all by myself, oh well off to bed.
Ha ha I am old enough to be excited by an MandS sale! I got mine from Debenhams ...
I am up and quaffing Sauvignon blanc whilst watching old America's Next Top Model. Living the dream!
Hi VP
I've just been on TiP2's new thread - just what I need, somewhere else to post!
Talking of which I'd recommend that posters keep an eye on the 5:2 forum that sprung out of Dr M's TheFastDiet website (not that it's linked to it or anything).
There is some excellent research being posted on there, and there's a Progress Tracker facility, which allows you to see how you're doing.
You probably have to register to see the stats, but here's the state of play ATM:
361 forum members are tracking their weight loss progress and have lost a total of 608.82kg over a combined total of 1617 weeks and 4 days.
This equates to an average of 0.38kg lost per member per week.
There are graphs and piecharts on there, with a great deal of info which would be fascinating, not just to nerdie folk, but to anyone who takes an interest in this WOL.
VP Tip's maintenance thread is here:
Virginposter thankyou for your reply. I will try to take your advice and keep reading this thread. Good luck to you.
Virginposter thanks for the correction!
Glad to see there were some people up later than me.
So my aim for today is to stay in my TDEE and than go for a fast tomorrow..
Anyone with a Kindle, The Fast Diet is 99p on Amazon just for today!
Hi everyone another newbie here started the WOE on Tuesday with a fast day and really didnt find it too bad think the fact i was in work helped as i was distracted. Ate normally on Wednesday and then another fast day on Thursday. I have found that i have lost 3.5lbs already and when i have weighed myself after non fast days i havent gained yet just stayed the same. Has anyone else found this? Also on no fast days does anyone not eat breakfast and try to eat as late as possible to leave a bigger non eating gap? or is it best to leave that to fast days?
Sorry for all the questions that have probably been done to death in all these threads lol Thanks!!
Thanks for that Bssh I wasn't going to buy the book, but for 99p it would seem rude not to.
Thanks BsshBossh, just downloaded it to read in bed with this cold. Was a scheduled fast day today. Just as well, I can't bear the idea of eating anything right now.
Tracey, you don't need to control your eating on food days beyond trying to stick to TDEE and being as balanced as possible. No need to skip meals. I don't weigh after eating days, just once or twice a week after fasts. My pattern has settled into fast mon, wed and fri. Weigh tues or thurs- stay same. Weigh sat - drop 1lb.
traceyed1, now that I've finally got it out of my head that I 'must eat breakfast' whether I'm hungry or not I often end up skipping breakfast on non-fast days now, especially after a fast day. That said, I don't force myself to skip breakfast if I do wake up hungry as otherwise I find the promise I make myself on fast days that I can have it tomorrow seems hollow and less motivational. I think many on here do choose to have a 16 hour fast from dinner on a fast day until lunch on a non-fast day though.
I too have noticed the scales usually go down a little after fast days and stay about the same after eating days, though when I do have a sneaky peak at the scales mid week it's just out of interest. I don't consider myself to have actually lost (or gained) any weight unless the scales say so at my weekly weigh in time first thing every Tuesday morning.
Hi traceyed1 and welcome! Well done on the weight loss. The weight loss does seem to fluctuate, especially at the beginning I think, but I have also found that my weight is often the same after a normal day. I know some posters weigh daily to monitor this and find there is a general downward trend even with fluctuations.
Re breakfast on non-fast days - its really up to you. There's no need to try and have a bigger fasting gap as this is intended for fasting days. So its really a question about if you WANT breakfast. I've found (after 3 and a half weeks only, so no expert!!) that this WOE has really made me think about what I'm eating, when and why. Can't believe how much rubbish I was eating before - just for a quick fix!
Third fasting day this week for me today
I've really liked 2 days between fasts, always hungrier on the second day - yesterday I had a lovely 1900 calories of fish and chips, beer, 3 cakes over the day - first day in the week I've come close to my TDEE.
Feel really great.
Hello all,
I survived week two! Four fast days under the belt.
Not as hard as I thought but evenings were where temptation hit so think fasting all day and one dinner will suit me.
Yesterday on fast day I had a small bowl of baked beans and miso soup and milk in tea (alternating between green and English breakfast as I hate black tea)
I did hear myself think 'you can have it tomorrow'
I'm only going to weigh once a week as I think daily just causes anguish, too many variations.
I've passed on the book to family too.
Early days but I love it!
I only have 10kg to lose but that's still enough but wanting to be in control of my overall diet is much more important for me.
5:2 Bring it on!!
I've been keeping a note of my weight for the first time this week & thought for all you worried about fluctuations that I would put it here:-
Saturday 11.6.8
Sunday 11.8.2
Monday 11.10.2
Wednesday. 11.8.8
Thursday 11.7.8
Friday. 11.7.2
Saturday 11.6.0
I've only had one semi fast this week but as you can see weight has varied between 4lbs on & off. So what I'm trying to say is don't worry about the small fluctuations & just concentrate on the bigger picture.
aftereight thank you for that. Was very timely as despite a great loss after first fasting day I stayed the same after number 2 of the week. Have also been contemplating moving to a 3rd fast day as finding fasts easier. Moving from mon and wed to a mon and thurs has really suited me this week. But I want I to feel easy so may do it slowl by skipping one meal on a non fast day and then building up slowly to a 3rd fasting day. Thx all for keeping me motivated. I don post often but am following the thread.
Off to buy book st 99p.
Hi there, new to fasting and am intrigued by it. This is what Ive done this first week...
Monday ate what I liked, Tuesday fasted....saved 500 cals for evening meal, Wednesday ate what I liked, Thursday ditto Tuesday, Friday te what I liked. Now its Saturday and dont know what to do. Start weight 14st 3. Weighed on Wednesday AM and was 13st 13, then weighed Friday AM and was up to 14st, then weighed again this morning and down to 13st 9.
Obviously very pleased with the loss so far, should state that over Christmas and January eating was out of control and had put on loads of weight, my normal maintaining weight for some time has been around 13.7 - 13.8st when eating healthily and exercising regularly.
Am very keen for weight loss to continue as I feel that nothing else works, Ive tried it all!
A few questions...
Is it normal for the weight to drop off after an eating day and go on after a fasting day?
Should I continue to eat every other day, or do the eating 5 days...will I lose a good amount eating 5 days and only fasting 2? I run a lot so dont want to run out of energy. Am trying to figure out whether to go and have breakfast or not so any advice would be appreciated!
marking place
Hi woahthere I have been doing 4:3 for a week and a half now, so far 5lbs lost. I wanted to start on 4:3 as I wanted a good kick start, I too put on quite a lot over Christmas. So far I'm finding it fairly easy and have had enough energy for my usual 4 mile runs. Today though I am going running with a friend who is training for the marathon so we are doing 12miles so we'll see how that goes
Have breakfast if you want it, or not if you don't. Up to you.
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
it might seem like a stupid question, but will I lose more weight doing 4:3. Wow 12 miles is far!
Hi All
Just an update on our experience so far: DH and I both lost 4lbs in the first week, which even tho we know it's mainly water was a mental boost none the less! Then we came to one of the reasons we're doing this in the 1st place - a 10 day food festival in a local restaurant! Kept up the fasting on the days we could, and I drove (DH had the wine packages ) but we've eaten out 7 times in this last fortnight ! I put on 1lb in the first week which was a positive triumph as far as I was concerned! DH put his 4lbs back on but for the food we've eaten and the wine he's drunk that is frankly miraculous. We weigh in to see the damage we've done in the 2nd foodie week on Monday but we're both quite calm about the whole thing - maybe because we have a definitely different attitude to this WoE, less weekly obsessing over the scales and more "we're in this for the long haul so a bad week every so often isn't a tragedy" if that makes any sense? It's quite liberating after being a person in panic mode once a week before SW or WW meetings for the last couple of decades! Having talked to a lot of chefs and foodies over the past fortnight I've been astounded how many have taken up the 5:2 WoE - it's the perfect foodie solution where we can have our gourmet feasts and keep our weight and health under control .
Sorry for the long post, must keep the waffle down, just so happy and excited I get carried away!
It's not far, it's really far!! I am starting to worry a bit now, just realising how long it's been since I've ran further than 10k - about 10 months!! I may have o walk a lot.
Doing 4:3 will give you a bigger calorie deficit, assuming you don't over do on feed days, so I would expect to lose a bit quicker.
Loving the sound of the food festival
Hi all....well i unfortunately abandoned my 3rd attempt at a fast day last night. Don't know what came over me....I think i reverted to old habit/headspace of needing to feed my "emotional" stomach rather than my actual stomach (which had just had a lovely bowl of veggies and was quite full!!). My monday fast had gone well, my wednesday was not too good (went over by a couple of hundred cals) and I had decided to make up for it by doing a third...and then as reported, abandoned that too. I'm really wondering what's happening to my motivation, possibly that I havent lost any weight yet in 4/5 weeks of this woe (and I seriously put every morsel i eat into MFP). Is it possible that I am a person that is resistant due to trying too many diets in the past? any advice gratefully received.
Thanks Itsaboatjack it's one of the highlights of the year for us - ten top chefs (including 1 & 2 starred Michelin chefs) coming to our corner of Lancashire - bliss!
Woahthere it will no doubt be quicker but would you be able to sustain it? The great thing about 5:2 is it fits into your life easily and doesn't feel much of a hardship. If it feels too restrictive there's a likelihood you might not want to carry it on (like most of us find with other diets)! Obviously if you have a will of iron you should go for it but the health benefits and a more gradual weight loss will happen on a 5:2 as well. It's probably best to look at a weekly or longer pattern than daily scales reading (I have to remind myself of this too!!!). Congrats on the weightloss so far
fastingfoodie Sounds amazing! It is a foodie's solution isn't it? I love cooking creatively and this is so liberating - planning to make a game pie tomorrow and will be baking a cakey-pudding tonight, all guilt-free as Monday is fast day again
ghanagal are you exercising? I've found I don't lose weight on 5:2 unless I'm burning calories too - a 30 minute cycle or 15 minute run goes a long way on fast days - and staves off the hunger for longer too. I do then tend to eat more on fast days than I might otherwise do but it seems to work out ok!
Ghanagal that is very strange. How many cals do you eat on normal days? Do you eat your TDEE? Are you sure you weigh every single thing and log it?
ghanagal That was meant to say "...I do then tend to eat more on feed days...", oops!
Woahthere I've been doing this since September and at the same time started training for 10k and it does not affect my running at all. I'm now training for the marathon and can run 8 miles when fasting and I don't fast on my long runs which is usually Sundays. So far total weight loss of 24lbs.
Hi everyone, I've just started this 5:2 fast, and have two fasts under my belt, so to speak. They weren't too bad. Drank black tea and coffee, and water. Tried not to think about food.
I've found that no brekkie is best for me and just having a lunch and dinner is fine.... But, I was starving on the second day fast and snuck a bag of lentil curls with hot chilli sauce on them - 90 cals.
Anyone else just going for sweet things on the non fast days? I find myself very attracted to croissants and biscuits! Tell me that calms down!
Does anyone fast for two days consecutively? This might be better for me, then I'd get it out of the way in my head for the week.
Ghanagal1717 I would not lose heart. Maybe doing three fast days is putting pressure on you and makes it easier to quit! Just like weightloss diets of the past.
Why don't you stick to two fast days and if you don't quite make it don't beat yourself up about it but don't quit, I think you'll regret that more!
Hi everyone.
I've now been doing 5:2 for a week. I'm doing my third fast day today. Here's my thoughts so far:
It's going well. By 'well' I mean, I'm sticking to it. But I'm still sceptical. Whilst I wouldn't say that I 'binge' on feed days, I certainly don't eat 'good' foods. I eat pizzas, burgers, chocolates This is because I've deprived myself of these foods for years, so these are the foods I'm craving. The 5:2 diet is supposed to permit you to 'eat what you like' on feed days, but what if all I crave is bad foods? Is the 5:2 diet soley about creating a calorie deficit, or is there more to it?
I'm not going to weigh myself for 6 weeks, to give this WOE a chance.
Blackmaryjane I reckon you'll soon find that now they're allowed you'll stop craving them! In the meantime take heart in Dr Krista Varady's research (in Mosley & Spencer's book) - 2 groups of obese American's were being monitored on an alternate day fast schedule and with one group on a low-fat non-fast day diet, the other on an anything-you want diet. The one's that opted for pizza, lasagne, burgers etc lost more weight (and reduced cholesterol etc) than the other group! Varady says this was probably because the 2nd group were able to stick to the plan in a way the dieting group couldn't.
Wow BetsyVanBell!! I'm liking that research! But how would that work in terms of overall calorie deficit?
Just did 12 mile run and felt fine, plenty of energy (fast day yesterday) and actually easier than expected.
mumrunner, good luck with the marathon, are you doing it for a charity or did you get a ballot place.
BlackMaryJanes I too have been a bit like that with 'junk' food, I've had fish and chips two weeks running but I think that'll pass soon enough, hopefully.
thats great news about the kindle book being 99p - as someone said upstream, be rude not to buy it at that price!
I've just had a huge chunk of chocolate guiness cake for brunch. Yum. And I'm going to have a beef pasty for tea later. Not thinking about fasting or feeding at all today. Just chilling with ragdoll cat on my lap!
Betsy I think, especially if you're doing ADF, that's true. It's why I always suggest that people just concentrate on getting the fast days down first. And definitely don't try to 'low cal' on the non-fast days, or you'll just lose all hope within weeks. Unless you're in it to crash diet in the first place.
I eat junk food on every feed day Almost for every meal! Help!
Oh and great news about the kindle version! I'm going to purchase today.
BMJ well it's based on ADF, so they'd only be eating every other day. Overall calorie deficit would still be good, regardless of eating junk. Also, their stomachs would likely shrink over time (mine has over a period of months) and even if they were continuing to eat junk on their non-fast days, they'd be eating less of it.
GreenEggsAndNichts Good point on the stomach shrinkage. I'm not doing ADF though. Will I still lose weight on 5:2 with my horrible eating preferences? I still work out regularly (lots of cardio).
I'm hoping that in a few weeks, junk food will gradually lose it's 'allure' as it would be a 'forbidden food' like it has been for years.
well. Keep in mind this is anecdotal, BMJ, but I lost weight my first several weeks, even though I ate rather poorly on my non-fast days. I was doing 4:3, however, which is pretty close to ADF.
I think with ADF you do feel the temptation more to eat a bit more than you might normally on a non-fast day, because you know tomorrow will be yet another fast day. 5:2 (which I'm doing now) feels much more relaxed.
I think (again, just my opinion) that you can get away with eating not so great on eating days early on, especially if you have a lot to lose. However, you might run into a plateau, at which time you'll want to re-visit what you're eating on those days.
Well that was on ADF so they did end up with a calorie deficit (turned out they just couldn't make up the calories on feed days), so yes BlackMaryJane you may find you don't lose weight on 5:2 if you eat too much junk on feed days! However, get those fast days sorted (as GreenEggs says) and the feed days will sort themselves out in time . That's the theory anyway...
I only have 1 stone to lose. I hope I don't end up gaining weight on this WOE.
I'm going to stick with 5:2 for 6 weeks, then weigh myself. If I haven't gained any weight, but haven't lost any weight, I will then do 4:3. If I've gained considerable weight I'll have to revert to my old traditional calorie counting diet (which totally sucked but worked). Sound like a good idea?
Man I'm hungry at the moment. Just guzzling my cans of diet pepsi and waiting for supper.
Well I've lost 4.4lb in 4 weeks since starting & I do eat very badly on non-fast days. I've been known to eat so much chocolate that I almost throw up
Am sure if I ate better on non-fast days I'd lose more.
BlackMaryJane HelsBels Don't forget that there's loads more benefits to this than just the weightloss - you're still doing amazing things for your body too even though you're eating junk - what other woe can boast that?!
Well that's why I went for this rather than WW. I like the idea of only worrying about calories 2 days a week.
I wish I wasn't so fond of junk though.
For breakfast I'm having a stuffed crust peperroni pizza ooozing with grease and a small box of lint chocolates. Ooops.
Can't ruddy wait!
Well I've lost 4.4lb in 4 weeks since starting & I do eat very badly on non-fast days.
Wow! I love the sound of that high five!
Apart from chocolate, what other junk have you been eating on feed days?
BetsyVanBell very true on the health benefits front. Cell repair, etc. I think about that a lot of fast days.
Thank you.
Chocolate, biscuits & pizza are regular features on my non-fast days, plus gallons of orange juice . We've still gots lots of Christmas goodies but once they've gone I'm hoping to eat healthier. I set a very poor example for DS1 & I must do better.
BMJ and any others who find themselves eating lots of junk. Why not try planning your meals carefully on the day after a fast. I find the lunchtime after a fast food tastes great, so plan something healthy but tasty for then. I don't necessarily mean low fat, but something that has lots of goodness in it (I go for a goats cheese and sun dried tomato omelette with a large salad). That way it tastes so good that you want to eat it again and you will slowly wean yourself off the junk.
Another way to do it is to eat all those lovely things, but make them rather than buy them, so you can add in some extra veg to the pizzas etc
Is anyone fasting today? I haven't ate so far. I'm saving all my cals for supper so I can go to bed on a full stomach (only way I can sleep).
I ate very badly when I started this in August but now I no longer have those cravings for junk food. I could easily have eaten a large bar of cadburys (&used to) but now I loathe milk chocolate. But it took until around November for me to start feeling like that. Also I've lost 3 stone on this & so far have managed to keep it off. I usually give up after 3 months on Atkins, Dukan, WW, SW.....
So don't give up & think of the health benefits which are worth it on their own.
Thanks, that's encouraging. I've noticed I'm better the day after a fast now but it goes downhill after that. Not considering giving up but I appear to have a lot of weight to lose (about 1/3 of my body weight now if BMIs are to be believed ). Still don't they say slow sustained weight loss is better?
Any weight loss is good MrsHelsBels74 particularly, as others have said, combined with the health benefits.
when I started the diet I found that I still had cravings for chocolate on non fast day. This week I ate half a mars bar and was nearly ill. I also dont even crave my glass of red wine - strange but good! Just bought book for 99p thanks to the person who spotted it! Am now finishing week 3 and finding it easier and easier to fast
Itsabotjack I got lucky to get in the ballot this year. I enter every year. I ran it in 2008 with less training and it hurt, so lesson learned there. I'm getting there, it's my down week this week so will be running 13 miles tomorrow.
ErikNorseman: thanks for your response...actually I dont eat my full tdee ever...is that making a difference do you think? I've just looked back at my MFP daily records and I hit around 1100-1200 on my feed days (my calculated tdee was 1700). I thought it was a good thing that I was going lower than my tdee and that the tdee was just a point that I couldn't go above?
also...to Betsyvanbell...no, don't exercise at all!!
BlackMaryJanes Today's a fasting day for me too
The plan for today-
2 servings of rusk (4) and 2 wedges of laughing cow light swiss spread 190c
2 servings of light veggie and noodle soup 120c
1 cup popcorn with seasoning salt 35c
2 cup diet hot cocoa 40c
=385 calories. That leaves me 115c short. Maybe I'll throw in a hb egg too? Or when I run to the store later today I may try to find a low calorie treat, like candy
The whole point of 5:2 is that once you get to a healthy weight you have no calorie counting or restrictions on what you eat at all 5 days a week.
By starving yourself all week (600 under your TDEE is a serious deficit each day) you are not going to teach your brain what healthy meals are.
Aim for exactly your TDEE a couple of days a week - plan menus and cook from scratch.
There is a good chance that your metabolism has slowed way down because you are eating far too little overall. When you eat too few calories for your body to function (over time, it doesn't happen overnight) your metabolism slows down so as to preserve your fat reserves for upcoming famine. I bet if you started eating your TDEE every day you would start to see a loss.
Oh my word....Talkinpeace and Eriknorseman.....thats mindblowing!!! How could I have been so silly to have thought I was doing good going so low below the TDEE
Ok...armed with this new knowledge (and feeling suitably embarrassed)..I will begin again tomorrow. Thanks so much.
I think it's worth a try! Bear in mind you may see an initial gain though as your body reacts to increased calories by storing fat.
The body needs food to function. You cannot expect optimal performance if you deny it fuel constantly. There is a 'safe maximum' deficit that you should create and (presuming your weight is fairly low) you are exceeding it. Your TDEE is 1700, so you shouldn't go under around 1100 per day, which works out at 4200 deficit per week. You are going under by around 5200 pr week. That is too much. If you have been 'over dieting' for a while that will have had an effect.
first fast day was wednesday, on thursday morning i weighed myself and i'd lost nearly a pound. thursday and friday i ate whatever i liked and this morning when i weighed myself i was still the same weight as the morning after fasting.
i'm actually looking foward to monday when i'll be fasting again strangely.
i am not calorie counting in between because to me that is kind of the point of this woe that you don't do that. will see if that works or if i have to rethink.
I was 'addicted' to a can or two of diet coke every day...until I finally took on board this was really bad for my health. Now I just drink plain soda-stream soda if I want fizzy. Also, I find I am eating way less on feed-days than I used to before IF. Possibly undereating? Not too worried about this as I know I will work it out/get on top if it over time. I do see IF as a lifetime thing - nothing like all my old diets where as soon as I lost my weight I felt free to start overeating again, and always put it right back on! Anyway, please do think about stopping drinking diet drinks which contain so many ghastly unpronounceable additives!
Evening all! It's a long time since I last posted on here it seems. Wau these threads move on so quickly it's hard to keep track.. I've been doing 4:3 since the beginning of January and my fast days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This morning I weighed myself and have officially lost 8.8 lbs in a month, WUUHUU !!
I absolutely love this WOL and feel like for the first time in a long while, I'm in control of my eating. I love the simplicity of the fast days and the feeling of being 'in tune' with my body.
I've been overweight now for about 6 years and every year I've started some kind of a diet at the start of the year with the hope of being able to wear nice clothes in the summer. This year, I'm actually hoping my dream will come true.
Good luck to everyone and hope you're all enjoying this WOL as much as I am!
I've done it... I've finally caught up!
I started reading from the beginning of Perfect 10 on Monday when I did my first fast... And now I'm here. So hello and good evening to you all.
I watched Horizons back in August and found it fascinating but was a little sceptical, thought no more about it until I read an article recently and decided I had nothing to lose (except lbs!) so would give it a whirl.. I got the book on Friday night, speed read it and found these threads.
Someone's advice was jump in, do it now (think it was TIP2?) so I did.
I ate my last meal on Sunday evening and didn't eat again until Monday lunchtime, just under 16 hours between. Went ok, better than I thought and took the plunge again on Wednesday for my 2nd fast.
I have a lot to lose. A lot. But I'm not just here for the weight loss, the health benefits astound me and inspire me, as do you all. This is my first experience of MN, which does get a bad press and I've been pleasantly surprised. Helpful, supportive, tips and tricks... Brilliant! I'm in, if you'll have me?
Wow Fazerina well done!! If you don't mind me asking, how much weight (in total) did you have to loose?
MummaMoosey I too was sceptical after watching Horizon. Still am, but it's early days. This is just my second week, so we'll do this together
Evening everyone! Newcomers and returners especially!
Of course we'll have you Mumma! I forecast you'll soon be joining the "Helpful, supportive, tips and tricks" brigade yourself!
I'm currently laid up in bed (but feeling no pain, folks, so spare the sympathy!). I started feeling shivery and 'not quite with it' whilst making tonight's dinner (Pizzas, so that's my job!). I had my dinner and just sat there - found myself watching 'Four in a bed'! so I knew something wasn't right. Took my temperature and I'm currently 38.3C, which I'm told is officially a fever!
Not wishing to be a burden to anyone, I took to my bed - with a few goodies!
Being of the 'Feed a fever, feed a cold', school of thought, I loaded my tray with - first of all the remnants of the bottle of port we'd opened over Christmas. To my huge disappointment, there was only an inch or so in the bottom! Could have done with 3 at least (there is an unopened bottle in the cupboard, but I couldn't justify opening it. [saint]
Then I found half a packet of crystallised ginger, an unopened bar of chilli chocolate and the last couple of inches of a chocolate covered bar of marzipan -
plus 3 choc liqueurs.
So I'm steadily munching my way through that lot. I just emailed my wife for a mug of cocoa, and I'm loving that. Have to report that the chilli chocolate and ginger combination is a real winner!
I've also just received my copy of 'The Fast Diet', so, as well as browsing these threads, I shall be perusing that - and reporting back where necessary!
I ordered three copies of this book (one each for my two kids and me) at the beginning of Jan - from a local bookshop I'm anxious doesn't close. I was given 20% off, so I was happy with that. However, the book never arrived! I was told the priority was Amazon and supermarkets! I received a phone call yesterday saying the books were now in and collected them earlier today.
Can I make a plea to all the newcomers to this WOL to make sure you scan the Tips and Links thread, where a great deal of research has been gathered. IME, you're far more likely to succeed in something if you know why you're doing something, as well as how to do something!
IMO after 10 weeks on this plan and lurking and listening and learning for all that time, anyone looking for a quick fix in terms of weight loss, this is probably not the plan for you. We all know that the truth is, diets like those where you show huge losses in the first few weeks, there isn't one of them that is sustainable.
Can't eat this, musn't drink that? How on earth can that be a long tem achievable plan? Let's face it, we wouldn't be here now if it were.
However if it's a long term, lean, healthy, best that you can be version of you that you are after, without depriving yourself of your favourite treats - for the most part - then you are in the right place. If it takes 6 months or a year to reach that stage so what? I guarantee that this wol will work if you if you just chill out, listen to the advice given by those who have been doing it for ages and basically just get on with it. It's so flexible too! And very, very cheap.
We all obviously want to do it otherwise we wouldn't be here. Fasts can occasionally be challenging but they are over quickly in reality aren't they? They are so worth it too, for the health benefits alone if nothing else......just so happens I have lost half a stone, 9st 12lbs to 9 st 5 lbs!! And yes it has been a bit up and down but worth persevering.
I apologise if I'm stating the obvious but this is how I see this wol. And it's really exciting!!
By the way, the best piece of advice I read on these threads was one of Talkingpeace2's genuine pearls of wisdom which was, when you are on your fast days move about as much as possible to burn off some of that visceral fat round your stomach. It works!!
She gives loads of great advice as does Laska, Cyclitist, Bread and Wine, Snowkey, Ezza and Greeneggs. Soz in advance to all the others I should have mentioned.......
Exercise and moving around suppresses the appetite, who knew!!!
Prettymaidsallinarow I completely agree that this is not a quick fix crash diet, but rather a sustainable long term way of eating.
I do get a little irritated whenever I read one of those ill-informed press pieces which suggests this WOE will lead someone with no history of or even tendency toward eating disorders into a starve-binge mentality. I feel like before anyone writes one of those pieces they should first read the latest one or two threads on here and read for themselves how this WOE has helped so many of us gradually readjust our eating habits to a much healthier and more balanced diet.
Oh dear, sounding grumpy today. Probably because I have a cold and now have to play hunt-for-a-restaurant-that's-still-open for my lunch. (I'm in China with no access to acceptable cooking facilities so have to buy all my food out, but it's Chinese New Year in a week so a lot of places have already closed for the holidays.)
Get well soon Breadandwine. Isn't it great that you can feed the fever without guilt .
I have a question for you, Ezzza, TiP2, Natasha, Laska and all other seasoned fasters (apologies to those I've missed): Since fasting I've found my appetite reduced on non-fast days and aside from the weekend, I'm not making my TDEE. I can see that I may be short by 5000+ calories for the week. I am not a believer in undereating and have lost 47lbs (pre-5:2) by eating at a 10-15% cut from my TDEE.
Am I worrying needlessly? Should I just eat according to appetite and not stress about undereating?
Can I just say, and I'm sorry if I'm stating the obvious, in which case please ignore my ramblings that there is little point in stressing over the additives in diet drinks if you don't concern yourself with additives in your everyday foods - processed foods are often jam packed full of them, especially the so-called healthy diet variety. Have a look at that diet yoghurt, or diet health bar - I have no idea what half the stuff is in there but I'd hazard a guess that it's not there for your health!
Some processed food is more innocent than others - in general a good rule of thumb is the longer the list of ingredients, the more additives it contains, so when I'm in a hurry, if I pick up a food look at the ingredients - see a long list, it goes straight back again - the food with the shorter list has the added bonus of being made from real food so it will taste better too!
I teach my kids to do this when they are choosing a treat - they don't need to know what the additives are, just that a long list is not a positive quality and they must choose something else.
I know on the 5 days you can eat anything, so instead of thinking of limiting yourself try to think about getting nutrients into your body - be nice to it and stay away from those horrid diet foods.
BssshBossh I'd say you are worrying unnecessarily, we go through appetite surges - you must notice that with your dcs - sometimes they eat a lot, sometimes they eat very little - they are lucky - they eat when they need to, we eat for many other reasons and so often that has little to do with hunger. Make sure what you do eat is nutritionally dense food - no diet rubbish and you'll be fine...your body will start requesting more food soon enough.
Thanks Snowkey - you are of course entirely right. I guess I have read a lot of stuff lately about particularly Diet Coke which has freaked me out! However, I too am fairly careful about what I put in my body - eat very little processed food and cook nearly everything from scratch. Since going on 5:2 I have dropped sugar completely, eaten nothing deep-fried, and am enjoying a glass of wine just once or twice a week. Not wanting super-fast weight loss, happy to let it happen as it should. Anyway, good advice for us all.
bssh, hi. Try not to underway drastically on your non-fast days. However, don't stress about it and look at the bigger picture. I sometimes find I am really not hungry and don't eat as much as I used to think I 'need'. Then, on other days, maybe I have baked with dd1 and I can happily tuck in, or there is a celebration involving lots of food, and I eat more. What I have found is that I am listening to my body much more and that can only be a good thing. It was overriding its signals that got me a but tubbier than I would have liked in the first place. (I should say, I have always been a healthy bmi, always pretty active, always pretty healthy -as a vegan, most processed foods etc are a no-no- it was just that I would eat too much of the right things. I put this down largely to being 'fed' the advice that three meals and two snacks a day were essential and that I must never allow myself to be hungry. Now, in general, I wait for the hunger before eating, I eat flavourful, nutrient-dense )and very often, calorie-dense) foods in the amounts my body needs them.
Ok that was a super long post. I guess in the main what I am saying is that some days you will eat over your TDEE and other days, less. It's a big picture thing we're interested in. Don't worry about metabolism lies.
(Interestingly there's a school of thought that suggests that slowing down our metabolism is actually the key to longevity- i.e. if your body does things in less of a hurry, it won't wear out so quickly. But thats another whole discussion).
Thanks bordercollielover for the reminder of the tips for avoiding cramps. DH and I went out for a lovely meal last night and dry January was well and truly busted witha few s so I'm interested and slightly nervous to see how this will impact on the scales. I'm looking forward to my fast day on Monday now as I feel a bit bloated this morning but I don't feel guilty just relaxed!
I've been doing this wol since Xmas and have lost just about half a stone. Would like to lose about another half but I'm in it as much for the health benefits as the weight loss. I have read the op about the potential relative lack of benefits for women of normal bmi but don't quite understand why this would be the case- and if this was the case shouldn't women stop fasting when they get to their normal bmi? Maybe this is one question for the maintenance thread?
Thanks to everyone on the thread for inclusive, informative posts.
Completely agree with snowkey's advice above. I used always to carry a nakd bar around with me when I was pregnant and throwing up - only 2 or 3 ingredients: nuts and dates. Now I am no longer nauseated, I don't need it but they're still good in a pinch.
Btw I have been away this week and have really really enjoyed my food, but never been stuffed or felt guilty. That's despite eating bread, pasta, pizza, lots of marinated (readily) vegetables etc. other times I might have thought: argh, I'm only here for a few days, tomorrow there won't be any of this' and stuffed myself. I never had the desire to do this on this occasion, and I love the consciousness I have learned.
Err that should say marinated (read: oily) vegetables....
Fast day today (1st one back on the wagon), here goes!
I made some veg chilli with a tiny spoon of brown rice on Friday (been in the fridge) does everyone think it will still be ok today?
Thanks Snowkey and literarygeek. I will stop worrying. Of course hunger goes in waves - I can see it with my 4yo - some days she hardly eats a thing because she says she's not hungry but always makes up for it on other days.
northstarmum there is some suggestion that women of normal BMI don't get the same benefit from fasting as men but that's not the same thing as saying looking at everything across all markers that it's actively bad for them.
Studies suggest that it has a negative impact on insulin sensitivity amongst woman. This may be of concern to you if your family has a history of diabetes - personally I feel if your family has a history of diabetes and that's a big concern then you should knock sugar and refined carbs on the head but I don't know if this balances out in the long run. Don't even know if the limited number of studies done on men versus woman were conducted properly - so much is still unknown.
Don't think anyone knows yet whether men and woman derive different benefits from the other positive aspects of fasting like lower cancer rates, lower dementia and related illnesses rates, lower cholesterol etc.
So I think all you can do is to read up as much as you can, satisfy yourself that what you are doing is right for your body and then if you wish to take a leap of faith. There are no guarantees.
bssh I wouldn't worry too much but if I've gone way under on my tdee for the week then I eat some unsalted nuts which are not greatly filling but full of calories.
Wish you better b&w great to be able to go to bed with lots of guilt free food.
mandy I'm a bit wary of reheating rice as I once had terrible food poisoning from not doing it well enough but am sure someone will be along who may be more experienced than me.
Mandy I've never been I'll from reheated rice - I'd call that good luck given the advice below.
Is it true that cooked rice shouldn't be reheated?
A disproportionately high number of food poisoning cases are indeed caused by reheated rice. Or perhaps I should say inadequately heated. It's not actually the reheating that's the problem - it's the way the rice has been stored before reheating. Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Unless the rice is cooked properly, the spores can survive, and if you then leave it standing at room temperature for any length of time, the spores can germinate into bacteria. These will then multiply and may produce toxins that cause all manner of nasty side-effects. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins, so the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat.
Rice is best served when it has just been cooked, anyway, but if that's not possible, cool it as soon as you can (within an hour) and keep in the fridge for no more than a day. As when reheating any food, check it's steaming hot all the way through, and don't reheat more than once.
Mandy312, the rice and chilli will be fine if it was chilled quickly and kept in fridge.
I had my second fast day yesterday - tough but worth it I think. The scales showed a 2lb loss since yesterday!
My Tdee is only 1500 calories, so I'm going to track everything on MFP for a while.
I expected to be ravenous when I woke up this morning, but felt fine - leisurely shower then a big bowl of muesli with yogurt and fresh fruit.
Not sure when my next fast day will be - perhaps individual support threads for fast days would be a good idea - eg 'Monday's fast thread' - what do you think?
Signing into fred. Have tried 5:2 a few days on and off since December, and felt the benefits, but have not yet really started properly. I will start in ernest tomorrow
as I've already had two large milky coffees and peanut butter toast
Thanks ladies, I will go for a run and decide...
My first weigh in today and I've lost 2 inches from my waist and 4.5lbs
I've done 4:3 as I have 5 stone to lose so a long way to go. I've found it very easy and incredibly cheap. And most importantly haven't felt deprived at all.
The most important thing for me though is not the weight loss - it's that I have lost all my sugar crash shakes - I suspect I am pre diabetic and haven't had one wibbly moment all week though I've gone 23 hours without eating one fast day - this is unheard of for me.
Subtle changes too - before I'd eat cake or crisps instead of food (leading to sugar problems) to keep calories down. Now I'm eating them very occasionally after food and they're not having the same effect.
Dh has been doing it too - for health reasons and he has lost half a pound but he really only needs to cut his body fat by 5% so I imagine it will be slower for him. He's done 5:2 and also found it easy.
Thanks Aftereightsarenolongermine nuts are a great idea!
Laurie fantastic loss, well done!
Is anyone on MFP? I'd love some more fasting friends. I'm Bssh on there if you'd like to add me. Or you could tell me your usernames. Many thanks!
Hi Bread and Wine, thank you for that link, I will watch that programme and see what it says about diet drinks. I'll be very sad if I feel that I have to give up my beloved Pepsi Max! (haha, how sad!!) Sorry, I haven't been ignoring you or anyone, its just I'm so bloody busy that this is the first time for days I've been able to get to the computer!!
I missed my 2nd fast last week and thought oh well, weekend now, can't possibly - but I'm managing to fit in a sneaky 24hour thing by having a early dinner/late lunch yesterday (4pm) and now having a small late breakfast (and therefore 16hrs without any food) and aiming to make my main meal 4pm again - and so an easy peasy 24 hour fast with normal eating either side!
I should probably to shift my Monday fast to Tuesday as both Saturday and Sunday will have been relatively low calorie (I haven't worked it out but I suspect somewhere round the 1200 mark maximum each day).
Excellent news weight-wise as I have now shifted all the Christmas podge and more after only 3 weeks of 5:2. I've been losing weight steadily for the last 15 months but had definitely plateaued at around 11 stone so, as I'd hoped, this IF WOE has kickstarted the weight loss again. I am so close to getting into a 'normal' BMI category... When I started paying attention to my weight in September 2011 I was in the obese section so feeling pretty good about myself!
thought i wouldn't manage a fast this weekend because it's the weekend and because i'm full of cold but actually i really want to do one today after a few days of eating too much. didn't fancy breakfast so will just have a boiled egg in a while so i don't get to feeling nauseous and later i'll have steamed fish and veg i think.
i did my first fast wednesday so this will be number two and i'll be on track to do wednesday again. think i'd be better off doing monday and thursday actually so will delay next fast till thursday.
is there any harm in doing more than 2 a week in the early days? wondering about doing 5 a fortnight for the first couple of weeks to kick start things.
swallowed no harm at all - lots of people do a 4:3 or alternate day fast. 5:2 is so popular because it's easy to keep up in an everyday life.
For what it's worth (sample size of one) I've been reheating rice for years and years and never had a problem. I normally cook a large pot, use what I need for the meal at hand, then put the rest in plastic bags in individual-size portions while the rice is still warm. Some of those go in the freezer, some in the fridge. The refrigerated ones get used in the following several days, although once in a while I've reheated one that's been in the fridge 6 or 7 days and it's never made me ill. Now that I've read about the frightening spores, however, I think I'll be freezing more of the leftovers.
Weighed myself yesterday and had lost 12lbs (in 3.5 weeks)! But today have gained 2lbs! Am hoping its due to the surprise appearance of TOTM (a bit all over the place at the moment - sorry if TMI) and not the chinese take away and cheesecake I had last night....
Bssh Bosh I'm on MFP Bfmummy (yes silly name - wasn't planning to share but easy to remember ;) ) My eating is terrible so might be good to have someone to say ease up on the toast on a non fast day!
Really well done betsy
BMJ and helzbelz I eat junk too but agree totally with FrenchFancy healthy food tastes great after fasting so I think eating well on fast days and getting off to a good start on non fast days before cravings kick back in is going to be the way forward for me and yes snorsville but a bit of menu planning. Maybe avoid buying the chocolate but allow yourself on non fast days to go and buy an individual bar from the newsagents or only enough for all family to have one each. Obvious but when the food isnt in the house on non fast days I do end up eating better; its the bargain multipacks of crisps and chocs that catch me out. Bought a box of celebrations yest for £2 have had about 5 and its not midday.
Rice needs to be cooled as quickly as possible then refrigerated then it should be ok. So ideally when serving put it in several dishes to cool straight away before putting in the fridge. Putting warm food in the fridge raises the temp in the fridge.
Hi mummamoosey and any other new IF
Breadandwine hope your feeling better J
Need to read back more of the thread but best get back to family
yeah i think rice is meant to be cooled and in the fridge within an hour of being cooked and then is fine as long as you reheat throughly and use within 24hrs. that's the theory - personally i reheat takeaway rice even which certainly wouldn't fit those criteria and eat it the next day and have never had a problem.
About the dangers of re-heating rice:
There was a discussion about this on another forum I use, back along. A German poster said she'd never heard of this. Over there, rice was treated just as you would potato, or any other veg.
I threw some away recently which had been in the fridge for about 6 days and I'd forgotten about - but only because it smelt bad. If it had smelt OK I'd have used it.
Should have said I would have reboiled the rice before eating.
Thanks for your good wishes, folks. I'm happy to say I haven't eaten half the amount of those goodies as I would have done previously. And I've not had any this morning!
Hi I'm starting tomorrow. Fasting. I'm excited! Thanks for letting me join x
If the rice doesn't contain dangerous spores then you are fine - most doesn't but it's impossible to tell from looking at it. But if your rice does contain the dangerous spores then you need to cool it quickly and then reheat it thoroughly.
I have never had a rice related incident but I'd be careful if I was feeding rice to a vulnerable group like young children, people with low immunity etc.
Hope you make a speedy recovery B&W - like the idea of a snack tray!
Hi all
Have been lurking (although feel a bit like a stalker with that term!) fo a while and am just into week four of 5:2 and a loss of 5.6lbs... I have followed every diet known to man/woman and swore not to be fat and "firty" or fat and forty but have always been the same 2 stone overweight. This however seems very different and hugely sustainable. I can't remember the last time I started a diet and kept to it for 3 weeks! Oh and the big 5 0 beckons in summer..gulp!
So..fast day tomorrow and a big thankyou to all IF stalwarts out there sharing their experiences,struggles and successes.
Hi everyone! Was away on holiday to S Africa for a week to visit the sanctuaries, beaches, game lodges and was blown away. Had lots of bread and butter, pizza, etc though as it's difficult being a vegetarian there. Tried to balance it with fresh fruit and veggies, but was happy to see scales were just a lb or two above my weight when I left. Was on a plateau though for over a month and by the new calculator someone put up in the last thread (Phew! still trying to catch up on all the pages) have to lose 30 lbs more to reach the upper limit for my height. Have lost 20 lbs over last 5 months. Was doing 4:3 earlier, so thought I should try something different to get off the plateau so as to not lose motivation. Any ideas anyone as I get back on the wagon? Would really appreciate some advice.
thinkican well done, that's an amazing loss! I expect that now you are back, things will fall into place. It sounds like you had a fantastic time away, too.
However, if you are keen to jump start back to good eating habits, why not try a week of laying off the grains and eating mostly fruits/veggies/pulses. As a fellow veggie, I feel your holiday carb-heavy pain!
Thanks literarygeek. Yes, the visit was great and I do want to continue the good work. About your plan - little or no grains even on eating days, is it? I could do that, unless it will bring your metabolism down or something and be counterproductive. Are oats to be avoided too then? The thing is, the first month of 4:3 was when I lost 4kg and then it all slowed down over the next 3 months and there was no loss in the 5th month. So want to see if I can jerk it off the plateau after the last week of carb-heavy meals. Need another quick movement or I can see myself at 30 lb overweight the rest of my life
Hi everybody, I have been lurking on these threads for a little while and I am currently reading the book. I hope to start my first fast tomorrow. I have about 2 stone to lose and feel very positive about this. My problem is definitely portion distortion, a fixation and obsession regarding bread products plus one to many glasses of wine in the evenings. Other than that I think I eat very healthily with masses of veg and salads and the occasional piece of fruit. I do not hanker after sweet things but need to do maybe more exercise although I do a lot of walking. I have found a wealth of good information and tips on this forum and many thanks to all who contribute.
Hi ThinkIcan, glad to hear your holiday in S Africa went well and you managed not to put on much holiday weight. That's always a bonus, and well done on the loss so far!
After losing the first 17lbs, I had a plateau for the whole of December (I'm in China away from all seasonal choccies and things and am not an Xmas celebrant anyway so plateau not down to that). First thing I'd say is to keep on going. I was doing ADF to start with and went down to 4:3 around that time to help with my motivation. I just plodded on with the 4:3 focussing on the health benefits and hoping the weight would start coming off again. In January I decided to go booze free (although I only managed to do it for about 3 weeks instead of the whole month). I really don't know if it was knocking the booze on the head or just coincidental timing but the weight started to come off again in early January. This was after an eight week period in which I'd lost a total of only 3lbs, most weeks either staying the same weight or even gaining. I've also recently taken up c25king in the hope that will help with the weight loss, as past experience tells me that when I only use diet I average just under a pound a week of loss, but when I include regular exercise it's usually closer to two.
The plateau broke early January and my rate of weight loss since has been similar to the rate I normally have when starting a new diet. Hope some of those ideas help.
Another thing someone suggested when I posted about my plateau, but which I never got around to trying because the plateau broke, was changing my fast days.
P.S. I think the new BMI calculator was my posting. Apologies to any fellow shorties who were dismayed by it!
Thanks Ezzza - plodding on, adding exercise, changing fast days. Don't booze so can't drop it! Added all this to the word doc where I save inspiring posts! Looking fw to more from all you trailblazers!
I am in my 50s and started the 5:2 diet 3 weeks ago. My tummy is flatter and I feel that I've lost some of the abdominal pudginess, but the scales refuse to budge, either on weight or %body fat. Has anyone else found this? I have about 7-10lb to lose to get to my ideal weight.
think I'm not advocating giving up anything- just that in my own experience, after a holiday I have found that sometimes laying off bread and pasta etc - which I find extremely moreish- helps regulate my appetite. I only do that so that after a bit, I can enjoy them again!
Thanks for the warm welcome...
Yes BMJ we most certainly can do our second week together! I'm going to have a sneaky peek at the scales tomorrow, just a peek! Am aware it may show a gain but I'm still feeling good. More energy, less bloated and I know I'm making better eating choices already.
BandW thank you for the vote of confidence! I hope I'll be dishing out pearls of wisdom soon too.
Hello also to Giraffes and to anyone thinking of starting 5:2, give it a go!
Aaargh help I can feel a binge coming on!! "Normal" day for me and have been fine until now - fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, roast lamb for lunch, declined dessert as really full! But now home and have already had a (large) slice of cheesecake and a funsize pack of Milkyway Stars (stolen from DS's treat box) and still have the urge to snack! Someone stop me before I undo all my hard work....
thinkican - have you got a juicer? maybe replacing a meal a day with home made vegetable juice? i feel for you veggies. i assume the same deal applies with needing high protein, low carb but harder to achieve as a veggie. do you eat eggs? also could replace lunch with a good handful of nuts - high protein, filling and yes some fat but good fat.
i gave up on the idea of fasting today. sunday, full of cold, just got my period and not the day for it really. hoping for tomorrow but will have to see - when i feel ill i kind of need to eat what i can fancy eating when i can fancy eating it itms.
Hello! I'm de-lurking for a bit, having faithfully read most of this thread and the 'hints and tips' one.
I'm on my second fast, and am doing ADD to begin with, because I am substantially obese and am staring YET ANOTHER bridesmaid-dress fitting in the face. Once I've made enough progress to look in the mirror without it cracking from side-to-side I'll go to 5.2
I have a question, and have searched the archives to check no-one has asked this yet - can't see that they have - please forgive me if I'm repeating myself!
In the 'Fast Diet' book, Mimi Spencer mentions occasionally doing a fast from 2pm to 2pm. I assume this would mean stopping 'feast' eating at 2pm, then consuming only 500 cals until 2pm the next day.
This sounds almost too good to be true, since of course you'd be asleep for a good 30% of the fast. Have I read it wrong? Has anyone tried this?