Hi Nicky F and the big hello. Firstly, is there anyone left in Australia NOT on 5:2? I am thinking about starting a Forum for the six people in Australia left not doing it.
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Hi all, Wednesday was my first fast day and all though I wouldn’t say it was easy, I survived and woke up feeling pretty good yesterday. I spread my calories out throughout the day and all though I was a bit hungry when I went to bed I slept well. Today is my second fast day and I am trying to put off having breakfast/brunch for as long as I can to save calories for later in the day to see if that works better for me. Never thought it would happen but last night I was actually looking forward to today!
Hi jenklar, I too did my first fast day Wednesday. I read a lot of posts before hand of people saying that having breakfast on their fast day actually made them crave food earlier in the day. Based on this info I took my breakfast to work and had it at midday. It seemed to work out okay doing this. I then had a cuppa soup for dinner at 7.45pm. I drank lots of water and had a couple of black teas during day. I was pleasantly surprised and by the next morning my system seemed to be alarmingly almost ‘past/over food’. Bizzare. I will let you know how Monday goes when I try and replicate the results!
I had a difficult day yesterday, I’m pretty sure I exceeded my self imposed 350 cals but I hope I stayed under the 500 cal limit. And this morning I woke up starving which I never have before on post fast days. The only thing I can put it down to is disturbed sleep both last night and the night before. It does seem to be easier if we are well rested.
HB
So I started this time at 85.8kg on 5th Aug, first two weeks I lost 1.4kg. Then I went into gainlosegainlose mode and this morning I weighed in at 84.1kg, 1.7kg after 7 weeks is very slow right? I think I’m compensating during the 5 days and I really struggle on fast days (although I perversely enjoy them.. which makes no sense at all!). I’m breastfeeding a toddler and I know this is an excellent opportunity to cut fat down since it will peel off me to make the milk… knowing it and doing it are two different things though! I tend to go Atkins on fast days. I’ve got into trouble binging before and I’m worried if I try and reduce/restrict any food group (even just calories) on the 5 days I’m going to come a cropper…Any thoughts please experienced 5:2ers? Thanks 🙂
Hi to everyone from downunder. I am from Sydney and this is my first week. I had my 2nd fast day yesterday… boy o boy .. the first day was fine then the second day I got really grumpy in the evening and COLD and restless…basically I felt off colour.. Today I had my breakfast but then felt nauseous for the next 2 hrs… anyone got these symtoms?
This is just to say hi everyone…
Just lost 12 kgs on the HCG diet but reluctant to do another round so I thought I’d give this a go after seeing it on 60mins on Sunday
BigDad. “I was pleasantly surprised and by the next morning my system seemed to be alarmingly almost ‘past/over food’.” this is the effect of getting all those carbs out of your system. When i say out of your system, i mean all the excess carbs that people keep stored in their muscle tissue and or liver. It seems to settle down the blood sugar insulin thing which normally makes people hungry. I am no my explanation is very rough and unscientific but a retreating appetite is definitely link to low carbs.
If on your fast days you ate things like toast, cereals and mostly other carbs of this kind, I bet you would not get beyond being hungry.
Hi All,
I’m very concerned PingPongPom about you trying to do this while still breastfeeding. Having breast fed 4 babies (about 9 years all added up), I know you really need to have a steady level of supplies coming in to cater for what’s going out. Obviously I’m no expert on this at all, but it may be wise to get some advice from your GP, midwife or Nursing Mothers’ Association. It must be causing havoc with your blood sugar levels.(I’m an RN, too). Maybe this is something you could try once baby’s weaned, but I honestly think you may be asking too much from yourself to do both. Do you know you can get 5 free consults with a dietitian? That may be the way to go just to make sure you’re taking care of all your needs.
Anyone with any chronic health issue can get these free visits. Just ask your GP to do a GP Management Plan for you (also free), and you can then nominate to attend two allied health people , 5 visits each, for free. So if your health issue was being overweight, you might choose to see a dietitian and an exercise physiologist for instance. Or maybe you’re overweight but would like some physio, osteopathy, whatever. All you need do is ask.
Dindave, I’ve thought of doing the pre-prepped meals too. I usually have a selection of Lean Cuisine in the freezer, so I checked out the calorie count. Some are under 400 cals, but that wouldn’t leave much for the rest of the day. The soups are a bit lighter. It certainly sounds easier at this early stage, than weighing and counting everything. I suppose once we newbies all get a little collection of ‘safe’ recipes together, all these issues will be sorted out. A few years back I used the Lean Cuisine as my dinner every night. I didn’t change much else I was eating and managed to lose 10 kilos over about 3 months. Of course it came back once I resumed ‘normal’ (abnormal) eating. I will be using them occasionally with this though, for those days when I haven’t put a meal together. Lit’n’Easy would be better as you could specify how many calories you wished to work with.
Yes thank you Pattience I found it! Lizzy well done for all your bfing that’s an achievement! Try not to be too concerned my baby is nearly 2.5yrs old! I looked into bf + fasting last year (studies on Arabic women) & results showed SLIGHT drop in quality but no change in quantity. It’s only 2 days a week and it’s not actually fasting since you have 500 cals on those two days so it’s fine. I’ve seen no change in either, or any change in my daughters demands or comments so I’m good!
Peace out.
Hi again, I started on Monday with 2 fasting days (nothing like jumping in the deep end! )Couldn’t help jumping on the scales Wed morning. I was very surprised to see a loss of 1.8 ! But I did have a bit of a tummy upset… I think I must have had too many herbal teas. Sunday will be my weigh day. What I wanted to know, does anyone know of an app or a site for calculating calories? I can’t find my book, and I know if I buy a new one, the old one is bound to turn up! I’ve had a look on line but have had no luck. Cheers all, and ávagoodweekend : )
Lindanaf my fitness pal is popular and for good reason. You can do recipes on it too but i don’t know if its the one that aitchbee refers to.
I didn’t like the fit day site.
I’m fasting again today. The weekends come around so quickly. I need to go figure out what to cook for lunch. Otherwise it will be grilled fish and sautéed vegies.
The site I found that calculates recipes is called caloriecount.about.com, but I guess that there are probably others out there. I also checked out calorie counting apps for my phone last night but was put off by all the popular ones as they seemed to link using your facebook profile and I don’t need all my FB friends list knowing every detail of my business. That said, the apps were quite in depth.
HB
Hi again all! Just starting my second fast day with a black coffee. Have been looking forward to fast day due to how good I felt on the last one. I have been really active at work and watching my intake via My Fitness Pal (on fast and non-fast days) and have dropped 2kg this week! My weight has been firmly sitting on 90-90.5kg forever and didn’t seem to budge whatever I crammed into my head, but weighed in this morning to find I was at 88kg. That’s a first! (was up around 100kg a couple of years ago, and didn’t feel at all healthy) Feeling great so far. These forums are really helpful, some great ideas here to help out us newbies! Might hang fire till lunch before I eat today and see how that goes. If all is well, will go for a zero day. Excited by this diet (well, more a way of life than a diet, I suppose) and very keen to see where it takes me. Good luck to all!
Note to aitchbee: As noted, I use Myfitnesspal app, and I don’t post to Facebook at all (have a FB account, don’t use it). You can set the app account up via FB or an email account, and also select what you want to share with others. App works great, and will scan product barcodes with the camera so you don’t have to search for food items when adding them to your diary. Food database is massive (I haven’t found anything that’s not in there so far!) Mine is linked to my Fitbit activity tracker, and automatically syncs my activity to Myfitnesspal too. Fantastic!
Thank you guys for your answers to the calorie counting. I did google caloriecount .com, but it seemed to want my mobile in an American format, so tried my fitness pal. That seemed quite good. I put in what I had for breakfast today and was surprised the amount of sodium in milk. I had quick oats cooked with water, and milk added after. Today isn’t my fast day. Monday and Tuesday will probably be my days. I work from 5am till 9 am cleaning at our local Tafe, so I don’t have an early breakfast, usually a banana or mixed fruit and nut. I do miss my little book though! So quick to look up calories.I Do love coming here and reading. Thanks again 🙂
Hello People, my partner and I started this on Monday after we saw it on Sunday night on TV. We have already started walking and strength training so this will go nicely with it.
I can’t say I have lost any weight this week myself but my partner went from 59 down to 57. I think my issue is the lifting weights keeps putting on muscle lol. that’s what I am hoping anyhow 🙂
I weigh in on Saturdays and forgot this morning and already had my breaky and gotten dressed so maybe that is why my weight hasn’t dropped either. haha
Well I am looking forward to sticking with this for the next 3 months to see how we go and how you guys are going too. It is great to see what everyone is doinng.
We eat around 200 breaky and 300 dinner. Occasionaly we do 100 breaky 100 lunch and 300 dinner. That is our aim anyhow.
Great results everyone.
Cheers T
Morning All,
I’m using My Fitness Pal to record what I’m eating. I’m a bit (lot) IT useless, so can’t figure out how to get it as an app on my Nokia smartphone. I thought it’d be a pain having to write everything into MFP site, but I’m finding it to be REALLY good. It makes you quite accountable for what you’re eating, and also gives you a better understanding of what food ‘costs’ you. I have only had one fast day, which went well, and pretty much know what I’ll be eating on Monday’s fast day, so am happy with that. But I’ve been eating much better on the other days, and I do think this has been made easier by using MFP.
Are there any amongst us who are in the Wollongong, NSW area, and would like to walk together, say 3 times a week? It may help to keep us motivated. I’m in Woonona.
Have a happy weekend everyone. Liz. 🙂
Hi Franter, I’m sorry your first crack at fasting had you feeling a bit yuck. I’ve only done back to back fast days once and it was fine, but I had been fasting on single days for some time (Mon/Thur). The only time I feel a bit off on fast days is when I’ve had too much tea – too many tannins at once – so I try to have different hot drinks (mint from the garden or with a bit of ginger or just hot water in a nice mug). What I would try is to fast on separate days for a couple of weeks to get your body used to it, and then try consecutive days again if that suits your lifestyle better, and see how you go. Hopefully you’re not coming down with any nasty bugs.
Miss Lizzie, for walking, get a pedometer. I find it motivating to try to get up to 10000 steps a day through the course of my day. I may have said this already. Actually today i’m aware of begin quite tired out by the exertions of the last few days. I’ve been up around 12000. Most of which was done through the course of the day and then i get it up to 10000 by going for a walk on the beach or back street or where’ve and then by the time i go to bed its up even more. My walks on the beach have been quite short and otherwise productive. the whole pedometer thing has been very productive for me. 10000 steps for me is about 7-8km . It has motivated me to get more chores done at home.
That said, it is also nice to go for a walk out in the bush somewhere as well but i usually find unless you change the course, after a while, it becomes a bit boring. But i like how my pedo doesn’t take time out of my day but actually makes me more productive with my time. I’m spending a lot less time on the computer.
Hi Everyone, this is my first week on 5:2 and at my weigh in at Weight Watches I has lost 1.2 kilos, my fast days were Monday and Thursday. It was funny at WW as I have lost my voice and have a bit of a cold so one of the staff there said I must have lost so much because I was sick, and then told me I would put it all back on next week, so much for encouragement!!! Anyway after that comment I decided to say nothing about my new regime yet just to prove her wrong. I have read a few post where people have headaches or colds I wonder if anyone can explain it?
Good Luck everyone this coming week
Headaches are common in those new to fasting because they get dehydrated. Colds are caused by catching a virus from someone else and haven’t got anything to do with fasting. They may not be able to fend it off because their immune system isn’t strong enough at the time or its just a very vigorous virus. Nothing to do with fasting.
Every time on i go on a plane to india, i catch a cold. There’s obviously a lot of virus going round in an airplane that hasn’t got its air-conditioning too clean. I can’t’ recall if i got a cold flying china eastern to paris last year but i did get food poisoning. If there’s a cold going around in an office i work in, almost everyone gets it including me.
Hi Southern Fasting Pals,
Finally after more than 2 months stuck on the same weight, my body has decided to move with a 1 kg loss this week. It has however made other changes in that time with my waist getting smaller even when the scales did not move.
Welcome to all the new folks, and remember, this WOE/WOL is for the long haul as I intend to stay on this for the rest of my life.
Have a great fasting week everyone,
Cheers, Charlie. 🙂
Hey Charlie,
great to see you’re still hanging in there. I recall a while ago that your doc was impressed with your improved health, how’s everything on that front?
Just like you, I’m planning on making this a way of creating an active healthy future as I age. I really don’t want to be stuck taking multiple medications to fight those awful life threatening chronic conditions…I’d much rather keep this WOL up, to avoid higher blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular deterioration and also possibly dementia and some cancers too.
Happy to hear that the scales are cooperating with you finally. I don’t know how or why this sometimes happens, maybe you’ve been building more muscle while doing all of that milking and running around after the calves and cows?
I know if I exercise to any extent I tend to bulk up my muscles quickly, and will put on weight, rather than lose it. Good thing I use my muscles for massaging clients nowadays, and my arms, back, legs and face are reshaped with much less flab and more definition. I had to laugh the other day when I heard that the insurance firms classify massaging as ‘hard manual labour’, I guess it is, but I don’t notice it feeling too hard until I have lots of clients in a row.
Anyway, hope things keep improving for you and all’s well there on the farm. Keep up the great work!
Hi Everyone!
I have a suspicion about what was causing me to plateau and then put on a couple of kilograms. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!!!!! It occurred to me that my plateauing corresponded with when I switched from drinking water with lemon in it to drinking diet cordial (and a lot of it).
There has been research that shows that artificial sweeteners cause the same insulin response as sugar. And some studies show a stronger insulin response to artificial sweeteners than sugar! And insulin is the hormone that results in fat storage.
So as of today I’m having no artificial sweeteners. Already I feel differently. Both in my tummy and in my head. I’m not craving food. I feel more alert. My tummy feels empty and as if it realises there isn’t food.
I’m so excited. I’m hoping that this is the key. I’ll keep you posted 🙂
Hah! “Below the lapband” – I like that reference to the equator – LOL.
I am about to start the 5:2 diet (my hubby and I are in our 40’s and need to shift some stubborn kg’s that have crept on over the last 20 years of marriage). I saw Michael Mosley on TV news one night last week but people at work (teachers) have been doing the diet for a while with positive results so it came highly recommended before I saw it on TV. I have now (obviously) registered and thinking of downloading the kindle book. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of info on this site – is it really just a simple calorie counting deal for 2 days a week??
Yes Vatty is really is that simple. You can make it as complicated as you want, and some do – just click around on this forum – but start with 500Cals twice a week (if you are petite you might find you need less) and see how you go. You’ll find some quite profound changes physically and mentally after not too long.
I’ve lost 13kg in 6 months and still enjoy wine/chocolate/the occasional takeaway and all that comes with family life. You will work out what suits you and what doesn’t very quickly. Enjoy experimenting.
There’s a lot of refinement of the details on this long thread. I would start reading it if not from the beginning (which i still haven’t done) go back from this page and work backwards.
And in case you haven’t found the How of it, check it out or is it the faq but the authors do try to keep it simple so we here have worked out the detail for you. Its probably also useful to read through some of threads of people who are beginning to see how they cope and the solutions that are offered to them for some issues that may crop up.
I still enjoy wine, but think dark chocolate is over rated so I don’t bother with that and i’m not to be trusted with the others stuff so i quit unless someone gives it to me. I have eaten a lot more cheese this year than i normally eat and i’ve been dieting all year though only the last six weeks on 5:2. I’m still eating cheese. I love dieting. I’m doing it for the rest of my life.
On fast days i recommend avoiding bread, pasta, rice, and maximising vegetables (with olive to make them taste good) and some protein food. And lots of water. This approach to keep hunger at bay better.
Hi All, well today my 2nd fast day… Hoping this all works as well as you describe. My BMI is 35 and would really love to shed some kilos…. I also have severe insulin resistance which has made my weight loss efforts of the past pretty tough going. Found my first fast day easy, so hopefully this will just become a way of life, and the health benefits sound amazing. Wish me luck!!
Hi Lucinda, I would wish you all the luck in the world, but know in my heart that you won’t need it! It’s exactly people just like you and me who will gain the best health results with 5:2. So once you are on the right track and find it all easily doable, just keep on doing what you’re doing!
Some helpful tips for lorri and vatty and other newbies.
* measure yourself in lots of places, hips, waist, boobs, arms, legs etc. don’t rely on the scales as your only measure, your weight sometimes doesn’t change, but in the mean time your body is slowly adapting and reshaping itself.
* record everything and keep up to date data…food diary, weight and other measures, when you get urges of hunger, mood and so on. This way you can easily look back on where you’ve been and where you’re heading. The tracker on this site is excellent, other people like fitness trackers on line, or fitbit gadgets. I use pen and paper (it’s old fashioned, but works well for me)
* have your meals planned out in advance, so that you don’t suddenly grab the nearest thing at the end of your day. I love using smoked salmon or boiled eggs with lots of salad. Simple, quick, healthy and satisfying. There are plenty of great recipe ideas here.
* I like to keep an emergency carrot or apple on hand, if I’m stuck somewhere and absolutely HAVE to eat something. Eating a sweet juicy carrot is a filling, low cal snack, full of fibre and vitamins has become my favourite. It also takes ages to eat, as you need to chew a lot. If people look at me funny while I’m carrot munching I smirk and say “what’s up doc?” Always makes them and me smile!
* there are gallons of great techniques for distracting yourself until your meal on a fast day! I love dancing to my favourite music. Drinking a nice cup of tea, or icy cold water, deep breathing, walking, singing, cleaning the bathroom, doing sudoku, knitting, overhauling the lawnmower, changing the oil in the car, cleaning up the rusty tools in the garden shed, digging in the veggie bed, brushing and flossing teeth, talking to the neighbours, painting a picture, writing a poem, arranging some flowers….the list is endless!
I want to know what are other people’s favourite techniques to distract yourself….let us know how you do it!
Happy fasting Monday people, cheers for now I’m off to try a little rock and roll dancing (50’s style!)
As usual, great advice ihaw!
As well as dancing, my favourite distraction is following your antics 🙂
Seriously, I always program in active tasks for fast days. I walk rather than drive, clean the house, weed, mow (doing that today). In summer I swim instead of eating. My body seems to crave movement on fast days….part of our evolution.
I don’t eat until desperate. ..usually not until dinner, but like you, Ihaw,I take an apple or carrot and a water bottle with me so that I am not tempted to buy inappropriate food.
Been doing this for 18 months and 27 kg lighter. This is a way of life. I still find some days challenging. I am still sometimes tempted to do the wrong thing, but I usually stay on the straight and narrow and am very proud I do.
All the best to you all. PVE
Hi Lucinda,
This is my second fast day, too. I’ve planned out what I’m eating today so I don’t reach for anything I’ll regret. My hardest thing to reduce will be my cups of tea. I’ve cut them down to 4, spaced through the day, but have left myself some extra calories in case I’d like another. (I don’t like black tea, so there’s no point in even bothering with it. Rather go without).
I’ve been really good since the last fast day (Thursday), and haven’t exceeded my TDEE any day – except last night when my daughter walked in the door with a bag of Honey Soy Chips! I could’ve declined, but had had a couple of wines. Grrr. Regretted it this morning as I put on 0.7kg! I was doing so well, too! Oh well, when you fall off get back on!
I’m also trying to increase my activity, so am just about to walk to the shops to pick up a few things. Normally i’d drive as it’s quicker, and easier, but it’ll all be for the good. I’m committed to changing and being comfortable in my clothes again.
Good luck Lucinda and also all the newbies like us!
Thanks, too, Ihaveawaist and everyone helping; all advice very gratefully received!
Have a wonderful Monday everyone. 🙂
Fabulous advice IHAW
On a fast day I mow the lawn, weed the garden, talk to the birds, take the dog for an extra walk, walk to the shops, vacuum and wash the floors, clean out the bathrooms, plus any activity that needs doing, such as my tax return or tidying up the study and file the papers. Or sorting out the large clothes and taking them to the charity bins. Very satisfying that one. 🙂
Cheers, Bay 🙂
PS. I am not a keen house cleaner, it makes the time pass on a fast day.
Miss Lizzie C, I know what you mean about black tea! I can’t stand it either although I did try to persevere on my first few fasts. I did as you did and allowed myself 3 cups of tea a day the way I like it but it worked out to about 50cal per cup of tea. I have since changed tack and measured out quantities of milk into a freezer tray. The compartments in my tray hold 20 ml of milk and each cube works out to be 8.6 cal. So I have a reduced amount of milk and cut out the honey (I prefer honey to sugar in my tea) and each cup of tea is now 8.6 cal instead of 50. So instead of wasting 150 cal per day on tea, I can now have more tea and still come in at about 50-60 cal a day.
ihaveawaist, I find myself doing a fair bit of housework on fast days and with 3 kids there is ALWAYS housework to do. Although now it is school holidays I’ll be spending a bit of time outside with the kids too.
HB
HB, I use skim, and measure out 40mls, so it only costs about 19 calories/cup. Better than nothing, and certainly better than black. People suggest herbal teas, but I’ve never liked them. Give me a nice Twinings English Breakfast (or Irish, Australian, Trad Arvo….. you get the picture), or Dilmah and I’m a happy girl. Which is just as well as I’m also a happy girl with a glass of white! Ha ha. Reckon if I play my cards right today, there’ll be a nice cuppa in bed late at night as a reward!
I surprised myself…. I just went on my walk to the shops, via park, beach and local streets, did my 40 minutes and actually enjoyed it! Who would’ve thought? Chuckle. Also did my weekly measurements and am seeing some positive change! (Well really negative change if you know what I mean). This happy camper is going to have her ten o’clock breakfast of some yoghurt and WW tinned peaches!
Ahhhh, life is good in the Southern hemisphere this morning! 🙂
Good morning SH mates and especially to new recruits.
Just a short post as I have to go to a meeting 🙁 – it’s what public servants do I’m told.
First FD of the week and pleased to note my waist measurement has declined 14cm since I started this WOL at the end of January 2014. Weight also down a not so spectacular 11kg.
Scales committed suicide off a shelf when I was vacuuming over the weekend so will have to cope with how clothes fit at least until next weekend when I can buy some more.
Keep up the good work everyone.
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19 Sep 14