Hi I am 52 old man who has been overweight since my my early twenties and peaked at a BMI of 40 in 2010 when 48 years old. At that time I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea and advised to lose weight. I managed to to lose some weight using weight watchers and slimming world and other DIY approaches but had been able to keep all the weight off. In 2012 I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (unstable and high heart rate) and once again advised to lose weight.

So even with serious health issues I was unable to motivate myself to eat well and take enough exercise – I was pretty fed up with myself as a result – as of course this behaviour makes no sense at all – and I like to think in all other areas of my life I am not quite so stupid!

So in early Jan 2014 my BMI was 38 and I decided to try the 5:2. I am very pleased with the result as at a BMI of 31 I am now close to my objective of getting to a BMI of 30 by xmas 2014. The total weight loss is 3.5 stone or 47 llbs, and I am probably at my lightest since my mid 20s.

My approach on the 2 fasting days is a low fat yoghurt for breakfast (60 to 90 Calories), a soup for lunch (65 to 120 Calories) a range of evening meals which stick to 250 to 350 Calories plus a few more in my tea. On the other 5 days I try to stick to 2000 to 2500 Calories. Alcohol is restricted to Fri/Sat and Sunday and no more than half a bottle of wine per night. I have had a few weeks when I have avoided alcohol completely. I have also switched entirely to 1% fat milk, this is lower calorie than semi skimmed milk but has an acceptable taste, I find skimmed milk unacceptable.

So have I stuck to it completely, no of course not. My weakness is savoury food and snacks so I have had the odd high calorie takeaway, extra meal, packets of crips or peanuts. But have always managed to get back on the 5:2 the next day.

Exercise is of course also important and my target was 3 visits to the gym each week and I have managed this a lot but have fallen to 1 or 2 visits on some weeks and occasionally O. I also walk our dogs 2 or 3 times a week for an hour.

So I feel much healthier, I am fitter and look much better I am told. I have had to buy 2 new sets of clothes during the year

I had hoped the sleep apnoea would be cured with the weight loss as my neck is down to the magic 16″ which for a man is the warning sign for sleep apnoea any bigger than 16″ and you are deemed higher risk. Mine was only identified after my snoring got so bad GP sent me for a sleep test. The atrial fibrillation (AF) is unchanged and I remain on drugs to keep it under control. I have had 3 cardio versions and 2 catheter ablation treatments to try and cure the AF without success but some improvement. It is possible I will have another catheter ablation next year.

So what next, well I will continue the 5:2 and hope to get to a BMI of 30 by xmas and will restart on 2 Jan and stick to it until my BMI is 25, I will probably allow myself 8 months to achieve this and then reduce down to 6:1 after that.

So I am left puzzled by my inability to eat and exercise appropriately all my life when I have always understood the inevitability of the calories in vs calories out equation, but have spent 30 years eating too much and moving too little and knowing I am doing it – so maddening.

I have paid a significant price with my health. I am convinced being overweight has contributed or directly caused both the sleep apnoea and AF. Oh and I forget I even ignored early GP warnings from my late 20s about blood pressure and weight and have been on medication to control my BP since I was 40, even this was not enough to change my behaviour.

I have considered gastric bypasses and bands several times over the years and am please I did not take this route.

What is different in 2014 in terms of my motivation, well in all honesty I am not sure I am just pleased I have found sticking to the 5:2 easier than any previous diet. I still consider myself to be addicted to eating and this is my real ongoing struggle to avoid all the temptations of savoury meals and snacks.

So here is an update after about 18 months, I failed to achieve my objectives I set out in October 2014. My BMI has fluctuated between 31 and 33 during this time. I have only managed to maintain this and prevent all the weight going back on by intermittent use of the 5:2. I am today at a BMI of 31.

Another big positive is that about 6 months ago I was completely signed off by Sleep Apnoea team at Papworth having had a prolonged period of monitoring without the use of CPAP. My blood pressure remains well controlled with medication and my Atrial Fibrillation is also generally well controlled but I do get the occasional episode which is debilitating and unpleasant, further surgery is not recommended but my heart specialist reviews this every year as surgical techniques improve.

I have kept up the exercise which is dog walking most days and gym twice a week so my fitness remains good.

I have looked at the links from CAnnbewarra but they look like money making scams, if it was just buying a book I may have jumped in.

So I am now determined once again to apply myself to the 5:2 properly and try and get to a BMI of 25 by end of the year. I remain obsessed by food and find it very difficult every day, whether it be a 5 or 2 day, to control my cravings which are savoury food focussed.

I still do not know what is behind my over eating or why I find it so hard to stick to any sensible eating routine.

A few months ago I saw a program on TV about the variety in ability to use our minds eye. The program explained that abilities range from being able to conjure a full colour virtual HD image at will to not being able to see anything at all with their minds eye. Now this was a revelation for me as I had of course heard this term hundreds or thousands of times during my life but had not realised that I was unusual in not being able to actually see images in my mind. I wonder now if this may contribute to my problems with overeating – stay with me here – my theory is that body image is something that is important when trying to control food intake or diet – without the use of my minds eye I cannot conjure an image of myself from the mirror in the morning. Now this may of course be nonsense but I would be interested in others views.

So I have been trying to develop my minds eye without success after a few weeks but I intend to persevere.

So to test your minds eye ability close your eyes and try and see an image of someone or thing close to you, a child, a partner or a pet. What can you see, crystal clear in colour, colour but not very clear through just black and white to fuzzy or indistinct to nothing at all.

So I have been trying to use photographs of myself like the old technique of a fatty photo on the fridge door, but I have one on my phone to look at when being tempted to eat something inappropriate. Early days yet but so far it is too easy just to not refer to the photo and carry on eating, not sure if this is the case with your minds eye but I guess you can just avoid this as well. So I am left wondering is there any link between minds eye capability and controlling over eating behaviour.

Thanks Bigby I admire your focus on the numbers and had calculated similar numbers for myself but always find counting the calories in very hard. My Fitbit does a great job of estimating the daily calories burnt. Can you offer any tips on easy estimation of calories eaten? If I meet my exercise goals I use close to 3000 calories per day and my rule of thumb has been stay below 2500 on the 5 days and below 700 on the 2 days. So that gives me a calorie deficit of about 7000 calories per week which should get me close to the 1kg per week loss as well.