Hi Some,
Plenty of good wishes coming your way from me.
Wow, a binge lasting 5 weeks is pretty epic.
Getting into the hang of 5:2 sounds like a good decision. It is all about caring for yourself, and doing yourself the kindness of looking after your future.
My tips: Think about how those 500 calories on a Fast Day can work best for you. I like a small breakfast and then soup at the end of the day.
It works best for me to know that the oats are in their container, ready for my breakfast, and the soup is ready in the fridge, to be warmed up in the evening (actually I often have it around 5:30 or 6.)
That way, no food decisions to be made on the day. Just concentrate on other things, and when hunger pains get bad, remind yourself that you can eat tomorrow.
Don’t forget lots of water.
Have you read the FAQ? http://thefastdiet.co.uk/michael-answers-frequently-asked-questions/
Good luck!

Hi Some,

My advice is to lose the deadline! If you’re going to be at your goal weight for the rest of your life (and 5:2 will make that a reality) then does it really matter if you get there in 10 weeks?

I’ve lost 3kg on 5:2 and have 12 more to go. I know it’s going to take me around six months. But it will be worth it, because the 5:2 way of doing things (slowly and steadily) is sustainable. I’m not going to fall off the wagon and binge because I’m not actually depriving myself!

What happens when I get to my goal weight? Well – I’ll probably do 6:1. One less day fasting! Great. As long as I stick to that, I won’t have to think much at all about maintenance.

What happens when you get to your goal weight? After spending 10 solid weeks depriving yourself, calorie counting, exercising almost every day – I know I would find it REALLY hard to transition into maintaining, and not just binge and put the weight back on.(I’ve done it before!)

I’m not saying it can’t be done – I’m sure if you put your mind to it you can do anything! But I do think a slow and steady approach is the emotionally healthy way to do things, and emotional health is the key to a sustained weight loss.

Best of luck and please keep us updated 🙂

I feel you here. I went on a 3 week break recently because I had 2 weeks of not losing anything, I wasn’t able to exercise as consistently with my kids schedule changing once school started and I was frustrated I didn’t meet my 40lb goal by my 40th bday. I now am 4lbs heavier because of it all. I lost 13 lbs originally but now back to only 9. So I still need to lose 60lbs! I was thinking of adding a 3rd fast day if I see a plateau again but not sure if it would be beneficial.

I think your weight loss goal is possible but stressful. That’s why I broke off my fasting was from putting that deadline on myself. I also think if you do lose it all again you need to come up with a maintenance plan so you don’t binge and gain. I plan to fast once a week and still count calories even after I meet my goal. Otherwise I can’t trust myself to not overeat.

Good luck.