Hi. I too am re-starting my efforts to lose some weight using 5-2. Lost a stone last year and then drifted off and put about half back. I’m male and 13st 8lb and 5ft 9in and need to lose at least a stone before mid April. I know the system works but a bit of willpower needed for first few fast days. My fast days are Mon and Thur. It would be nice to have some mutual support.

Hello all. I too am starting this week and my fast days are going to be Tuesday and Friday. I am at my heaviest weight ever after the Christmas and New Year breaks so really need to start shifting some of that excess baggage.

Thanks papermaker, my aim is to just get tomorrow over lol thanks though and I’ll just start the 5:2 and see how it goes.
Hazel I’m going for Monday/Wednesday as I have running club on Thursdays.
I’m so excited to start 👍

Hi ya Kirstya86 and everyone else, best of luck! I’m 4 days in so far, and I’m not finding it too bad. Will be great to have support of others here.

I have a lot of weight to lose, I’m currently around 20 stone, and would like to shift all the extra weight for health reasons. Over a 10 year period my weight has varied by 8 stone, and I know how much better I feel once I have shifted all the weight. My ideal weight is around 13 stone. I work shifts and spend most of my working day sitting down. When combined with really bad eating and drinking habits, it’s a recipe for big weight gain. I am tired of weight loss diets that promise the world, but are impossible to follow long term. I really need a change of lifestyle, and a lifestyle plan rather than a diet. I think 5:2 seems the best fit for something I can stick to as a way of life rather than continuously being “on a diet”. With a bit of planning it can easily be planned into my week and work/home plans. I’m also giving up alcohol for January & February (although I will allow myself one day off of this as it’s my 40th towards the end of January!). This was something I was planning to do before I even considered 5:2, mainly as my wife is expecting our new baby on 1st February, and I can’t be getting up in the night when I have had a few glasses of wine!

Very early days, but I have the determination to really stick at this. Good luck everyone.

Hi Grace and welcome:

Here are some tips that will help you be successful with 5:2: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/. Feel free to ask questions if they come up.

Good Luck!

hi if you keep at it, especially the first 4 weeks, it can make a real difference. I have re-connected to feeling hungry, its natural. I’ve been doing this constantly since April 2013. I have lost 22kg (48 pounds) and kept it off. I still fast 2 days a week, put on weight over holidays and Christmas, but loose it quickly again and it’s now a way of life. I am much more active, so my fitness is improving and this is helping with the weight loss also. This year the target is another 9kg to loose ( after the 3 I put on over Christmas). I think the secret was finding a diet that worked for me. I still weigh myself every day and write it in an old exercise book. I’m 55 and never felt better. But I committed to doing this for the rest of my life at the beginning, as most research says long term weight loss is very hard to accomplish. So I looked for the lifestyle change that would work for my life. I would only encourage everyone to try their best. David.

Morning All – first day fast on 5-2
Got a shock this morning when I weighed in ( first after Christmas) at 13st 13lb(too many egg nogs over Christmas!!) so now need to lose more than I thought. Been for my swim ( advantage of being retired) and now for breakfast – 40g porridge oats with 100ml semi skimmed milk and some water, 20 g of frozen blueberries to give a bit of taste, total 230 cals so that leaves 370 for evening meal. Rest od day on black coffee and water.
Unfortunately one disadvantage of retirement is spending too much time at home when weather is bad and there are too many tempting goodies in the kitchen and so today my son will get benefit of me doing some work at his house in order to minimise the temptations. Good fasting everyone. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, make it a good one.

Hi all!

Good luck to everyone – it’s great to share support and motivation!

After an impressive, but relatively short time, spent doing 5:2 last year, today is the start of a more permanent change.

I don’t have a lot to lose, but as soon as I stop, the weight creeps (pounces) back on, and this has been the only realistic thing I can stick to!

In terms of tips, Andrew, the boards have some great advice around them, but you’ll soon find out what works best for you!

Personally, I wait until lunch (as late as I can leave it), when I’ll have a max 200cal (soup or a salad) and then a 200cal dinner, and save the remaining 100cal for snacks / drinks.

My remaining 100 cal is spent on a piece of fruit usually after work and a 50cal WW yogurt after dinner and, although I try not to drink my calories, I enjoy tonic water / low cal hot chocolate in the evening.

Today for example is:
135 cal WW’s veg soup
9 cal Hartley’s jelly
70cal apple
100cal Half a jacket potato (ish, will weigh when cooking)
20cal small salad
44cal 4 slices wafer thin ham
55cal WW yogurt
40cal Hot choc
=473

What’s everyone else planning on eating?

Hi all & great to see so many of us on this posting. My husband also doing this plan which is great because we encourage each other and it works for us. The main thing we enjoy when planning, cooking & eating our food is to make sure that it is that is is tasty.

Today’s food is:

25gms branflakes
bowl of homemade butternut squash & sweet potato soup
satsuma
salmon, fine beans & carrots
skimmed milk for cereal and coffee/tea, no sugar
two crackers for supper if hungry

Have a badminton match tonight which helps in burning up extra calories and keeping away from the kitchen!

Good afternoon all.. this is my third try on the fast diet – first tried it in 2014 and was very successful in losing 21 pounds, and was very happy with my results but I plateaued and lost willpower and gained all the weight back. After some serious over indulgence at Christmas I am now back on day 1 and hoping to be under 10 stone by May.

Haven’t eaten today and intend to save my calories for sushi dinner tonight. Currently sipping a coffee and feeling not too bad.

Good luck!

Hi all, I’d love to join you, great to hear such enthusiasm. I restarted on 1 Jan after usual Christmas overeating (started 5:2 last Nov and lost 9lbs before Christmas struck). I’m 51, 5ft 4 and 11st 4 lbs – want to be at least a stone lighter, 9st something in my wildest dreams. I came down with bronchitis on 2 Jan – horrible but the upside is I have no appetite so am on my 3rd fast day of 2016 and have lost the 3lbs Xmas weight! Also hoping the fasting is sending my body into repair mode and aiding recovery. Good luck with all your fasting.

I’ve just woken up on fast day #2. For breakfast I’ll have a cuppa tea and a boiled egg, then tomato soup for lunch and crackers with vegemite for dinner. This is abut 350 cals, so I can have a piece of fruit and another cup of tea if I need it at afternoon tea time. I’m trying to resist weighing myself until Saturday but I was able to do up my painting pants last night which I couldn’t do last week, so that’s a good sign!

Hi new to this diet , have been on and off diets throughout my life I am 45 years old
5ft 3 and 9st 2 would love to lose a good half a stone and get to my weight prior to stopping smoking , also aiming to exercise daily doing areopilates
Fast days will be mon Thursday
Looking forward to getting fit and lean for my upcoming holiday
Any tips greatly appreciated

Hi Guys,
I’m Kim. I live in Florida and I’m new to the 5:2. Just started today but tomorrow will be my first “fast” day. I am used to fasting, just not using the 5:2 method so this should be interesting. I weigh 206lbs and I’m hoping to get down to 160 by the time my trip to London comes up later this year. Good luck to everybody. Its really inspiring to hear how much weight people have lost on the various forums.

Hi Papermaaker,

It was actually the Cadbury’s Highlights hot chocolate in Caramel flavour, although it’s nearly done and the Options Mint flavour is next! I really enjoy something sweet in the evenings, and so this is a great way to get that fix.

Well done to everyone who got through yesterday, and good luck for the rest of the week! =]

Well done barbara58. I would like to think I might be able to do the same as your husband in his dry January, but I do miss a glass of red wine and so maybe your Mon to Fri alcohol free is a better bet.

and good luck Andrew, make 2016 your year. I had my first day yesterday and didn’t find it too difficult.
Keep going everyone, early days but hardest bit is making a start.

Just starting again…in earnest this time! Really inspired by my 40+ daughter who has changed shape gradually over the last year or so. I would like to bring down my weight and keep it down due to possible problems with hips and knees in the future. In the autumn I really began to regain my waist so, after an overindulgent Christmas it is time to stop the alcohol and start the fasting again!
Thanks for any tips, ideas for meals…..

Well done for yesterday, Plum!
Sorry to hear about the headache, I sometimes get these too in the evenings, which is the hardest time for me.

I’m still working out what works best for me, but I try to have some calories left over for an evening snack, and also keep drinking plenty; tonic water, fruit tea, normal tea and hot chocolate are my go-to evening drinks. Trying to keep busy also helps take my mind off it (the headache and the hunger!), or else giving up and having an early night!

I’m trying to cut out as much sugar as possible at the moment, but thanks for the marshmallow tip, Kirsty, definitely worth a try! Just have to remember I can’t eat the whole bag…

This is not one of my fast days but I happened to try the Spag. Bol. recipe from the Fast Diet Book (without the pasta but with cauliflower and broccoli).
Must say it was quite filling and less than 300 calories in total but as it wasn’t a fast day the glass of red wine to accompany it went down very well. I would leave out,however, the mixed spice in future dishes.
Just thought I would share my thoughts on this dish for what they are worth.
Second fast day of the week tomorrow. Hope it goes as well as the first day on Monday.
Hope everyone is sticking in there.

2nd fast day for me too, slightly nervous as my headache from day 1 lasted until yesterday, so I don’t want it to come back again, however, I’ve had plenty of water already and I’m going to have a coffee this morning as I would normally but without the milk. Starting to feel ever so slightly more energetic already and positive about things despite the dark dismal day outside!