Hi all!
I wanted to check in to post about my experience so far — I’m not a diligent poster, so I know that a diary won’t work for me, but I thought that I’d share my experience so far and what’s worked for me!
I’m a 43 year old female, American. I’m tall (6’1″), and though I don’t want to post my actual weight(s), I’ll share that I have wanted to lose 30-40 pounds (14-18kg, or 2-3 stone) to get to the set point where I feel happiest and healthiest. I’ve been there in the past, just not for about 6 or 7 years.
I started the 5:2 fast diet on April 1st — adhering to the Mon/Thurs schedule, mostly (sometimes shifting to Tuesday/Friday if needed).
I just stepped on the scale this morning, and I’m down 18 pounds (8.1 kg) since I started. I’m tall, so it’s all proportional; my actual-pound losses are probably higher than for a shorter person, I think. But I’m feeling lighter and trimmer, and I’m fitting into clothes I haven’t worn for a while.
At first I found the hunger hard to manage. At the beginning, I was eating a small lunch and small dinner — for lunch a small sandwich or soup, for dinner, a piece of broiled cod with a huge pile of roasted veggies or ratatouille made with miso broth to sauté, no oil. I’d get unbearably hungry after lunch, though, and dinner didn’t satisfy.
I’d read the experience of others who preferred to ‘spend’ most of their calories in one larger meal, at dinner. I decided to try it, and it clicked! I found that I could get through the day with coffee, seltzer with lemon, and a cup of 15 cal miso broth for a late “lunch”, and then eat a 320 calorie frozen enchilada entree around 8pm, followed by a 150cal snack of popcorn around 10. At first I’d get occasional headaches, but taking ibuprofen/Tylenol helped, and now they are gone for the most part.
This has been so workable that I tend to do the same thing every time on fast days — the routine is easy, and it works. As long as I’m reasonably distracted during the day, it isn’t very difficult!
On my off days, I’m trying to keep my TDEE in mind, but I’m not being overly diligent. I do find that I have a smaller appetite overall.
On a side note, I find that we’ve saved money as well — when I’m busy we tend to get quite a bit of delivery and takeout meals, and this has seriously cut down on the number of times we order.
Just wanted to share — I’ve had some plateaus and weight fluctuations, but overall the trend is distinctly downward! Thanks to you all for your tips and inspiration; it really helped as I was learning how to do this properly.
Onward! 🙂
3:40 pm
17 Jun 16