Hi, Friends. This is kinda long but here it goes: I’m new to 5:2. In fact, I’m in the middle of a Master Cleanse (not my first time) so I have a few days yet to do my “homework” on 5:2 yet. Lots of articles online and videos on YouTube. Yay! I have as science background so I’m really into “evidence” and supporting science for nutrition/diet. I have always read up on nutrition and fitness, having been very athletic and fit most of my life (not lately!), and I have been seeing articles about IF for several years now. I usually came across these articles on bodybuilding sites or sites where people are really getting into the nitty gritty of everything and they made IF sound too complicated. I spent MANY years in my 20s and into my 30s, when I was a serious lifter, tracking my protein, fat, and calories, and I just feel that people can get ridiculous with the detail these days. Maybe it’s because I’m older and want life to be simpler? Anyway…that’s just MHO. So…I’m happy that I stumbled upon the 5:2 diet!

I turned 52 in October. Post menopause (hysterectomy last year) and on hormone replacement therapy. As I mentioned, I’ve always been pretty fit. When I was in my early 40s, I was running around in a bikini and looking more fit than most of the 20-somethings on the beach. Then around 45, I hit major career burnout as a workaholic and other very stressful things happened in my life, and I crashed and burned. I put on about 15 lbs (this is a lot on a 5’3″ frame that has always been fit) and wound up over 140 lbs. I managed to stay around 137 for about 5 years but never dropped back below 130. Last week, I hit 148 lbs after some recent life changes. I know that the scale is not the ultimate reflection of our fitness or health but I know where my numbers are when I feel good.

I moved several states from “home” in June to follow my boyfriend to another state, leaving behind a very active community and winding in a fairly sedentary one. I come from an area where people ride their bikes often (for both fun and for regular transportation to work, the store, the beach, etc.), run, hike, kayak, SUP, ski, work-out, etc. to an area where you rarely see people on bikes or running, and the very nature of the area does not encourage outdoor activity. It does not help matters that my boyfriend has taken to the more sedentary lifestyle here and has a diet that regularly consists of pizza, Chinese take-out, and ice cream. I do cook a lot at home but I kind of went along with his eating program for a while, which is why I hit 148 lbs last week. No WAY am I going to wait until I hit 150 to do something. Man, did I ever enjoy some of those evenings of Chinese food followed by pie, though!

I’ve never really been much of a dieter; mainly because I used to workout and/or run almost every day. I also like food too much to be able to stay on a “diet” for long. I’ve tried it in the past; it never worked for me. I know that I need to start eating healthier again and getting more exercise for long-term fitness and health. I panicked when I saw my scale hit 148 and needed to do SOMETHING…NOW. I figured that a master cleanse is a good way to at least put the brakes on the weight gain and my poor eating habits while I figure out a plan. I think I was researching something about average weight loss on the MC when I stumbled upon the 5:2 diet. (Let’s not go off-topic and debate the pros and cons of the MC. I am well aware of them.)

Average weight loss for women on the MC is 12 lbs – I’ve never lost nearly that much – and most people regain about half that after resuming eating; more if they haven’t changed that eating habits that put the weight on in the first place. I figure if I end up losing 4 or 5 lbs, that’s a good start since I have 20 total that I would like to lose. The question in my mind is how to realistically continue losing weight after my cleanse is over. Yes, changing my eating habits and exercising more, of course, but I live with a man that is 6’4”, loves French toast for Sunday breakfast or to go out to eat on weekends, and always has ice cream and cookies in the house. Trying to learn to eat like a bird (which I have never done before) will put a serious damper on our weekend outings or occasional mid-week “today sucked” Netflix and pizza nights – so you can imagine how great stumbling upon 5:2 is for me. I know I can do the 5:2 version of fasting a couple of days a week; maybe three. I pretty much do this anyway after a particularly indulgent weekend, or week, of eating like the boyfriend.

Well, there’s my novel. My goal is 127 lbs (but will be happy to hit 130) and to be comfortable in my bikini next spring.