Hi Rutig
I joined the forum today but it’s my third week of doing the diet. I am 8kg (just over 13st) and 5 ft 8. If I lose 5kg I will be in the official healthy weight range. I am doing the diet of the repair mode that Michael talks about in his book.
You say your problem is willpower. I am happy to mainly miss lunch and do some extra walking. I would not want to go with nothing solid for the whole day.
Today I felt fairly normal before dinner so I am hoping this will simply be a healthy routine rather than a “diet”.
Perhaps others will comment if they think you are being too tough on yourself. You say it suits you and it’s your body. I try to check in each Tuesday.
Here we go.

We all have our own ways and that means we can be our best teachers. You know it’s telling that in your opening blog you told us you “failed” in 2014. Are you setting yourself up to repeat what so many dieters complain about? Michael’s approach is to say, calorie control alone, doesn’t work because it’s just too hard, day in day out of feeling hungry. By saying no to the “day-in-day-out-exhaustion”, he is saying just wait 24 hours and then you can have that mouthwatering treat. Of course when tomorrow comes, it’s not out of reach, it’s just a food choice. Without the craving you can face that food choice on even ground, eat it without guilt because you are allowed or choose not to eat it. You are in charge not the food and not your cravings.
I am not your coach, that’s your job but since you keep using this word “failed” I think you need to identify who or what succeeded in 2014, who was the enemy yesterday that triumphed? What do these events tell you about your mental approach?
Who are you fighting when you decide to fast with nothing but tea/coffee for 36 hours straight.
Michael is the doctor and he is saying eat 600 cal either split or in one sitting. If you are going to do the diet, if you are going to trust the expert, give yourself the benefit of his learning and have a breakfast of smoked salmon and an egg, and roast chicken at night, or whatever.
You are also asking for support form us fellow bloggers, we are here because we think Michael is onto something. There is no point in not doing the 5:2 the way he suggests. Be kind to yourself, accept his advice, food is not the enemy to be vanquished, befriend it but stay in control. This is a new life style, a new relationship with food not WW3. We are simply being told periodic fasting – a break from food of more than 3 hours – has real benefits particularly as far as diabetes is concerned. No lunch gives you the night before then 9 hours then another 12 hours. This is the magic. If this can become our normal diet we break the addiction to sugar and ward off insulin insensitivity. Periodic fasting is a healthier way of eating in our modern world. Two days a week to reduce, one day a week to maintain. This puts you in control, it give us a good eating routine, it is not a violent attack on any one or any thing. There is no failure here each mouthful or abstinence or delay is a choice. Michael is telling us that fasting can be a really good thing and we should try to make it a normal thing in our life.
Sorry to rant but I think this is what the 5:2 is about and I do wish you well so I hope it helps.

Rutig: When you go without calories/ macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins) you also deprive your body of micronutrients (minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, fibre).

For health most of us need to eat more nutrient-dense foods not less. The recipes in the books are intended to be nutritious as well as filling.

Well done. One step at a time and you have started.

I have read the latest book fast 800. He is saying for rapid weight loss 800 a day, every day but it’s limited to achieving your goal and then a 5:2 with 800 on the fast days. It seems to be a matter of what you feel comfortable with but it obvious to me that is a restriction not an absence of food each day. I hope you are feeling Okay.

Hi Rutig; No I have never tried continuous cal restriction of any kind. If I get above my normal weight, I plan more exercise and cut out snacks.
Michael seems to start with the question, why do we turn into serial dieters, rapidly losing weight over 6 month or so and then two years later, having more than when we started with?
My friend’s adult daughter was doing gym, diets, working as a teacher and she was dedicated, joining us for morning walks. She had the theory, the dress code and determination but it would come off and then get piled back on. But when she would visit, they would be chatting and her hand was always going for food, her first glass of wine would be finished in 10 minutes. To me she was simply unconscious of her eating.
Michael’s solution is to look at our problematic relationship with food. Like I said food is not an enemy to be defeated and it’s not a secret love affair. I read the Smart Gut book first which is about food choices, more fermented food, avoid added salt, added sugar, restrict processed food. More protein and complex carbs – that the healthy living part. The control part is the fast days where we concentrate on breakfast and dinner – this is my approach – we get what we need but we will also feel hunger but learn to read it as an exercise and know the good it is doing to our blood sugar, immune system, added time for exercise. You can distract yourself for a few hours. For me its the 3-6pm. time slot. The reward is dinner where the food tastes so good. No desert and a good sleep and then back to normal.
Michael wants to break the resentment to the diet, the 5:2 diet is a visit not an invasion. Non-fast days are a return to normal but of course your brain is learning, food choices and delayed gratification are normal everyday behaviours.
I felt beneficial changes, my head was clearer, I was satisfied with smaller meals. Now I can accept these lesson or ignore them but I am learning that I have more choice when it comes to eating. We all have this challenge. We are in charge, not the food, we make the choices. If we are making bad food choices some other issue is at play and we would benefit by dealing with that.
Michael suggest 2 weeks of 800 cal a day for rapid weight lose. If you are prediabetic or something serious like that, you are going to be highly motivated and you will see the weight coming off but then he says go to the 5:2. What he is finding is that short bouts of restriction are achieving the desired ends and avoiding the exhaustion, frustration and backsliding. If you are starting the day resenting a diet, you are preparing to leave it. I think Micheal would say, leave it for that day but plan to start it again when you have the energy. Defeat the frustration but stay in control. Just being able to say, I can break it without leaving it, normalises it. Taking some me time should be a normal defence choice.
I fast on Tuesday, skip lunch on Friday. If I go to a dinner and put on a kilo, I skip lunch the next day. This is feeling right; if I am not hungry, why eat, I can go for a walk, have a shower, check the emails and pretty soon it’s time for dinner. There is no resentment, indeed there a sense of freedom, I am working with my body doing some good.
It’s your choice but I would separate the two days, less time for resentment to build.
This morning I had an egg, 50g of canned salmon on a plate of lettuce, a slice of pear and a strawberry. I feel full but its less than 300 cal. I will be walking for hour and half during lunch time. I am actually looking forward to it.
Cheers.