You’re so right about the moral support – my partner has started the Fast Diet (at last), and is now hugely committed – and telling me how to do it!!
If you have any good Quorn recipes, could you post them on the site please? Lots of vegetarians tuning in and I’m gathering top tips. Thanks for your post, and best of luck with your 6:1 Maintenance model (it works for Michael and me)

Delighted to read a story about older people! I am 69 and female and having read the book feel that I could cope with the diet, and would aim to lose a stone, which has crept on in the last few years and particularly since Christmas.
Now the snow has gone I am hoping to get back to swimming and most walking. Aim to start the diet tomorrow (Mon) Should be interesting as have intentionally fasted before.
Hope I am not too old, Michael? I am in pretty good health but would welcome lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Hi, this is my second attempt at the diet. I loved it from the “get go” as our American cousins would say. I lost a stone in just over a month and for reasons I can’t fathom I stopped doing it! Anyway, now into week 3 of second try. It is so doable. I’ve gone from thinking about food every day of my life to not thinking about food!

Well completed my lst fast on Monday. Went very well really, but got a bit empty at times. Also have husband doing his own mini fast – dramatically cutting lunch down to a piece of toast and fruit. He’s done that before and it has worked. Anyway, day after fast didn’t feel hungry, just pleased that I had done day one! Hope I can do it as it really appeals to me, not having to reduce intake all the time. Roll on tomorrow – dreading it! Its a challenge.

Hi, I’ve completed my 2nd week of the diet and have found the ‘fast days’ quite easy so far. Trouble is, I feel I am undoing all my good work on my non-fast days so no progress re weight loss so far. I’m not gorging but I’m eating ‘what I fancy’!

Any tips please on how best to eat on my non fast days to ad my progress please??

Sam

re: eating on non fast days… first of all, I fast on Tue and Thu, 24 hrs no food till a 500 calorie evening meal consisting of lots of leafy greens and veggies, sometimes blended, sometimes a green soup or some oatmeal. On Mon, Wed, and Fri, I use the “crowding out” approach, meaning I load up on nutrient dense foods first, some of them even high in calories and healthy fats. I start with a huge green smoothie in the late morning, sprouted grain toast with coconut oil and tea for lunch if I’m hungry, then beans, soups, salads, quinoa, salsa, avocado slices, etc. for dinner, followed by fresh fruit of some sort. Mostly, I make sure I consume these high nutrient foods before eating anything else, and while it leaves little room for anything else, it also works better mentally… I am not restricting myself from eating things. I’m just choosing the best foods possible. Then on the weekends, I still drink the huge green smoothie, but also allow myself to eat whatever else I want, which mostly means a little meat, coffee with a bit of cream, eggs, potatoes, cheese, chocolate, and wine. But I still take care to eat the freshest and cleanest versions of those foods possible, and to avoid processed foods, refined sugar or carbs, white bread, etc. And no matter what the day, drink lots of water. It works great for me!

Hi, I am going to reply to Sam 1 and Nivea first, I am having a very similar ‘reaction’ on non-fast days, however I am trying not to panic and lose heart as I think it is a ‘reaction’ and will settle down when we psychologically realise that this is not just a temporary way of eating eg; its not Easter or Christmas its a new way of eating for as long as we want, and we don’t have to panic eat chocolate and crisps etc, because we think they are going to be taken away and banished for 11 months of each year. But I will keep you posted if there is no change for me next month! I would also like to reply to Evelyn46 in that possibly you may not be eating enough, you say as well as fasting the 2 days you are eating little on the non fast days. Your body may well be hanging on to the fat you have because it feels that it is in starvation mode. I am no expert though maybe someone else can offer you better advice but if I were you I would try to eat normally on the non fast days, you can do this and still be healthy though.

I’m getting on for 64 and have been very overweight since I was 40 when a virus kicked the super-fit legs out from under me. I’ve had trouble with an underactive thyroid and gluten intolerance as well as breast cancer, all of which left me feeling exhausted, so I ate lots in a bid to feel more energetic. The reverse effect was my reward. Fasting for two days a week has cleared my head, given me lots of energy and extra time for doing things I like. I’ve also lost several pounds of fat after three weeks on my new regime. I feel optimistic for the first time in ages. The fasting days are pure pleasure and everything tastes astonishingly good.

I am 66 and very overweight. I have an under-active thyroid which is controlled by thyroxine. A year ago (over the Xmas and New Year period!) i started on a 5:2 day diet and lost 1 1/2 stone but the weight loss didn’t continue so I stopped it but kept the weight off. I decided to start again this New Year. I haven’t exercised for years so I have built a 2.2 mile walk into my daily routine. I made a batch of the diet soups and now have a soup for lunch and a restricted calorie meal for dinner. I work in a very cold warehouse so, in order to keep headaches at bay and keep warm, I have adjusted my meals to allow for hot drinks throughout the day; always sticking religiously to 500 cals. I have also increased my fluid intake by drinking at least 1 lt of water a day. I find it easy and dont suffer at all on diet days. But, I have just weighed after 4 weeks and have lost nothing!!! I can’t tell you how depressed I am!What more can I do?

I’m a new member. I’m 68, and I started the fast last week. i first tried the 5:2 diet last year, after watching the Horizon show. I lost 4 kilos, but the most impressive was that my blood pressure lowered enough for me to stop taking medication. But then the holidays came, i stopped the fast and put back the weight I had lost, although my blood pressure numbers are still good. I started the diet again last week and have lost one kilo. I find I don’t get very hungry when on a fast day. My method is to eat nothing in the morning, then around 2:00 in the afternoon I have an egg, fried in a non-stick pan with a slice of low fat ham. Then I’ll have a small meal later in the evening, something like a grilled piece of chicken and some veggies. sometimes I just have a sandwich made from one piece of whole meal bread and one slice of ham with some mustard. It’s surprisingly filling and just about 120 calories!

Dear Pennybry.
How depressing indeed. It is absolute rubbish to stick to the rules and not get the benefits. Been there, done, that.
There are four possibilities, I think.
You may have lost girth. Do you measure your waist? Or your body may be readjusting itself prior to loss.
Or you may be miscounting on the fast days. I can only wonder about the hot drinks???
Or you may be really going for it on the non fast days.
From your post I doubt the last two so patience may be the only advice. Deepest sympathy.
Oh, one thought, try 3:4 not 5:2 for a couple of weeks??? worked for me.
Or you

Hi Sue.Q – hope this works, I’m not too good with these links. Adjust your fast days if you need to but it is easy to do, you don’t even have to tell people you are doing it. And I haven’t compensated by eating more the next day, if anything I’m eating less. And fast days are alcohol free which I have found surprisingly easy considering our cellar and that I am used to wine with meals. I found from the first week it was easy to swim 5 mornings (including fast days) – you have more energy and really burn fat. Over the first 8 weeks after a 1.5kg drop the first week I either put on a few hundred grams or didn’t lose much, but put on terrific leg muscle. Now after 14 weeks losing about half kg a week. But I find it much easier to just have water for the 24 hours

Sorry hadn’t finished ( I’m rubbish with tecno stuff )
Hope all is going well with you + many thanks for the support. Sue

Hi Lizzie? Well I’m mid sixty with at least 7st to lose maybe more I also wished I’d found it earlier, but we’re there now so let’s get going!!! And beat this together, we’ve only missed about 9 months.
Good Luck on you’re journey. Sue.

My husband and I (sound like the Queen don’t I) are just on our second fast day, I have been doing Weightwatchers, feels like forever, and have slacked off for months, partly attributed to major family issues, but this sounds like a fantastic way to eat. At the moment we are doing three meals, but the middle one is minute, and sticking to the allotted calories, I am planning to track ww points on the five other days, has anyone done this and how did it work?

Hello, dorsetdoll and welcome – I know nothing of the Weightwatchers (WW) points system but is it based on a 7-days-a-week calorie-restricted daily food allowance to achieve weight loss? If so, I would suggest you do take a little care. Hopefully, the WW plan does educate you well about the calorific values of different foods, which should be very useful in helping you to make good choices. However, as I understand it, the 5:2 approach deliberately rejects DAILY calorie restriction as being unsustainable long-term and more likely to slow down one’s metabolism, thereby reducing one’s capacity to lose weight. I think the 5:2 principle is: two relatively sharp shocks to the metabolism each week but then normal, healthy eating – i.e. taking in enough calories to balance one’s energy expenditure – on each of the other five days. Thus, one achieves an overall calorie deficit over the seven days, with various additional health benefits, but without tipping one’s body into the dread ‘starvation mode’. You already sound pretty savvy so I wish you and your husband every success, especially in finding the best way of working for each of you. It would be good to hear how you get on.

sorry weigh, not way

Hi everyone. Have been on the 5:2 for four weeks now and had lost around 2ks, but no loss this week. I wanted to check the way my husband and I are currently managing the fast days and get some advice from more experienced participants if this is correct. We eat dinner on our feed day prior to fast day at 6pm and then have nothing more until 10-11am the following fast day when we have a 200cal breakfast. At 6pm that day we have our 300 cal dinner, then nothing until breakfast at 8am following day. This gives us two fast periods of approx 15 hours till fast day b’fast, followed by approx 22 hours during which we consume our 500cals (husband has 600). We consume our calories in a period of eight hour, leaving 14 hours fasting after 6pm. Is this okay. Love reading all the comments and helpful hints….good luck to all Meg

Hello everyone well I lost my 1st stone before my holiday ( sooo chuffed)
I did the best I could while away, also plenty of walks did 10,000 plus steps daily, on my return did fast day & 2 more in week ( this was to repair damage)
Didn’t weigh-in simply because I knew I must have gained, maybe when I’ve been doing it bit longer I’ll fast while away but not this time, weigh myself in 2days so will let you know, good luck everyone. Sue

You are very inspiring! How is your wife getting on? I also have been doing this since July but haven’t weighed in yet so haven’t got a clue how well, or not, I’m doing! Best of luck getting to your goals.

Suep, I totally understand about the tiredness. I too find that I get very tired, in particular after a fast day. I do however sleep, even if I wake early, today it was 05:00 which annoyed me because I knew I’d have to wait 3 hours before I could eat (yesterday was a fast day). I’m wondering whether even with keeping the fluid intake up, it is something to do with what we eliminate. The body is after all getting rid of some toxins. I actually think it’s a very good idea to take a break. I did exactly that when I had a very bad cold and chest infection. I continued to be careful with my diet, eating healthily but didn’t fast. It didn’t have a detrimental effect at all. So I’ve decided that I will have one week a month whereby I don’t fast. I’m hoping that by doing this, I might avoid the dreaded plateau. Take care of yourself and let us know how you are. 🙂

anainn- thanks for your encouragement. I hadn’t thought of the toxins as a source of headaches. It could also be the lack of sleep as well.