I’m turning 42 in June and have been on the fast diet for four weeks now. I started with a BMI in the low 20’s so weight loss isn’t my goal – having a healthier geriatric period is what I am after.

A few times I’ve gone with the ‘simply not eating on fast day is easier’ and didn’t have too much trouble with that. Today is a fast day and as I’ve started a virus that is causing me some trouble, I decided to eat a light meal; chicken and lettuce.

The very first day of fasting was difficult, but since that first day it hasn’t been difficult at all.

Hello everyone! Also coming over from the 47yo thread. I’m 43 and have been on the diet since late February. I’ve lost about 8 lbs — gone from 154 lbs (at 5’7″) to 146 — and am quite pleased about it. My goal is to get to 140, which should really be entirely doable if I would only eat a bit less on my non-fast days. Sigh. This diet is very effective, but I feel like I still haven’t found a good equilibrium. And fast days are so hard!

I can’t argue with the results, though. Off to drink my cup of diet cocoa before bed 🙂

It certainly isn’t easy when there are special events. This coming weekend is the First Communion of a child of friends of ours followed by a big party where there will be lots of food. I too, on my non-fast days, sometimes go overboard. I’ve read from others on this group that they have found that by fasting they changed their eating habits on non-fast days. So far, I haven’t noticed any such effect. Tomorrow is my second fast day of the week (I do Mondays and Thursdays) and I think I’ll be doing the ‘easiest just not to eat at all’ plan. Not being a foodie has made the 5:2 plan easier for me than I think it is for others.

Though weight loss is not really my purpose, I have lost some weight – I dropped from 152lbs to 147 and then to 145 and have been between 145 and 147 for the last week or so. From age 17 to about 34 I weighed an even 140lbs so if I get to there and stay there, I might switch to 6:1 rather than 5:2. I’ll have to see how it goes.

desperate, I always eat breakfast — on fast and nonfast days. I get up very early to work for a bit and then go to the gym, so by the time I get back I am ravenous.

I’ve been finding that the first fast day of the week (Monday) is usually manageable but the second one (usually Wednesday) is just a bear. I really hope that I can eventually move to 6:1, as I think I’d find that exponentially easier. But today was a Wednesday fast day and it was a lot better than it’s been! Not quit sure why — the weather was absolutely gorgeous, which always helps, but I also just tried not to think about fasting.

VirginiaEdie, I have the same problem with my nonfast days. I am going to try for that attitude adjustment!

Today is a fast day for me and usually on Thursdays (as I am doing today) I’m following the ‘it is easier not to eat’ strategy. My last meal was a light supper Thursday evening at 18h00 and my next meal will be breakfast Friday morning at around 6h30.

Virginia, 4:3 (aka ADF) sounds too severe for me, I don’t think I could swing that.

Virginia, you discovered a typo in my post; it looks like we’re in the same timezone.

I should have said that my last meal was Wednesday evening at 18h00. Maybe this not eating business is affecting my concentration. 😉

VE, I haven’t noticed really anything in terms of other health benefits apart from weight loss and the side effects of that – less fat on me.

I didn’t expect to, however, as the kinds of things that autophagy does is not readily apparent. I’ll only know in my later years if this makes any difference. The tricky part is that there is no way for me to know how I would end up had I never heard of the 5:2 and didn’t fast.

Today is a fast day for me and normally I eat a ~400cal lunch at 12h30, but I got out of bed late this morning and had to rush to get out of the house, so I don’t have a low cal meal with me. I’ll probably just end up fasting until breakfast tomorrow; it is easier this way.

My grandfather had Alzheimer’s. It was tragic. Is there any scientific evidence that IF can help prevent this? Also it’s not really fasting if I eat the 500 calories. Is it? I try to mostly eat them all at the one meal either late lunch or dinner. It gets confusing to me when it comes to 5-2 health benefits but would love to believe this. Thoughts?

desperate: I read the 5:2 book and I think the idea of the 500 calories is to make the plan more sustainable for the greatest number of people to stick with it. This reduced calorie intake works well so long as the there is zero sugar in your fast day food so that your body stays in ketosis burning fat instead of consumed sugar. With respect to autophagy, however, I’ve read conflicting reports that the body enters autophagy either after 18 hours or after 24 hours, or only after 36 hours of fasting (ie, not eating even the 500 cals). I believe it is the autophagy that will help with the long term health so on Thursdays I do not eat at all doing a 36 hour fast from Wednesday supper until Friday breakfast.

VE: I’m glad you and your family figured out about the gluten, it really seems to have made a world of difference for you all.

Hi there everyone. I would like to share my experiences.

I’m 49 years old and have yo yo dieted for 30 years.
I am 5 feet 2 and was 9 stone 24 years ago, then recently hit 14 stone 4!

Previous diets I have tried have worked but I have not been able to sustain them long term.
I did the old style Slimming World ( red days/ green days) and found I lost loads of weight quickly as I could quite literally “pig out” on pasta.

The Atkins diet was great for me, as a big meat eater ( no, don’t tut all you out there, it’s NOT about eating loads of fat. It’s actually high protein, high veg and fruit, low carbohydrate)…but this was hard work to think about and prepare foods for work.

But none of these diets have taught me about portion control and supressing hunger pangs, they have advocated the “pig” in me which doesn’t challenge the root problem.

Last year at my absolute heaviest I sustained a severe knee injury ( ruptured anterior cruciate ligament,….while doing cardio kickboxing,….trying to get fit and lose weight…ha ha) and was looking at a year of gloom and decided that now was the time to make a positive out of a big negative…and give the 5:2 a go…see where it took me.

I started on the 18th January and to date have lost 3 stone 4 pounds. Today I weigh 11 stone. Haven’t seen that for a few years.

It has been difficult as I tried to increase my exercise at the same time and can only go on the exercise bike.

The diet itself, I would highly recommend to anyone out there who has tried and failed . It teaches you discipline and helps you to truly understand hunger, and makes you realise that more often or not you are thirsty, and not hungry.

The hardest is to get the “fasting” days right. I eat a mini fruit platter of 107 calories throughout the day nibbling then save about 450 calories for an evening meal. I don’t stick strictly to 500 calories and have found I can go up as high as 550 and still lose weight. I went crazy on stirfries for a while as you can fill up on lots of healthy vegetables and lean meat or prawns. Now I am onto salads.

I have even tackled eating out very successfully and make much healthier choices. Alcohol…easy, switch from wine to spirits with calorie free mixers.

I’m now trying to spread the word and get more people hooked on this diet. This is “the one” I feel I can sustain for life. This is not a diet, this is healthy eating. This is a change for the better!…and still got 1 1/2 stone to go…..

Afternoon all I’m 45 and really have been so lazy about starting this diet. I am SO determined this time and I need your help to keep on track. Whats the easiest way of planning and preparing for the fast days? I know if something isnt easy for me I will ditch it!! I’m about size 14 and was 13 stone last time I weighed myself..Im afraid to weigh myself now. Oh and I find it SO SO difficult to replace bread in my diet..any suggestions?? Sorry loads of questions 🙂

Thank you Virginia..I will take measurements as you suggested tomorrow! On your fast days do you nit even have tea or coffee til dinner time? X

Is anyone still active on this thread? 🙂

I am a 49 year old woman and starting 3rd week of 5:2, but haven’t lost any weight. The first week I didn’t really watch my calories on NFD but the 2nd week I did and stayed under 2000 / also exercised. I’m 5’6″ and weigh 145 – need to lose 10 lbs to get to my ideal weight. Does anyone have any encouragement for a slow start and that this will kick in and start working?

@embc. Where did you come up with the 2000 limit? That seems too high given youre only 145 lbs and 49 years old. You should be about 1550 calories. Use the TDEE calculator at the top of the page. Your fast days are being counteracted by eating too much on your non fast days.

embc:

Did you read Really, No Weight Loss?

Good Luck!