Hi guys I am also 46 I weighed myself about three weeks ago and discovered I had gone up to 10st 2lb I was mortified I have weighed around 9st 3-5 for many years but stopping the gym and eating a lot of chocolate etc helped me gain 12lb, I have now been at the gym again for just over a month and am using my fitness pal for around 6weeks but not much weight loss I am now going to start the 5:2 diet to see if I can get some of this weight shifted. It is great reading through your post and I look forward to seeing bow you all get on ps I have not weighed myself again as I get too obsessed with it so I am going by how my clothes fit

Hello Everyone!
I just joined the forum a few days ago and I have finally found a group to join: this one. I am 49 and I’ve been following the fast diet for about five weeks. I started with 4:3 because I had a fancy party to attend and I wanted to get some weight off beforehand. I needed to fit my dress. It turns out I really like 4:3 so I am sticking with it for now.

I thought I would include some of the things I’ve learned about myself over the past month.

1) I am not that hungry after a fast day, but I am the second day after a fast day. Doing 4:3 keeps me from getting carried away on that second day.
2) I am a snacker. The fast days have taught me I don’t have to eat in between meals.
3) I swim four mornings a week. If I fast on a swim morning I have to have a small 100 calorie breakfast and then I save the rest of my calories for dinner. If I don’t swim, I save all my calories for the evening meal. That does seem to work best for me. 500 calories is actually a lot to eat at one time and very satisfying for the rest of the night.
4) Any weight I drop (which is excruciatingly slow) only seems to come off the two weeks between the time I ovulate and the start of my period.
5) I really try to avoid eating out now because here in the U.S., they put so much salt in the food I can be three pounds heavier the next morning and my wedding rings don’t fit.
6) I really need to eat only meat, fruits, nuts, and veggies on my nonfast days because grains also seem to make me bloat. I’m still working on that one.

I think that is about all for now. I’m sure as I continue with this new way of life (because I’m not planning on stopping; I do enjoy the fast days) I’ll learn even more about myself.

Cheers.

Thanks for your kind words. I have been reading through many of the posts on the forum for a few weeks and have been so impressed by how caring and supportive everyone is. It is really a beautiful thing.

Hi Amitrix, you may need to change your mindset as well. It sounds like you are dreading or fearing the fast day. So, you start pigging out the night before out of fear of failure. Maybe try looking forward to the fast day, instead.

Take care.

I tried to start this diet a couple of times but it aggravated my gout both times. I have the gout under control and am finishing my third week now. I seem to have lost 6 pounds already. I’m not doing it to lose weight. That is a side benefit. I am doing it to see if I can lower my sugar and cholesterol. I just eat some strawberries and almonds sparingly. You have to be careful with the almonds because a tiny handful is about 160 calories. I think I am eating maybe less than 600 calories. I have cut back a little from my first day. I had a large strawberry and four almonds for breakfast, a large strawberry and four almonds for lunch, a small strawberry and maybe half a dozen almonds spaced out for snacks. I will probably eat another strawberry or two for dinner. All I have to do is make it through one day, knowing I can resume eating the next day. I fast on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When your body feels just a little hungry, it is producing the chemicals you need to get your numbers down. And right now that seems a small price to pay to avoid taking insulin shots. I actually feel good on the days that I am fasting and more alert. If I think about food, I think about what I am going to have for breakfast or lunch the next day. I also eliminated eggs completely because I read about one study that eggs were associated with diabetes. My body has already started adjusting to the fast days as normal routine. I hope to continue this for the rest of my life. I used to weigh 255 lbs. I worked out every day for six months and brought my weight down to the 230’s but because of a very long work commute I can no longer exercise as much. The diet will be a slow process but I am hoping in six months or so I will be down to a much better weight and feel good again. I am losing about 2 lbs. a week now but I expect that might slow down a bit later on. This is a very good thing that you are doing for yourself in that your body will produce chemicals that will make you healthier in addition to losing weight. The only problem I have noticed so far is that sometimes it takes a little longer to get to sleep on an empty stomach but I am hoping I will get used to that as time goes on. I am going to test my numbers again after next week which will be one month. If they are starting to go down then I know I am on the right track.

Hi Jimarther,

I’ve been trying to look upon hunger as a good thing. If I’m hungry, my body is going to have to tap into its fat stores. Reduce fat store good, so hunger good.

I hope things keep going well for you.

Cheers.

Hi Desperate but Driven,

I don’t know how salty the food is in restaurants in Europe, but in the States restaurant food is pretty salty. I bet you are correct that some of that gain is water. Hope your first fast day back went well.

Cheers.

Hi Jaymo I am so there with you! And VirginiaEddie thank you for the support!

Ok so I woke up this morning after fast day and thrilled to say I am now only just 1.5 pound over what I was before the trip! So maybe a lot if it was salt. 🙂 I am going to do another fast day today just to see what happens. I have been reading a lot on this forum on the section with horizon BBC what’s the right diet for you? Michael Mosley gives a paraphrase. I took the quiz which can be found on line. Based on my results I am a constant craver mixed with eating too much at buffets:) anyway it says 5-2 mixed with eating mostly veggies and protein on non fast days is the ideal for my body type. Let’s see! Love to hear thoughts and results from you all.

Hang in there everyone! US expression:)

Hi desperate but driven (and others), I am usually on the maintenance thread but was scrolling through looking for something called Top Tips and came across this thread so thought I’d put in my two bobs worth! Doesn’t seem to matter how much you have to lose, you just keep on losing it on 5:2. I wanted to lose 7kg and ended up losing 12kg. It just kept on coming off so I just kept resetting my goal weight! I found I ate well on my non FD’s, but tried to stay under my TDEE. Weekends are my weakness and I can easily put on 1.5kg over the weekend depending how much I have eaten and drunk. I don’t worry about that though because I know I can lose it all with my FD on Monday and a couple of other healthy eating days.,
I don’t eat until at least 12.30 on a FD and go as late as I can. Today I didn’t eat til 3pm. I had tuna and salad for lunch and for tea I had a bowl of veg soup and a slice of toast. I don’t usually eat carbs on a FD but it’s quite cold here today and I just wanted the bread (sourdough). I started 5:2 having breakfast but like everyone else says it just wakes up the hunger monster and makes it hard for the rest of the day

Hi All, I am on my Monday fast after being away with my girlfriends all weekend. I decided I didn’t want to know what the scale said this morning after my weekend of fun. I’ll wait til after my fast.

Last week I had a terrible time sleeping all week. I realized my caffeine consumption has gone way up because I was drinking a lot more tea, especially iced tea. I also think that having the caffeine on a fast day must keep it in my system longer. I didn’t have any caffeine this weekend and I slept much better. I staying away for tea today, caffeinated anyway, and I’ll see how the sleep goes. I mentioned this because I see people discuss insomnia on fast days and I wonder if caffeine consumption on fast days is the culprit.

Desperate, I have not fasted two days in a row yet. I’ll be curious to hear what you think if you give it a try.

Take care everyone.

Hi desperate but driven, I have done back to back fasting a couple of times and found the weight just dropped off but also found I got a bit shaky. I decided not to do it unless I had to because I didn’t want to sabotage the routine I had going and which was working well. Just worried I would overeat the next day after back to back. Something else I’ve noticed too if I’ve had a very light calorie FD I need to have some protein for breakfast the next morning otherwise I can get a bit shaky then too. I’m usually a carb breakfast person with a bit of yoghurt the only protein source so usually just put some peanut butter on my toast and that does the trick!

I have a sick kid. Ate the popcorn. But won’t let myself go nuts. 🙂

Hi virginiaEdie, I use myfitnesspal app and have worked out the calorie content of foods I most often eat. Now I just eat those foods and roughly know I am under TDEE. When I have had extra ie been out for lunch or similar I don’t bother to count because I know I am most likely over unless I compensated by not eating breakfast.

You’re not alone with that thinking or that learning virginia!

Hi DBD,

I understand how you feel. I was away with my girlfriends two weekends ago and I kept wanting to each junk food after I got back. You can definitely stay tough until dinner and with only 45 cals consumed so far, you can have a nice fulfilling meal.
You can do it. I bet if you make it through today, you will be right back upon that wagon!

Giddy up horsey,

Virginia and DBD, a number of us on maintenance have commented how much harder it is to either fast or eat under or at TDEE after a day of eating sugar. Sugar is addictive and I have noticed every time I have had a ‘big weekend’ or even just a day, it is really hard fasting on Monday. Yesterday was a case in point. I had a big weekend as my sisters were in town so lots of extra wine, eating out etc. FD yesterday and it was so HARD in the morning, afternoon was better and then I was out at night so had nothing more than 6 almonds for tea. Should be below 400 but didn’t work it out because I ate leftover shop salad for lunch and it was a mix of ingredients. FYI I put on 1.5kg over 3 days and that was after I had missed breakfast two of those days to compensate! I have now decided to keep a food and weight diary to try and determine exactly which foods put the weight on me. I suspect it is alcohol but can’t be sure so need to do some research.

DBD don’t give up! Even if you can’t do a strict FD you could do a couple of days a bit less than TDEE which will still help.

Carolyn, ages ago you asked about exercise. I always exercise on my FD and find I feel really good afterwards.

Well, I made it through my fast day yesterday. I was worried I would have a tough time having to eat a small dinner, but it worked out better than expected. I’m pretty sure I stayed around 500 to 550 calories. I made chicken soup and had to estimate the calories for it. Today I am going to be a good girl and really keep out the refined carbs.

How is everyone today?

Hi DBD, I think we all have that fear for a while that one day we will wake up and all the weight has come back on! But thankfully it doesn’t and I didn’t find it any harder to lose the last few kgs that I did the first. You find you keep resetting your ideal weight goal because you just keep on losing! Win win!

hi Virgina and all!

I find every single day challenging! truth be told:) I also find it challenging at work when I’m not eating with my friends! I can’t really talk about FD because I don’t want to hear opinions and ridicule from others, or worse have people say I’m nuts for doing this! I have followed every diet under the sun so sure they would just laugh and say, here’s another! Lastly, Im tempted to try and do a third fast day but it’s just so difficult! I literally have plans the next 4 nights in a row which is unusual but still. Thinking of just fasting all day and trying to go with fish and veggies or chicken and veggies for dinner…with maybe just one glass of wine! Lastly, I now try to avoid breakfast almost every day. Especially on FD’s. It just starts up my appetite! and I don’t need that! good luck everyone and please keep writing on this thread! I can’t keep up with much so need to focus on only one and like that it seems to be a bunch of women in their 40’s:)

I’m game for any 40’s thread:) and the whole “fasting concept” is a bit confusing. Meaning, some people are eating their 500 calories throughout the day so technically not really fasting at all. I am fasting during the day but still having coffee with cream and chicken bouillion so I guess I’m not really fasting either so am I getting the benefits really? or do you need to only be having water to truly get the benefits? I’ve been doing this since early January. While I’ve gone up and down a few times I really have only lost 7 or 8 pounds depending on the day and what I ate over the weekend…etc…however, I’m only 133 pounds and 5 ft. 4 so I’m technically very much in my “target weight” but still want to lose 5 more pounds. Do I add a third day? stick to only proteins, fruits, and vegetables on non fast days? I don’t know…maybe simelcov does?

Hi everyone! I did my first FD yesterday and couldn’t help checking the scales this morning…3 LBS!IN ONE DAY!I honestly found the FD not too grim. What really staved off the hunger was sipping water all day. I got a bit desperate in the evening but went to bed early. I have felt great all day today too (2nd day on this new regime) Bring it on!!!!! I have a lot of weight to lose so its early days. I think your forum is really helpful. One thing I found yesterday is every time I think of food I say NO to myself and think of something else. Takes a bit of practice but I find it helps 🙂

Those food magazines are dangerous, aren’t they? Planning meals on a fast day is hard, even if I’m not feeling particularly hungry, I don’t dare risk waking the beast. Somehow going to the grocery store isn’t as bad as long as the list is already made and I don’t have to -think- about it.

Really impressed at the way some folks track their calories so diligently. Something about my personality makes that hard. I’d get so cranky on a fast day weighing all the bits of my dinner! Now I just stick to coffee with a bit of milk in the morning, a few nuts or miso soup in the afternoon and veggies plus a tiny piece of meat or cheese for dinner.

Just got a fitbit after pooh-poohing the idea for a long time. It has helped to have some of the social aspects of “challenges.” Maybe it’s the novelty of something new, but it has helped me get off the plateau and now I’m confident that I’ll reach my target in a month or so!