Advice for manual worker wanting to start the 5:2

This topic contains 7 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by jtj321 8 years, 6 months ago.

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jtj321

5:44 pm
19 Sep 15
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Hi.First post.I buy into the principle of the diet,and the science,although I guess more human evidence is needed there.However,my wife,an experienced practice nurse,and prescribing nurse is skeptical that I will be able to work as a plumber while fasting.The job can be physical,but not massively so.She would not recommend this diet to her patients.
I am 63,several stone overweight,take regular exercise (swimming) and am generally active.
Any thoughts to help me/motivate me/warn me off? Thanks.

Amazon

6:03 pm
19 Sep 15
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Hi,
There is no reason why you can’t do your job while fasting. It is like most things, tough at first but OK once you get the hang of it. The majority of successful fasters rely on keeping busy on fast days, so if you are busy at work it should be doable.
Maybe you should try fasting on a day when you aren’t working to see how you cope with it. A flask of low calorie soup and a big bottle of water would be a good idea on a work day, with a small meal when you get home.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.

jtj321

6:20 pm
19 Sep 15
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Ok.Thanks Amazon-I suspect it will be as much a mental attitude thing,once you’re committed to a plan,it is relatively easy.

Amazon

7:03 pm
19 Sep 15
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We have all been brainwashed and that includes the medical profession, into believing that we’ll fade away if we don’t eat every four hours and it is nonsense especially if we are overweight as we have emergency supplies in the form of fat ready to be used when our bodies need it.

jtj321

7:37 pm
19 Sep 15
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Well my well stocked emergency supplies should mean an easy ride then!

Islanda

8:16 pm
30 Oct 15
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Hi, some good posts here. Also agree that the biggest thing you need is mental strength. Personally I skip lunch on my fast days (can’t manage without breakfast!), lots of water, tea and most of my 500 calories in the evening! Some days are difficult but it is worth it!

Pot-bellied Heron

8:41 pm
30 Oct 15
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I’m a manual worker and I do fine on alternate day fasting so 5:2 should be a breeze.
It may be a problem if physical strength were needed all day (like a hod carrier for instance) as I find my energy levels waning when exerted but moderate manual activity is fine.

jtj321

9:21 am
31 Oct 15
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Well,I’ve been on it a month or so now,and it works for me,there are some “buts”,most of which are covered in the books,but might be helpful to go over.
I had got into very bad snacking habits,buying extras at work,fridge raiding at night,bad.So I decided that had to stop as well.The first few diet days were a killer frankly,your brain is prodding you to eat almost constantly,for me,this was harder than giving up smoking or alcohol,I’m sure other folk find it easier,but I notice not many on here say how hard it can be,so loads of determination needed.All the tips in the book helped,drinking water,letting the feeling pass,as it does,etc etc.
For me,I believe the biggest advantage to this form of diet is that I have learnt what feeling hungry is actually like,which I think will help me restrict my intake in the future.
Unless you do not need to loose much weight I reckon you have to do a bit of rough calorie counting on non diet days,this comes naturally as you don’t want to waste the diet time.
Excercise helps of course,but thats not revolutionary,obvious really.I have always relied heavily on increased excercise to loose aight,but not really altering my eating habits.truth is the excercise is hard to sustain,and the weight goes back on.
This is the one for me¬