This time last year I thought the 5/2 diet was for people who had more will-power than me. On 18 Feb 2014 I read the book in one go, and decided that I should at least try it. I weighed 13 st 3lbs before I started. I was elated when I survived my 1st fast day without collapsing in a heap, so I continued. My target weight was 10 stone, which I reached in December 2014. I then went to the USA for 2 weeks, where I did the 1 day maintenance fast. I expected to put on weight out there, but when I came back I found that I had lost weight and was now 9 st 9lbs.

I experimented by doing another 1 day maintenance fast and lost weight again, so I’m now not doing any fast days. I’m 9st, 8lbs, and size 12/14. I assume this is because I have now gone off sugar, which has been another unexpected effect of the diet. A year ago I was a size 18, creeping up to a 20. I was very worried that I might end up with type 2 diabetes, along with all the potential side-effects.

A surprise effect of the diet was that my life-long headaches and migraines have stopped. I used to think they were related to being hungry, so I would try and prevent them by eating a small snack, which was obviously the wrong thing to do.

I did one thing differently – I ignored the advice about eating low-fat food on fast days, and I continued with butter, full-fat milk and olive oil – just in smaller quantities.

As far as I’m concerned, the Fast Diet is a modern miracle. It has transformed my life. I feel that my appetite and my attitude to food (I was a stress-eater) have been totally reset.

I’m very happy to be copied and pasted. I think we should spread the word any way we can.

I know from talking to friends on Facebook that people are often still locked into Weight Watchers, in particular. I’ve no experience of WW because I never ever wanted to follow that system or have a public weigh-in.

When I was 18 in 1980, I was very slim (size 8, 7½ stone). I was able to eat whatever I wanted and didn’t put on weight, so I didn’t really have enough knowledge about what to do when that did start to happen. I knew I didn’t want to calorie-count, because it didn’t seem to work for other people.

By about 1993 I was size 20/22. I watched Gillian Mckeith’s programme and thought that I could try that. I lost about 2 stone and became a size 18. I stayed at that for many years. I then discovered low-carb eating after reading “Escape the Diet Trap” by John Briffa. I lost 2 stone on that, but then encountered a consultant, who shouted at me unexpectedly, so I went out and had some cake in the local cafe – and put the 2 stone back on gradually. I felt I knew what to do to lose weight (avoid carbs), but and I felt angry that this silly consultant had had an effect on me. And then I found the Fast Diet.

My initial target was to lose 2 stone, and then a further stone after that. I’ve now ended up at 9½ stone. And I know what to do, if I start to put weight back on again, which is so empowering. I thought Michael Mosley should become leader of the universe, but perhaps he should become a saint as well!

Do you know, I’ve thought that as well, about other people’s postings!