FD day..and I got so cold at my office. Thank heavens for Lemon Zinger and Miso (not in the same cup!!). I’m down about 5 but up the last two days. Will get down another 5 soon, I hope.
This topic contains 1,453 replies, has 174 voices, and was last updated by dykask 4 years, 10 months ago.
Welcome Knotigal… I hope you enjoy the 5:2. I for one am so pleased to find an answer to the yo yo-ing I have done most of my adult life. I began Aug 2013 and in 9 mo I had lost 26 lbs. since I have been maintaining. To maintain I continue 5:2. K-Lo is so right it is not particularly difficult to take in only 500 calories in one day. It feels good to give my digestive system a bit of a rest. And if I think of something lovely to eat I know it is less than 24 hours away. I think that is the power in this eating scheme: only one day at a time to really deny yourself. Should say initially it was a couple of months of struggle. You know well I am sure what foods satisfy your needs so you don’t dip to a blood sugar low. I stick to those things that work for me: med boiled egg, radishes, broccoli, lite soups, chicken breast, oatmeal, half an orange, or half an apple. Popcorn as a snack. I use low calorie froz meals as well. Best to you coming aboard!
Hi all,
Just heard about this diet on the evening news and needed to read more. I stumbled upon your posting. I am American and live in Boston. I have always been small framed and thin and yes could eat just about anything. I have gained a few pounds over the past couple of years and would like to slim down. The idea of fasting sounds manageable…so here I am.
Do you recommend fasting to begin the diet?
Cheers!****************
Hi everyone, it’s been awhile but I’m still around. Since my surgery site became infected, I’ve been on antibiotics. If I don’t eat enough, I end up getting really sick on the meds. So I haven’t been fasting but trying to eat normal. I got at least another week and a half of the meds than I can get back to fasting. I’m really bummed that I finally found something that works well for me and than get sidelined. That’s life
Hope everyone is doing well and look forward to joining everyone again soon.
4th fast definately the easiest. Only had 260 calories. A little hungry but not so hungry I need to eat. Will wait til tomorrow. Crazy, never thought this would be possible. Wonder if it was because last night I had a higher fat dinner, a small portion of fish and chips. Wonder if a higher fat dinner makes the next day fast easier.
Hi Knoti and welcome:
Here are most of the tips you will need: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
Hi heart and welcome:
You don’t start the diet until you start to eat 5/600 cal. on your diet days. Many people find one meal high in fat and moderate in protein works best on diet days. Many others find not eating anything at all is the best solution.
Here are some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
Hi PC,
I would tend to agree with the higher fat dinner of the previous night influencing your hunger then next day. I have done some experimenting and been taking by blood glucose levels first thing in the morning. If I don’t have simple carbs for dinner my BG is 4.5 (normal range 3.9 to 5.9)next morning and Im almost not even hungry. If I eat pasta etc. then the next day I will have a BG of 5.5 to 5.7. So I would load up on protein and fats before a fast day.
Congrats Cilantro – those are some really exciting results!
Thanks coldpizza – to be fair it was 3 day old banana bread so nothing to write home about 🙂
I am fasting again today. Each fast day is such a relief. No wondering what to eat – I find it opens the day up to so much more productivity as well.
Welcome to all the new posters – hope you are finding what works for you. There are so many ways to tweak this – I seem to find a new idea every week if not more often.
Cheers!
Princess Cilantro. Wow! what a success! Keep it up.
Unfortunately, this week is a disaster for me. And it is all my fault. 🙁
Starting fresh from Monday.
This forum helps a lot. It helps if you are successful, and helps if you are not.
I am reading a lot of threads of the forum, and every time find something useful.
Just want to thank everybody. Keep losing! 🙂
Hi Everyone, I’m not in the US but the UK. I would advise everyone to watch Michael Moseley’s BBC documentary that brought about the development of the 5:2 diet. Something tells me it probably hasn’t been aired in the US. It’s called ‘EAT, FAST AND LIVE LONGER’: (BBC HORIZON 2012). It can be found on the Tube.
All the best
Hi Everyone,
I’m getting the book tomorrow. Spent much time, all my life, fasting off & on, especially in college (who has time to eat? right?) Then one day when I woke up, much to my surprise I had gotten older and suddenly had a bunch of health issues, most notably heart disease. I am on warfarin, (in spite of being mostly vegetarian since a very young age), but I have my own monitor so can control it when I have issues. Hopefully, the diet won’t be a problem…but I’d be open to hear if anyone has any experience with anything having to with any heart or drug things and fasting. I am tired of losing and gaining the same 5 lbs., without being able to lose the total 25-30 lbs. I need to lose. I want to feel better, have more energy and try to avoid any further heart issues.
It’s time, and I will be so to happy to give support because I need it too. Thank you all!
Hi I am starting tomorrow – just found out about it – I am mid 50s, kids gone, need to lose 50+ lbs – want my life back and to keep my husband happy for another 25 years (yes, we have been married 25 years)- I walk 3-5 miles exercising every day and am scared to death that this won’t work and I am desperate
Hi jb and welcome:
5:2 works – it has worked for hundreds of thousands of people. But it is ‘unusual’ and not understood by many. You have to do it for awhile to gain confidence. But it does work.
Here is how it works – it is simple to understand but can be hard to do: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
Good Morning! Hope you are all having a great weekend.
Yesterday I had a successful fast – just water and coffee. Phew. I needed that success since Friday was supposed to be a fast then halfway through the day I realized my family needed me to eat something – I was way too grumpy and that particular day required more patience than I had while fasting. Getting my fasting day done the very next day was a good confidence booster.
I find myself in a bit of a rough patch this week. Feels like I am doing damage control on my fasting days and my eating days I am lacking the control I had in the beginning. I am *very* happy to not be gaining it all back but I miss the excitement of having easier days where I feel so motivated and the scale rewards me too. Perhaps next week will be more awesome.
Nothing to do but press on. This really does feel like a one day diet which I love – just trying to learn how to eat normally on my non fasting days but old habits die hard and seem to return after I thought I had broken them!
Cheers
Hi, I am beginning today with God’s help to get healthy and lose weight.
I would like to lose 40 lbs by New Years. I would still be 175 lbs, but
that would be a start. Goal #2 will be for 2017.
I am going to try the every other day diet. 500 cals one day and feast the next. I do not plan to do a 0 calorie fast day. I am also going to try to walk 10,000 steps a day.
Good Luck.
Bell bell – we sound like we are on the exact same page 🙂 I am starting today as well hoping today will be my first “fast” day…please feel free to contact me directly for support as we go! I need the help and support! I received an email re your post but took me a little while to find it, Jett (mom of 3 big kids) jbsheehy@mac.com
Bummer. Wasn’t able to get the book at my local bookstores yesterday. So I’m just going to order it and hope it comes soon. In the meantime, I’m looking up as much info as I can on how to do it. Thanks for the link simcoeluv; I’m heading there as soon as I finish this. Good luck to bell bell and jbsheey. I know it works if we help each other. Like everything, it will take some time getting used to it and seeing what works best.
Yes we can!
Hi guys-
I’m TOTALLY behind in what’s been happening here and more than a little off my game.
We had friends visiting the past week. Glad to have them and everything started out going well. I squired them to my favorite eateries and sipped my tea while they chowed down. Cooked favorite meals keeping them within my sensible parameters. And then… The husband had a heart attack. In. My. House. In (for them) a foreign country — with all those unfamiliarities and insurance complications.
I got stressed out and began eating from dawn to dusk. And I wanted COMFORT FOODS. Understandable, perhaps, but, coming a week after the excesses of Easter, not a good time to go off the rails again.
We’re off to a birthday party dinner tonight and then tomorrow I am going to have to muscle and white knuckle myself back on track. To. Stay. this time, I hope.
Looking forward to catching up with all of you and being buoyed up by your good examples and stellar motivation!
LA Chubster,
So sorry to hear about your friend’s heart attach. I hope he makes a full recovery.
Can’t blame you for going off the rails at a time like that. Just do the best you can and don’t worry about fasting right now. You can resume your diet when things settle down.
Sending positive thoughts to you and your friends.
Bronx
A very useful way to approach this, Princess Cilantro! I also find that planning ahead makes a huge difference. When I was driving up to Vancouver I prepared sections of my lunch salad to assemble in a large well-sealed salad bowl so I wasn’t at the mercy of fatty road food. Worked like a charm to keep me from having to start all over again. But heart attacks we don’t plan for. …for some reason. 😗 😏
I will sit down and see what I can learn from this though ’cause those unplanned shocks are part of life.
Thanks for the good thoughts, Bronx. They left in good shape and more aware of what will need monitoring for now on. And, given how it seemed to come out of nowhere, it’s a GOOD thing to be more aware. 😏
Now I’ve just got to get disciplined again. Today is a FD and it’s harder than it’s been before but I hope to have an easier time tomorrow after I get today under my belt.
I’m skipping the gym but I’ve got 5 huge loads of laundry to do and that’s probably 15 trips up and down the stairs which is already a workout for the knee that doesn’t have any cartilage.
Let’s have a good week, everyone!!! SOooooo grateful for your company and support!
Good Morning from the South. My first official day to start 5/2. Monday and Thursday are my fast days. While I have some healthy food in the house, I’ll need to grocery shop to get healthy snacks for these days. I’m surprised how quickly 500 calories go. I can see planning for these two days will be a big help.
Hope everyone has a great day. Where I live, we are having thunderstorms.
LA – yikes! So sorry to hear about your friend’s heart attack. Glad he is doing better! Life can definitely mess up our plans to eat well – glad to see you are getting back on track now.
Coldpizza – Absolutely!!!! New day, new fast! – time to get a good day under your belt! Hope today is easier and you can get back in your groove. Glad to see you trying so hard. It is so worth the effort.
I had a stupid eating day yesterday but am fasting yet again today and will slowly but surely make up for my lame choices yesterday. ADF feels like it makes up for a lot of my lack of willpower on eating days. I love that even though I am having bad days here and there I am not gaining; I have simply slowed my losing. I am headed to the freezer now to remove some of the more tempting trigger foods I thought I was learning how to manage but clearly I HAVE NOT learned how to manage them (yet).
Happy fasting
Cheers
Hi everyone. I am a newbie from California. I am in my late 50’s and have 40+ lbs to lose. Today is my first fast day. I am planning to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, although my husband prefers I fast on Mon-Wed since he is out of town those days. I usually work on Mondays but I am off today, a good day to “practice” fasting. I have never fasted before today.
I am concerned about how I am going to feel while working. I work day day shift in an Emergency Dept. and cannot chance feeling weak, tired, grouchy, or having a cloudy brain. I am thinking a decent lunch will get me through the work day.
I spent the weekend reading the through many forums and received the Fastlife book yesterday. (Thank goodness for Sunday delivery from Amazon).
I have enjoyed reading the posts in this forum and look forward to this journey towards a healthier life.
Just wondering if this is a closed thread or if anyone can join?
My first fast in a long time begins today. I’m thinking this might be the only diet I’ve never tried. Before, I’d fast but just not eat anything except rabbit food. I’m looking forward to the days when I get to eat. It used to be that would work but as I’ve gotten older my metabolism has really changed and it’s harder than it used to be to lose weight. Monday’s and Thursday’s seem like doable days for me too.
Let me know if I shouldn’t post here. Thanks everyone!
C
Hi crow and welcome:
No such thing as a ‘closed’ thread. Happy to have you.
Here are some tips that might help: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
Melinda,
Thank you for support.
The late afternoon – evening time is hard for me because there is a refrigerator with food in it, and one of the cabinet is hiding sweets. I use two ropes to hold refrigerator’s and the cabinet’s doors closed. It really works when I absent-minded try to open the doors. It take seconds to cave in, but also seconds to stop. 🙂
My husband knows my tricks. Although he does not need fasting, he is very supportive of my fasts, and does not mind to take extra time to untie the rope and tie it back. 🙂
Another trick:
During the lunch hour, when the delicious smells filling the office – I go for a walk around my building.
Stay strong!
Hi cizzy and welcome:
It takes the body about a month to adapt to this way of eating – a month or so from now you will be able to eat (or not eat) in ways you can’t imagine today. But for starters, you need to understand that if you eat carbs on your diet days – like toast, fruit, yogurt with sugar, cereal and the like – you will get very hungry and find it hard to get through the day without ‘failing’.
So whatever and whenever you eat on your diet days, try to make sure the food is high in fat and moderate in protein with few, if any, carbs. Many people that have done this for awhile find eating one high fat/moderate protein meal in the evening of diet days works best. People that have done it for some longer times find not eating at all on diet days works best.
Here are some more tips that will help you succeed with 5:2: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
Hi:
Just stopping by to report I just finished another 48 hour water fast. I structured it so I could get two diet days out of it. I ate a breakfast of under 600 calories on Saturday and ate nothing for the rest of the day. I ate nothing on Sunday, for a second diet day. I ate a nice breakfast this morning. As my week runs from Sunday to Saturday, I still need one more diet day this week.
No problem.
Good Luck all!
Thank you for the welcome simcoeluv! It’s about noon here and I’m checking in with you guys instead of opening my fridge or cupboards. It’s feeling kind of easy today but I’m thinking that it’s due to being inspired and a new beginning. I drink a ton of water anyway so it’s helping me. I really appreciated the hint about carbs simcoeluv! I was just wishing I had some yogurt in the fridge and now I’m not wishing for that “easy fix”. I’ll reach for something with more protein and fat instead. How bad (or good) is turkey bacon? I like it w/o craving it or needing to eat 1/2 the pkg. Was thinking that maybe two pieces might be helpful mid afternoon. And I was planning on roasting a couple of organic carrots to nibble on if I start getting headache-y or queasy. I checked with Amazon about the book and it’s sold out. EEK. I read all the good info you sent the link to and it is very helpful. But now I’m kind of flying by the seat of my pants since I am unable to get the book. I have one more bookstore I can ck with here, so I have my fingers crossed I can get it.
Simcoeluv,
Great job!
Crowmama,
Don’t be too frustrated about not getting the book. All information is here to start.
I never got the book, but I am fasting from January and already lost 13 lb. 🙂
Additionally, the experienced faster like Simcoeluv and others usually answer all of your questions. So no more excuses, just start fasting. 😀
First day on the 5:2 diet! I’m feeling positive as I’ve had experience on 2-day fasts and those are REALLY challenging. I’d prefer not to do 2 days in a row! This seems fairly easy and structured and I’m praying that I can follow this! I would love to lose 20 lbs (or so). My weight goes up and down 10 lbs a year…spring being my weight loss time. I’m sick of this pattern!
I’m sticking to protein shakes on my fast days to ensure that I don’t over eat.
Good luck to everyone!
Hi crow:
You can eat anything you want on 5:2 as long as you stay within the calorie guidelines. So turkey bacon is fine if you like it. I make a point of only eating food I really like to eat. I mean, if you are on an eating plan you intend to follow for the rest of your life, why eat food you don’t really want to eat?
The post I gave you gives you the entire diet – in about one paragraph. The rest of the book I guess is recipes and almost unrelated information about the hoped for ‘other health benefits’ of the diet. The nature of the way of eating is so radical given accepted standards that the authors felt they needed to provide reasons other than weight loss for people to follow it. I have never read the book and have not found it limiting that I have not (although I keep up on the research quite closely).
Good Luck!
Hi all, and fellow starter Bekkiboo!
Just starting today too. Nice to see a thread with similar time zones, I am CST.
Typical weight gain story, bit by bit, want to start losing before it gets out of hand. A 20 lbs loss sounds good to me, but would settle for fifteen! I will follow the book, (also available in digital download form, crowmama) no interest in water or coffee fasts, too extreme for me. My TDEE is 1550, but will start with 500 calories on Mondays and Thursday’s. Even the no wine part, major commitment:( Have started exercising again too after a bout of several months of laziness.
Cheers, notfastenough
Hi and welcome, crowmama, cizzy and notfastenough!
You’ll be amazed how quickly fasting becomes routine! I don’t find 2 back-to-back days without food difficult at all (she said feeling hungry today after days of pigging out). I wouldn’t worry about being tired or distracted or grouchy on fast days. On the contrary, having lots going on is a most helpful distraction that makes the days go quickly and you’re eating again before you know it.
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