Hi everyone, second week now, seems quite difficcult for me getting back on track after weekend. RobbieJ I like lots of hot water & lemon very refreshing & better than drinking plain old water. I tend to have reduced calories in the morning & lunch & a nice healthy vegetable soup at night. Feel so happy when I’ve stuck to the diet, feel I’ve achieved something & then really appreciate my non fast days 🙂
Keep going everyone you’re doing great, we’re all in this together 🙂

Hello.

I am a November newbie. My first fast is tomorrow.

I am 29, have piled on 3 stone in the last 3 years and am on a mission to shed the chub for my wedding next October. I am also on an overall mission to feel a lot healthier.

Hey Zozo your story is literally the same as mine how spooky!

I started my first fast yesterday and I can honestly say it was a lot easier than I was expecting. I found going to the gym first thing in the morning before breakfast also gave a good kick start as I had loads of energy left in me from the meal the previous night.

The only thing I worry about is my TDEE, its recommended at 1739 but I have been using MyFitnessPal for a month or so now and have been hitting 1200/1300 daily – an increase to 1739 just wouldnt feel right (maybe thats in my head), Does any one here thing its ok if I hit 1500 and still do 500 on my fast days? or am I supposed to lower the cal intake on my fast days to about 350? HELP!

Hi Anna

first of all – congratulations 🙂 you have done very well!

I shall report back after a couple of weeks and lets see how this goes – honestly this is the first “diet” I have had hope for in years.

Hi, I am just about to start this diet again in an attempt to shed MANY UNWANTED POUNDS BEFORE CHRISTMAS and could also do with help, advice and tips on how to succeed

First fast day today! Doing ok, but it’s only 10AM! I have 40 or so pounds to lose. I’ve been doing low carb/ high fat, but not making much progress. I am planning to stay fairly low carb as I feel it is a healthy way to eat.

Look forward to taking this journey with you all!

Charliesmom..the best tips I can give you are drinks lots of fluids without sugar, stay busy, stick to mostly vegies and protein & hav your 500 cals at a time that suits you…savour your food without being distracted by tv or your computer…good luck and if your tummy feels hungry think of it as fat burning !

Lori_PA…firstly welcome and good luck….I wouldnt be too hung up on the low carb thing….the advice is mostly vegies and protein and you know its funny the longer I do this diet the less I naturally want high carb stuff especially white bread, rice, pasta etc. I dont eat a lot of bread now just a piece of rye toast with breaky on a feed day and maybe some with soup. I still hav the occassional take-a-way on feed days but I hav a good protein breaky and just dont get hungry…the change is truly amazing!

Hi Everyone,

Fast days are getting easier and I concur about the plenty of fluids throughout the day and to eat the 500 calories when it best suits you. I manage to go all day with only fluids (I’ve never been a breakfast lover) and I have a meal at around 7.00pm.

The main difference with others here is that I don’t eat meat. I occasionally eat fish but mainly stick to a vegetarian diet. Yesterday was a fast day and I had a meal of barley, green soybean and vegetables in the evening. Yes, I know that isn’t for everyone but it works for me.

That’s high in good carbs and low GI as well. Just thought I would share this in case there are other people out there who could not face a high animal protein meal.

Good luck, Purdylucky, just remember to drink lots and that the day WILL come to an end. I try to make myself feel better by thinking tomorrow I can have a good breakfast. I don’t actually feel like it the following day, but it makes me feel better while I am fasting.

Hi all, so after my first week lost 1lbs!!!! Not very impressive but find wknd really hard. Need to lose 10lbs by CHRISTMAS!!! Good luck all you out there,we CAN do this

Hi everyone,
So the countdown has started to Christmas, I know it’s middle of November but just over a month to go now.
How you all doing?? I can see you like me find fast days challenging & I certainly did yesterday, week three now & I am still battling especially after a weekend but resolute to make the difference & being an absolute chunky monkey decided to fast Monday, Wednesday & Friday & seeing big changes. I’m not so out of breath & yes I do have a waist & ribs under all the blubber LOL :)I think though the biggest difference I am seeing is in my skin which seems to be looking more cleansed & detoxed which is great & people seem to be noticing too(all good).
Love reading your posts peeps, keep going we can do this, if an idiot like me can this so can you!!! Onwards & downwards.XXX

Hi. I started on 1st November and so far have lost 10lbs. I feel fantastic

Hi, have just finished my second week and am irritated to find that I don’t seem to have lost any weight at all! Can it take time to click in for some people? Am finding the fast days boring but not too bad and also trying to get some extra exercise in as well (walking and cycling). Am weighing myself in clothes and shoes at local chemist, but despite today being my fourth fast day the scales are not moving yet. Any inspiring words welcome!

Supermam-264. Bit confused about the calories there. I take it the “whopping 1600 calories for the evening” are on a NON-FAST day ?
On a fast day no more than 500/600 calories should be consumed in total.

Hi karenann

I will repeat drunner’s post from earlier in the thread for you for info on the 5:2 diet.

If you look at the forums here you will find a wealth of information & stories to help you on your 5:2 journey:

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/

Some of the people on here are super helpful, and you may find this post (posted by the every-helpful @simcoeluv) in particular will answer many of your questions: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

There are a few newbies thread, I’m sure some of them will be very helpful 🙂

Hi,

Now into my 2nd week and going well. Started at 81.2 kg (179lbs) and was 79.7 at the start of week 2, disposing of 1.5kgs(3.5lbs). It will be interesting to see what my weekly weight loss settles down to, but I’m quite happy to have disposed of this bit of my excess weight to begin with.

Not finding this difficult, in fact it is interesting seeing how my impulses re food, and my thoughts, are changing as the days go by. Even on the non fast day following my 3 fast days so far, I haven’t been hungry in the morning and have had late breakfasts. My husband and I are on this jpurney together, and I can imagine that that is also helping us. It ieasier on all days to be eating main meals the same. On fast days I have a late breakfast 11.00 or 12- a boiled egg and an orange apple or pear. A salad of leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, 1/4 small avocado and low cal dressing in afternoon sometime. Dinner is a small portion of lentil, tomato, and diced low GI vegies cooked in chicken stock and herbs, curry, on about 2 flat tbspns rice, with steamed cauliflower, zucchini, carrot and broccoli. Nibbles are 1 or 2 nuts, 1 or 2 small prunes, sugar free lollies(sweets), 1-2 nori sheets/day. The nori sheets are 9 cal per sheet, and are the dried seaweed sheets used in sushi. They can be torn or cut up, and I’ve previously seen these sold in small pieces in small snack packs with different flavourings, so thought I’d try it on a fast day. Not to everyone’s taste, but I liked it. Drinks are water, water, water, weak tea of various sorts, decaf coffee with a dash of milk. Also had miso soup 1 day. We both feel the need to have the largest meal of the day about 6.30-7 pm and to go to ged a bit earlier on fast days.

I’m impressed so far, as is my husband, and I can see how this can easily become a lifestyle. It’s interesting also that we’re not feeling very hungry at all on the fast days. There is a bodily feeling in my abdomen, but it’s not translating as hunger or needing to eat. It’s even reasonably pleasant now I’ m getting used to it. Not having to think of food all the time, and not having any guilt, sort of putting food in it’s rightful place of sustainence and normal enjoyment of food rather than food and meals always having an element of guilty pkeasure. It’s a relief to feel this changing.

Merryme

Hi everyone 🙂

This is my first week of Fasting, my fast days are Monday and Wednesday. I am 25 and have put on a sneaky 3 stone in the past couple of years! I have recently started a new desk job after working 3 years in a busy supermarket so I am sure that is to blame 😉 I am looking to loose the extra weight as well as reap the benefits of fasting 🙂

I’m finding it okay so far, for lunch I have 100g carrot sticks, 100g cucumber sticks, 100g cherry tomatoes and a small pot of low fat houmous to dip it all in, totalling 161 calories- delicious!!

For dinner I use the fast diet recipe book and pick something tasty. On my first day I had the stand by veggie chilli (around 200 calories) and I was stuffed! Still have some left in the fridge so will probably have that again tonight.

I try not to snack during the day, although if I cant resist a quick munch then I go for rice cakes at 30 calories per cake.

My non fast days I try to stay around 1500 calories- 500 below my TDEE. Again, this is easy as I tend to overeat out of boredom rather than hunger.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s stories, and I wish everyone the best of luck with achieving their goals 🙂

Here’s to a new, healthier and lighter way of life!!

Kayleigh.

Congratulations Mel! This is only week 3 for me as I started mid-month. Lost a couple pounds the first week and didn’t weigh last week because of Thanksgiving. I’ll weigh in this Friday and see how it’s going….feel good…..hope the scale gives me a good number!

Keep up the great work!

Hi all, thank you to those who responded to my last message!

Am now in week 4, and getting used to the fast days on Mondays and Thursdays. It helps that my husband is also doing 5:2 and fasting the same days.

Stats: week 2 loss was 400gms (14 oz) and week 3 loss was 300gms(10.5ozs) so I’m thinking this is the beginning of a steady weekly loss. I am very encouraged by this as there have been several Christmas functions, and a 70 th birthday party in those 2 weeks. I’ve tried to not eat too much but I’ve still enjoyed cake, dessert, a few other things I don’t usually eat except on special celebrations. The meals have also been a little bigger than I would normally eat. I’m not a drinker, so I mostly drink sparkling water when out, as I find somehow it’s more festive and the bubbles make my mouth feel like it’s drinking something special. So, I’m very happy to have lost anything in the last 2 weeks!

I am 64 and have M/E colloquially known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and my energy level is Currently at about 30-35% of normal after 16 yrs of recovery from 5-10%. So, I am fairly sedentary. I use a pedometer each day and try to get over 4000 steps each day. On a good day I get to 6000 steps and on rare occasions 9000 steps, but I have to be very careful on those days following a 9000 day, so it is usually 2000 the next day or I end up having to be bedbound for a few days. Pacing is the key to living with this disease, so I try to keep each day about the same with frequent rests laying down for 10-30 mins, and resting before I do something I know will take more energy. I am super happy to be able to lose some weight, and find a way of eating that I can sustain comfortably. I’m amazed that a little has come off over the last 2 weeks even though I’m eating a bit differently than I normally would. Without special celebrations all accuring together I would probably have lost a bit more.

I’m settling into a reoutine on fast days of 1 boiled egg at 11am, lots of water, a nori sheet about 4pm and meal of lean 100gms of lean chicken breast, lean pork with smicrowaved low cal, low GI vegies, or 125gms canned pink salmon and salad of cos or oakleaf lettuce, baby spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and grated carrot, with a teaspoon of Paul Newmans light Balsamic dressing, and 1/2 tsp of light mayo on the salmon. I mix light mayonnaise with some seeded mustard to give it some more flavour, as I’m not a big mayo fan. To drink I have, water, water, water, weak Earl Grey tea, black, and decaf i stant coffee with a splash of milk. I’m finding that strong tastes seem to fool my mouth into thinking It’s more satisfied.

Hope everyone is going we.. Don’t give up. Oh….and if you have headaches on or after fast days it could be withdrawal from foods you would normally eat. Will write more about that later. Not having headaches now but had a huge problem with this some years ago.

Cheers,
Lucy

Hi I,m a newbie, started last week, today is my 2nd fasting day, will do fridays as well. I walk 5kls 5 days a week, so thats not new, but thinking because of that I could eat what I like, wrong, so I feel very confident this will work for me. The book was a great read and full of great ideas to help us through this and make it a lifestyle.

Hi Mogsie, congratulations on ypu decision and starting your 1st week. Yes, getting rid of most of the sugar in your hot drinks is a big step, and a healthy one. Well done,

I joined recently, and have to say I’m amazed with the results. 4lbs down already. I’m trying to move around more, and really enjoy my fast days, feel so in control! The support here is fantastic, good luck to everyone .. I’m grateful to be here 🙂

Hi all, i started on the 3rd of November, just found my post on this thread. I have been finding the fast days easy..and the hunger is not a prob. I have not weighed myself in all that time ..6 weeks, BUT i have lost inches!!My clothes are getting looser..Ive cut back on the wine### none in 4 weeks!!!Thats a lot less calories too..I measured today>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4 inches off waist>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Well done to Dragonfly and bigmarie!

Now 10 days after my last post and have lost another 500gms (1.1lbs I think) Have been away and eating food prepared by others and a big celebration in there as well, but kept to my 2 fast days well. Yesterday, Thursday, was to be my fast day, but I found it a bit too challenging for non- food related issues. It was easy to just say, well I’ll shift my fast day to tomorrow, and now my new fast day, Friday, is nearly over. Alls good. My clothes are a bit looser too.

Merry Christmas to everyone!
Merryme