are there many guys on this diet ?

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are there many guys on this diet ?

This topic contains 842 replies, has 80 voices, and was last updated by  penguin 4 years, 6 months ago.

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  • Day 2 of my fast, not a full water fast, just no breakfasts followed by low cal days. Yesterday morning I went to the gym – usual workout ending on the treadmill. No problems. This morning I went again. No problem with the weights or the core workout but on the treadmill I ran out of enthusiasm very quickly. I am not a great fan of the treadmill. compared to running outside I find it boring, but this was unusual. It was at the end of a hard session, which may be the reason, I don’t feel that I am lacking energy.

    Not only did I fall off I was dragged behind it for a couple of miles and then run over by a couple of other wagons! LOL

    So how much weight can you gain in six weeks? For me it was 14 lbs. 160 ish to 174! I had a lot of help from my friends Ben & Jerry and ate a record amount of pizza. The one good thing is I continued to work out hard and actually got stronger.

    So I’m on the second day of a 5 day water fast to get back into the groove. It’s going quite well with no hunger pangs, although I am a bit grumpy. At the end of day one I was already burning fat with my blood ketones at 1.1 mmol. I guess my body remembers how to burn fat and is getting right to it!

    diverdog. I think we have all been there. I have been too casual myself recently and am 7 pounds heavier than I was. However, from past experience we know that we can fix this!

    Penguin, indeed we all have times when we don’t follow the plan but I don’t like to let is get so out of control. Day 4 of the 5 day water fast is going well but I am really looking forward to eating and having a glass of wine.

    My post yesterday was more of an estimate than a precise measure. I have been away from home this last week. This morning I weighed myself. There is a silly game played with cards by English kids – you call “Snap” when you match the last card. So “snap”, I am also 14 pounds up from my lowest point. Still well down from where I started but up enough to feel sluggish and unhealthy. This is day one of my water fast.

    Well SNAP! 14 is the magic number. It sounds like a lot of weight but my clothes still fit, a bit snugly but I still can get into them.

    I know you will take of the extra in short order. Enjoy your fast!

    BMI is a ripoff! I just calculated that even if my body fat was down to 0% my BMI would still be over 21! 😮 Also I would be dead.

    The base measurements for BMI were taken from a population who were in the middle years of their working lives, mainly sedentary office workers, of average height and of a northern European ancestry. It is unreliable if you are tall or short, young, old, heavily muscled or from another ethnic group.

    I realize the BMI is too simple and the data it is based on somewhat bogus. I know that a lot of people make claims that they are big boned or heavily muscled. I’m not heavily muscled but I do have some muscle. I was just a bit surprised that at least for me the BMI range seems to be off a fair amount.

    Nowadays people say the waist/hip ratio is a much better guide for gauging a healthy weight.

    I am 6ft 5 in tall. During my military service when I was at my fittest, running 6 miles every weekday and longer at the weekend, playing sport and working out in the gym my BMI said I was overweight. Like many things concerned with health and fitness, it can be a useful guide if you fit the parameters. I wouldn’t put it more strongly than that.

    yea … my waist/hip ratio has been getting worse because I lost so much fat in my butt! 😀 In fact I’ve started sitting on a pillow sometimes!

    I think all these stats are really designed for the average joe that can’t even do a push-up. 😉 ( Only half kidding )

    Oops? That should have read waist/height ratio. E.g. if you’re 180cm tall, your waist should ideally be 90cm or less. So I guess a ratio of 2:1. Works with inches the same way.

    @funshipfreddie there actually is a waist/hip ratio too. Mine used to be .82 but now it is closer to .9 … that is the way it goes! 😀

    I think the waist/height is more of belly/height as around where your belly button is. That is typically thicker than where your belt goes.

    Some of us old guys still wear our belts up there. That is where the moleskins I currently have on are sitting. Although with jeans they have to be lower – nobody makes them like that anymore. Fashion was never my thing.

    Agreed that BMI is a poor indicator for body comp for many people. BF% is the only true indicator with a DEXA scan being the gold standard. A mirror works pretty well too! Where you carry the fat is important as well. Fat around the waist is the worst place to carry it particularly if it is the internal hard beer belly type of fat.

    dykask, I suffer from flat butt too and have been working hard with the weights to build my glutes. Its a slow process but it is working.

    Time for another check in. The scales this morning show me under the 12 stone mark for the first time at 11 st 13.75 lbs, so happy that another interim target has been met. I have set my next mimi target at 11st 10lbs and can hopefully reach it by the end of this month, as I’m going on a 5 night mini cruise to the Norwegian fjords which is “all inclusive “ and most probably will throw a spanner in the works! I am not however as pleased with my waistline reduction as it seems very reluctant to drop below 35 inches – seems to have been hovering between 35 and 35.5 for weeks now. Anyway from the start of the year I am down from 13 st 2lb ish to 11 st 13 lb ish and my waist as measured round the belly button is down from 38in to 35in. Need to get below 34 in for the all important waist/height ratio to hit the top of the healthy range at 0.5.

    Notascoobie. Please report back on the fiords – I have been thinking about doing that.

    Waist size is tricky – I am down 40 plus pounds but my waist size has hardly changed. The ratio always was about 2:1- we don’t all carry the excess around our middle

    I was away in Scotland Sunday to Friday last week and Sunday and Thursday are my fasting days – I’m more than happy to see the scales tell me I put on 0.1kg which means nothing as a measurement but tells me I didn’t put on anything like the extra weight i was fearing I would – I didn’t eat badly anyway – just different things – a few cappuccinos from coffee houses while out and about and sandwiches and cereal bars which I don’t normally tend to eat these days since starting 5:2 but when you’re out for a days walking you have to take something other than an apple – I think I did fine with my eating but we also did a lot of exercise so that, I think, must have offset any extra calories – we did over 30 miles of walking so not much time doing anything that wasn’t energetic. We were in Pitlochry and it’s our first visit to Scotland and, I have to admit – it is as beautiful as the Scots always claim – we can’t wait to get back there. The roads are less congested than England and there are less people on the walks compare to places like the Lake District – far less. My wife has been impressed I think, with the results I’ve had with 5:2 and is giving it a go – I made a very definite point of NOT trying to encourage her or suggesting she try it – I think she’ll find it hard as she is a creature of habit. I’ve known her since I was 11 (been going out with her since 11 in fact) and she has always (i.e. every single day) had a bowl of porridge for breakfast – with a spoon of syrup and some sultanas – so it’s hard for her to imagine a day not doing that – she’s trying though (without the syrup and sultanas) but her porridge (I calculated on the amounts we use) still amounts to 350 cals. So all-in-all – the holiday with plenty of walking worked out really well – I do like to weigh myself to help keep my eye on the prize as it were – I missed having the scales around but I know my wife would think I was a bit obsessive if I tried to take them – maybe it was a good thing.

    Ignore – this is a test – I have a problem posting. Cleared browser cache/cookies & relogged in, etc

    I’ve gone from 90.1 to 81.1 – 9kg in 4 months and what has surprised me and frustrated me is that the one bit of flab I was really only interested in shifting has only now just started to disappear – it’s the bit of flab at the side above my hip – if you put the palms of your hands on your head and bend sideways you can see that fat bulge above the hip – maybe there’s something else I should have been doing to help this – I have some weights my daughter bought me for xmas but my shoulder injury (from swimming) really has put a big restriction on what I can do with them. Why is that bit of fat so damn hard to remove!? It’s not just me though is it? Is it?

    Lemonstar. Something weird. Before your two posts above I got another, longer one from you as an email, but it doesn’t show above??

    Anyway, welcome to my world – thats the place I still have it.

    I had another 5:2 day yesterday and TBH I’ve been finding it a bit harder and less enjoyable than before – maybe motivation failing a bit as I have gone through my first goal of 84kg and am not a million miles off getting down to 79kg – I think I got better at doing the 5:2 fasts recently and feel I do well at getting through the days when I really don’t fancy doing it – maybe it’s just a phase or something to do with the change in the weather – it’s brightened up (in the UK) – I’m taking the plastic off my polytunnel on my allotment and putting the netting on as I don’t think we’re due any frosts for a while. So – is there a seasonal difference anyone has noticed – is it harder in the summer to stick at it, do it, stay motivated for it than, say, the winter – or easier – any opinions? Hope you are all managing to stick at it and get the results you want – yesterday was not that enjoyable – the absence of food when you’re not in the mood for it makes life seems a lot less enjoyable – BUT – I feel good about having toughed it out yesterday and to see the scales go from 81.5 to 81.1 after 3 or 4 consecutive readings all at 81.5 – so I’d encourage anyone to just hand in there on the days 5:2 is not feeling much like fun – today I can pretty much eat what I want but of course, even with that freedom I’m not going to go mad anyway but that thought, yesterday, about having the freedom today, was a good thought yesterday.

    Something is playing up – if you attempt to edit something it disappears for good.

    Also…
    I had another 5:2 day yesterday and TBH I’ve been finding it a bit harder and less enjoyable than before – maybe motivation failing a bit as I have gone through my first goal of 84kg and am not a million miles off getting down to 79kg – I think I got better at doing the 5:2 fasts recently and feel I do well at getting through the days when I really don’t fancy doing it – maybe it’s just a phase or something to do with the change in the weather – it’s brightened up (in the UK) – I’m taking the plastic off my polytunnel on my allotment and putting the netting on as I don’t think we’re due any frosts for a while. So – is there a seasonal difference anyone has noticed – is it harder in the summer to stick at it, do it, stay motivated for it than, say, the winter – or easier – any opinions? Hope you are all managing to stick at it and get the results you want – yesterday was not that enjoyable – the absence of food when you’re not in the mood for it makes life seems a lot less enjoyable – BUT – I feel good about having toughed it out yesterday and to see the scales go from 81.5 to 81.1 after 3 or 4 consecutive readings all at 81.5 – so I’d encourage anyone to just hand in there on the days 5:2 is not feeling much like fun – today I can pretty much eat what I want but of course, even with that freedom I’m not going to go mad anyway but that thought, yesterday, about having the freedom today, was a good thought yesterday.

    When I was 22 I started my first real job after university – working at an electronics company designing and making electricity meters. I remember in my first couple of weeks or so, of being shown round various parts of the factory and business – it was part of the induction to get to know how the whole business worked. I remember being in the “goods inwards” unloading bay area where they used a fork lift truck to unload pallets of raw materials – crates of small metal parts outsourced and made by other factories that we would use in building our products. The pallets were put on to a huge weighing machine. I remember asking how accurate weighing machine was and was told – to 0.1kg – I was impressed so hoped on when it was clear and I remember seeing my weight was 80.5kg and I’ve always remembered that figure. It’s very strange to know that I am now 80.8kg and this is 34 years later – it’s humbling in some odd sense – I feel thankful that I have got my body back to where is once was – I’m not quite sure who I’m thankful to (I just followed the instructions on how to do 5:2) or why – I just feel lucky – probably because I value my health and have always done some kind of exercise on a regular basis but I have injuries now that really limit what I can do – the state of my knees mean I can’t run at all (well – I probably could but it would be stupid – I’ve aggravated them a few times by being over physical carrying heavy things and left myself unable to put any weight on them – i.e. unable to walk for several days – so it just isn’t worth the risk) – I limit the distance I walk to about 10 miles and stick to walks without a huge amount of ascending and descending and my swimming is limited to an hour a week. I have a couple of friends that struggle with their weight but I’m reluctant to even mention I’ve been doing this thing called 5:2 – I think it’s a very personal thing, a hard conclusion to come to – to decide that you really must do something to lose weight and I don’t think anyone likes an “evangelist” blabbing on about how great something is in their life so I’m very quiet on the subject. If someone asks I would explain but people, even close friends don’t really talk seriously about weight – in conversations it’s usually something people are flippant about.

    Lemonstar, congrats on hitting 80.8! I think you might be onto something with seasonal eating. Perhaps longer days program us to eat more since food was more available and we needed to fatten up for the winter.

    I’m still struggling to get back on a steady program. I’m currently on day 6 of a “fasting mimicking” diet and resting from intense exercise. I’m very happy that the OH has joined me and her compliance has been very good. My shoulder and elbow are complaining a bit so I’m going to stay off heavy weights for a while and experiment with blood flow restriction training.

    diverdog. How is the fast mimicking going? The longevity thread has been quiet lately, but Simcoeluv is pressing on with it. I lapsed, but am back with it now.

    Hi mate,

    Im a bloke and Ive been doing it for about a year. Very solid way to lose weight. Good luck with it pal

    Hi alexxx. Good to hear from you – this site has been quiet for some time! A lot of the founder memberts have stopped posting – with luck that means they have all reached their targets!

    Hello gentlemen, with best wishes for the holiday season and 2019.
    I have not been active on this site for almost a year for two reasons. First I was intimidated/discouraged by the extreme fast practices some posters reported and their continued “yo-yo” results in the real world. Second as a Type II diabetic I found my results were not sustainable in the long run. I realize that results and dedication are personal and one’s experience may not be the same for others especially given differences in lifestyle and resource availability.
    After further consulting my GP and an endocrinologist I have refocused on a daily reduced daily calorie goal of about 1500 to 1600 and an increased exercise profile. My weight is down and better still I am close to “normal” range for my hA1C metric…the primary Diabetes indicator for those lucky to not have it on their mind. My goals include a steady but sustainable decrease in weight, body fat and negative blood work results to manageable long term levels.
    Best wishes to all, especially Mr.Penguin and Mr. Diverdog.

    Hi August, good to hear from you. It has been very quiet on this site for some time. I think D Dog is pretty much on target and I have been in maintenance mode and seeking higher levels of general fitness. Glad to hear that you are making progress with the diabetes. A continued 1500-1600 cal per day should work. I don’t have the kind of mind that is good at that continual moderation, but can be good for two days a week which is why I have stayed with 5:2.
    Have a great festive break and get that hA1C metric where it should be in 2019.

    Penguin, the “fasting mimicking” went well, but I decided just doing a water fast is better. I just finished another 5 1/2 day and my wife does “fasting mimicking” at the same time. I’ve been posting to the alternate ways to fast forum here.

    Happy and healthy new years to all of the men trying to improve their health and fitness here!

    diverdog, I’m with you there. Water fasting still works best for me, although I have lost enough weight that I don ‘t do it as often and seldom longer than 3 days. . The last year I have been concentrating on fitness levels.

    A good New Year to you, Mrs DD and all of the guys on this thread.

    Penguin, I’m with you on the fitness. This last year has been about building muscle and being as healthy as possible. I’ve been very successful at both. I’ve built 10lbs of muscle, my RMR went up 22% and my blood chems are the best ever. I do want to get leaner but the 5 1/2 days of fasting is all about cell apoptosis and stem cell regeneration for me.

    I’m going to continue on the same path, 12 weeks of no fasting with a 10 hour TRE window. But I’m going to cut down on my calorie consumption a bit.

    I’ll be pumping iron and doing HIIT on a spin bike

    Hello all. I’ve been in survival mode much of this year and not visiting the ste; not ignoring health but not focusing either. Winter hibernation set me up for prolonged retreat into more comfort than “conquering” habits. Weight not totally out of control but along with strength, flexibility and endurance, far from optimal. I visit my gym periodically, and I take daily long walks, however I need/crave days of rest/restoration after physically demanding, early start, work days. Anyway…I am retrying the idea of intermittent fasting by not eating from 8 pm till noon, creating a 16 hour fast window except for coffee or water in the morning.My experience so far is success on weekdays when home but not if I have offsite work or on weekends or away. Compared to years past my diet and lifestyle is fairly clean but I am not a health superstar!
    Best regards

    Just hopping on to say that my husband (and I) did the Fast 800 from MM and it is excellent. He is at his goal weight after a couple of months. We did the rapid weight loss part which you can do for up to 12 weeks, and now maintain. He does the Time Restricted Eating. We were recently overseas for a month visiting 2 continents for work for my husband which included plenty of alcohol and only 2 home cooked meals in a whole month. He just did the TRE and forgot about calories. Only came back a few kilos heavier. We have been back for 2 weeks and he is at his lowest ever without counting calories. He does the TRE and I serve healthy mediterranean low carb dinners. He also has a smoothie for lunch which is frozen banana, a handful of spinach leaves, protein powder, a cup of almond milk and a tonne of ice. We now drink only on weekends. We weren’t big drinkers but used to have a big glass of red every night. Hope this helps someone.

    I trust 2019 has been wonderful in all manner of health and enjoyment.

    August/Uptight. Good to hear from you both. In some ways this has been an excellent year, but for the last month I have been negligent, so I have a few pounds to lose. The reason for the gain is probably that several years of 5:2 have persuaded me that losing weight is not difficult, so I got too casual. Time to start again!

    Hey Guys.

    Hello from New Jersey in the USA (just west of New York City).

    56 and trying to get back to my fighting weight. Too many nice suits in my closet that don’t fit.
    Been at it since August 5th. 12 lbs down.

    Fasting 3 days per week. Want to get to 20 lbs. down, then switch to 2 days per week. 30 minute treadmill runs the afternoon of fast days really helps.

    Good to know you all.

    Kevin

    Well I’ve been having a problem staying on track boys.
    I started this 5-2 end of 2016 and did get down from 86k to 74k in 3 months – thanks to your encouragement – but it has been a struggle to stay low over the last 3 years.
    I realized too that I had lost a little too much weight and it would be impossible to stay there.
    So 3 years on I was up to 84k this summer. So that’s 10k back on over 3 years. I guess not too bad but I’ve started the 5-2 again seriously to get back on track.
    Down to 82k after 2 weeks and aiming at 76/78k – and to stay there. I’m thinking 2 months. Already feeling better about myself.
    Back on HIT, cycling and my hockey season will start next week so there is hope. But I’ve just turned 60 (OMG) and can clearly feel how much more difficult it is to stay in shape.
    Nice to see that August, Diverdog and Penguin are still around.

    Hi guys with a special hello to David, Penguin and Diverdog. Back to basics once the first week of September is over for me. Very fortunate to receive invitations to lake front cottages and country homes over the summer where culinary restraint was not a feature! Plus it seems I am now accidentially retired and going through a phase of what comes next with health and personal finances at the top of all planning lists.
    SIGH…once more into the breach of fasting/clean eating/increased exercise so I can once more fit into my breeches!
    Best to all with a warm welcome to KPMNJ, Lemonstar, Alexx et al from Toronto

    August, that’s the great thing about this plan. It’s not a constant nag to deny yourself the pleasures of life. Just fast a couple of days a week.

    Your summer sounds as if it was lovely. Good luck getting back in those breeches!

    Anyone heard of Intermittant Fasting ?
    Idea being to split your day into 2 periods – eating and fasting.
    And the goal would be to start with a 12h eating period – say from 9pm to 9am. Or 11am to 11pm depending on your daily routine.
    And to build up to an 8h eating period say from 1pm to 9pm. So basically 2 meals, the importance being NO FOOD between periods.
    Fasting including sleep etc.
    Just caught this on a TED talk. Never heard of this before.
    David

    David,

    The 5/2 diet that this site is based on is intermittent fasting.

    I suggest this Michael Mosley book. I listen to it a long drive. It has changed my life.

    https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Revised-Updated-Healthy-Intermittent/dp/150110201X

    Kevin

    @david V : That is what I will be trying this time around; nothing between 8pm and 12 noon except water or black coffee.
    Minimal carbs when eating,mostly plant based when I can. Took off 10lbs last year put on 5, 20lbs (9 kilos apx) to drop but trying to retain muscle and tone. Ongoing lifestle transition rather than a diet at this point.
    BTW my summer reading included Genius Foods https://www.geniusfoodsbook.com/ which also promotes intermittant fasting while focusing on brain health/optimization. Not perfect but concise to me in making current nutritional-scientific concepts understandable.
    Best regards

    David, the correct name for what you are referring to is Time Restricted Eating. It works very well but isn’t really fasting. The big difference is there is no calorie restriction is required. The biggest eating window for any benefit is 12 hours with 8-10 hours being optimal. There is no additional benefit from less than 8 hours.

    Hello gents, I haven’t been posting here but I am still fasting. I’ve been working on building muscle for the last 18 months and have been very successful. I’ve gained 17 lbs of muscle and lost 18 lbs of fat. I’m 5’9″ and 172 lbs 68 YO. I do a water fast once a week for around 36 hours.

    No meds, no pain and robust energy. Life is good!

    Hi guys. Good to hear from you all. Diverdog I like your results.

    I have been too casual this summer and am now ten pounds above my lightest. That is still a long way down from my starting point but it cannot be allowed to continue. So from today I am back to the old regime. For me that is restricted time eating every day – confining my eating to an eight hour period – and a minimum of two consecutive fast days every week. That will be two 600 cal days with a zero cal three day fast once a month. The one good thing about the summer is that I have kept up the physical exercise, with regular gym (weight and HIT) and Pilates workouts. Previous experience suggests that it will not take long to get back to the old level.

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