Hi Rob,

Welcome back! And good on you for not guving up. I really believe you will do this because you have tenacity.

Let me illustrate. I consider that I do 5:2 somewhat imperfectly. Recently someone new to 5:2 told me that I did 5:2 differently to other people they knew doing 5:2. The difference was they did it for awhile, stopped, did it, stopped, etc. without fully committing to it. The difference he saw was I do it all the time, imperfectly, but all the time i.e. I did it through special occasions, holidays, trips overseas, through times of stress, whereas the other people he knew didn’t. I set goals for those times of staying stable, not planning to reduce. To me staying stable means staying on the same weight or a 1kg(2.2lb) increase.

Despite this time you’ve had off I see you pretty mych doing the same thing i.e. You don’t give up. You keep working on working out what to do. Your sugar thing is something you keep working on while you’re doing it as well as part of that journey. There are plenty of people who would have given up but you haven’t. Here you are having worked out that 5:2 does work for you, and what Thin on the Southern Hemisphere theead calls “naked 5:2″….keeping it simple…5:2 day non consecutive days of the week.

Being someone who can’t be physical enough to expend as much energy in a day as is normal, and having some specific food challenges, as you have with sugar, and having The Hunger Dragon, ,I’ve been using 16:8 with 5:2. That’s been about 2yrs now, and it’s what I need to stay on my stable weight now I’ve reached my goal. On FDs I eat 1 meal about 6.30pm. On nonFDs I eat after 12noon. I may start anytime between 12 – 3pm, and usually have 2 meals and a small snack. I also use a little Stevia occasionally. I still have burthday cake, a few smaller amounts of things at Christmas, and when on holidays I never have the breakfast and stay away from the dining rooms then. I definitely recommend you give 16:8 a try along with 5:2.

Onwards and downwards,
Merry

I

Rob,

Sorry to hear that you haven’t made any progress. I can imagine you must be feeling pretty frustrated with yourself. You know the theory but for whatever reason can’t put it consistently into practice.

I guess you still have your sugar/ carb demons to conquer? But is there more to your inability to commit than just sugar cravings? Perhaps intermittent fasting isn’t for you and you’d be better off trying some other type of diet?

This ‘what is the right diet for you’d has a bit of science behind it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z2csfg8

Personally I can’t imagine life now without intermittent fasting. After a lifetime of being on the heavy side, I’ve now been a healthy weight for 3.5 years. I’ll admit I have also hugely reduced my added sugar and refined carbs intake too. But then they were the foods that were making me fat so they had to go! And I don’t miss that daily dose of empty calories that spikes insulin, plays havoc with my blood sugar and has me reaching for another quick fix within an hour or two!

I hope you find what works for you.

Hi Rob,
Well done on getting back to fasting, your plan sounds great.

I get what you mean about ‘forever’ and a reluctance to face giving up certain foods for good. I was firmly convinced that I was born with a “sweet tooth” and nothing would/could ever change that. I only managed to stick to fast days by promising myself that I could have something sweet ‘tomorrow’! However, as the weight came off, I ate less and less of sugary foods on non fast days because I did not want to undo all my good work. Then, after about a year, the miracle happened – those foods lost their allure for me. I still have sweet things, but only as a treat on weekends or special occasions and when I do indulge, I eat far less. My tastes gradually changed and now I no longer crave sweet things. I never, ever, ever would have believed this if someone had told me, had to find out for myself.

I believe sugar is really addictive and the more we have the more we want and vice versa. But now, thinking my newer healthier choices are “forever” is great, I just dont want those other foods. We are on holiday by the ocean at present and today we had a picnic in the sunshine. We bought some fresh prawns from a fishermans co-op, some crusty bread, some lovely cheese and took chilled mineral water and pears. The prawns were divine, the cheese was lovely with the pears and the bread was also yummy. But that will be all the bread for me for a few days, because I know if I dont limit it, I will start craving it again. And I now know I can happily live without it and I really enjoy being slim and healthy. I really dont want those knee replacements a doc told me I needed!

Stick to your new plan and I am certain you will also change your tastes eventually. Good luck!