Hello!

I started 5:2 last week and after 3 fasts have lost 4lb so am feeling very pleased! I found the first and 3rd fasts relatively easy but for some reason the second was hell, but I got through it!

I’m developing a routine of drinking hot water until lunchtime, then having a small bowl of porridge (about 30gm dry weight) with a splash of skimmed milk; no sugar needed, as my Scottish granny always made porridge with salt. For dinner, I have a tiny portion of chicken breast plus a few green vegetables. One reason I got fat in the first place is that I am a stress and anxiety eater (I’ a full-time carer for my severely disabled husband) and the worst time is the evening. I was afraid I wouldn’t cope so I save about 100 calories to have an evening snack – a rice cake with a teaspoon of peanut butter and a low calorie hot chocolate drink (about 90 calories total.) This eating plan seems to be a successful strategy and it’s quite well-balanced – there’s protein, complex carbs, some good fat and some vitamins. No constipation – I think the porridge helps.

The only negative has been feeling cold on fast days! Woke up freezing at 2 am one morning and donned ancient sweater and husband’s rugby socks from his pre-wheelchair days.

One thing that has helped me is a hypnotherapy tape that helps stress eaters change their habits. It really does seem to re-inforce will power. I’ve been really encouraged by all the success stories here and hope to post my own good news as I progress with the eating plan.

Hi Patiger
I think you’re in the right place here. I too am vegetarian, there are quite a few of us here. Like Sunray I start the day with porridge, well I have breakfast at 12 o’clock, mid-day. I do it like this on no-fast days-
½ cup porridge 150 cal ½ Tbsp almonds = 30 cal, flax seed 20 cal, 6 half walnuts 80 cal, ¼ cup full fat milk 36 cal, 50 cal fruit TOTAL 366 cals
But on fast days I eat the same quantity of porridge made with water, stevia and adding 1/4 cup milk and 100g strawberries or other fruit.
I follow Michael’s suggestion of restricting food intake to a period of 8 hours in the day. Drinks of coffee and water help get me through till noon.
Keeping busy helps to stop me thinking of food too much.
Good luck.
Mark

Oh golly! Having made a great start, I am struggling. I lost 5 lb total, then gained three. I know why. I’m finding it increasingly hard to stick exactly to 500 calories and am sneaking an extra 50-100 or so. I can be disciplined during the day but come the evening and my tum is grumbling and all I can think about is food. The 100 calories I allow myself for a post dinner snack isn’t enough. I feel so weak and disgusted with myself. Night time grazing is the root of all my weight problem and I despise myself for my self-sabotage. Does anyone else find that self-discipline gets harder in the evening? And is there an answer?

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for your advice. I’l try it. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I’ll try that too – I want to be slim more than I dislike coffee!

I’ll try to avoid snacking too – hard for me as I am a nibbler and a grazer – but, no pain, no gain!

Thanks again for the heads up on coffee!

Thanks for the encouragement Sashapet! You’re wise not to weigh too often. I’m going to try weighing less often – only on a Tuesday morning – I try to make my fast days Monday and Friday.

I do find Mark’s tip of drinking coffee helpful. I’m developing a taste for it having been a tea drinker all my life.

Brilliant! Thanks for the tip, Tann!

I find it varies from day to day. I’m doing fine today but other days, particularly in the evening, I feel as if I could eat a horse between two bread vans. Just remember the words of the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius: ‘This too will pass’. You can eat more tomorrow.That’s the beauty of 5:2 – you don’t see an endless avenue of deprivation stretching before you. Try some of the tips here too.Coffee is a great appetite suppressant. Good luck!

I also think it helps to stay strong when you see the diet working. You’ll see upthread that I lost 5lb and then gained 3. I persevered and have lost 2 of the three I gained.

Hi Julia
It DOES get easier. You learn strategies for ignoring the hunger. One of the best is to keep busy, keep your mind occupied with anything, especially things you like. Phone a friend, go for a walk, watch your favourite TV programmes, plan a holiday, learn a language. I have found it easier to avoid snacks entirely – they get the hunger juices going. Water is good.