Hi Liz, I just finished my 2nd week doing 5:2 and have lost a total of 3.8lbs. Have 15 more to go. I haven’t tried the 4:3 but will consider it if/when I hit a plateau.

How are you doing? Have you seen any loss? I know this post is a few weeks old.

Hi mainegirl! (I’m in Massachusetts, so we’re almost neighbors 🙂

I’m early in the process myself, but you can start without a guide! Just pick a day (I’ve been doing the recommended Mon/Thurs schedule) and consume only 500 calories that day. Easy peasy (well, sort of) 🙂

So far, my suggestions/tips: I like waiting until dinner and spending most of my calories there. The first day, I tried small meals for lunch and dinner, and that didn’t work as well for me. I’ve read about the concept of “waking up” your hunger mechanism with a small meal, and that makes sense — I was hungrier when I ate a small lunch than when I didn’t!

To get through the day till dinner: Coffee helps, then selzer with a squeeze of lemon, and DEFINITELY some broth (I sip Trader Joe’s miso around lunchtime, and it’s perfect).

Another thing that helps me is realizing that I won’t die if I skip a few meals! I’m used to eating at the first sign of hunger, or before I even get hungry, but I’m realizing that’s really flawed — a pang of hunger isn’t an urgent warning sign to EAT NOW, but more like a fuel gauge warning light; you have plenty of mileage left till your next meal. I have been really surprised at how much energy I’ve had on fast days.

What to eat at dinner? Still fine-tuning that, to be honest — I’ve tried having a big dinner salad: an entire bag of lettuce with leftover baked cod and light dressing thinned out with a splash of extra vinegar, and that works pretty well, and leaves room for another snack. Also, a two-egg omelet on a slice of high-fiber toast (no butter, but I don’t miss it with the eggs).

Hope this helps a bit…just jump in and give it a try; if it doesn’t work, there’s always the next fast day!

Hi Liz, I had 21lbs to lose. I started last week doing 5-2 and lost 3lbs. This week I’ve done 4-3 and have lost 2.5lbs which I was really pleased with as the 1st week normally shows a big loss on any diet and the 2nd week not much.
I prefer the 4-3 and now really look forward to my fast days, I hardly have to think about food and very strangely do not feel hungry at all. However, I am consuming around 600cals on fast days and not 500.