Food-addicted newbie

This topic contains 11 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by Floridag1rl 7 years, 1 month ago.

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nw1990

11:30 am
27 Feb 17
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Hi everybody, newbie here 🙂
I am a self-confessed food addict. Food occupies my thoughts most of the day, every day. I am a very good cook, but in being so, I have quickly gained about 2 stone in the past four years since leaving university and starting a full time desk job. I am 5”5 female, I have a pretty muscular build which doesn’t help me during BMI checks etc so I just skip that. I am 176lbs, and I hope to return to my post university 140lbs. How long do you think this will take?
Today is the first day of my 5:2 journey. I think I can do it – I used to live in a Muslim country and sometimes fasted during Ramadan. I think it will be much easier to fast all day, just drinking 0 calorie drinks and maybe some celery. Then I will have my full 500 calories at dinner. I think this will be easier as I won’t have to keep calorie counting. Has anyone noticed weight loss differences in doing this vs eating 2 or 3 small meals?

Amazon

12:57 pm
27 Feb 17
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Hi,

The amount you lose using any weight loss method depends on how much you eat not how you eat it.

I only eat dinner on FDs as once I start eating I don’t want to stop and 500 calories means a decent sized meal which eliminates the issue of going to bed hungry.

The average woman loses around 1lb per week on 5:2 but once you get into the rhythm of fasting you can always add an extra day to speed things up.

Good luck 🙂

Floridag1rl

1:24 pm
27 Feb 17
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Hi there nw1990

I started with the 5:2 way of eating on Jan.1 of this year…the first week I ate my 500 cal for dinner…but I am a binge eater and I find that it is easier for me to not eat at all on my fasting days.

I have lost about a lb a week since I’ve started…I am much older than you and the metabolism has slowed over the years. I’m going to keep plugging along…I’ve lost 10 lbs since the first of the year…I can live with that.

Good luck to you.

nw1990

2:14 pm
27 Feb 17
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Hi Floridag1rl, thank you for responding 🙂 Yeah I see what you mean, I think I’m a binge eater too, and I love the satisfaction of having a full belly, it’s what I live for haha! Well done on your weight loss, 10 lbs is amazing. Have you found your fast days get easier? Do you get headaches? It’s hard atm because it’s cold in London, so I just really want some hearty soup and a big hunk of bread, but going to keep on staying focused.

nw1990

2:51 pm
27 Feb 17
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Oops didn’t see your comment there Amazon. Thanks for replying. Yes ditto, once I start I can’t stop! Thanks for your help. I remember watching a nutrition programme, about how certain body types release a ‘happy hormone’ when they have a very full stomach, and I think that’s defo me!

Sal47

3:59 pm
27 Feb 17
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Hi – I’m a new person too, and also very much a foodie. I cannot go all day without eating tho, as I think I’d get terrible headaches, so I spread my calories out.

I have a banana first thing with a cup of tea, then a cup-a -soup at lunchtime. Then in the evening I have a lovely meal from M&S which is about 300 calories with herbal teas.

On a fast day my calorie intake is between 500 and 510 calories. I forgive myself the 10 calories. I want to lose 10-14 pounds for a wedding in August and have lost 4 so far.

My FDs are Monday and Thursday.

nw1990

12:08 pm
28 Feb 17
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@sal47 – I keep hearing that 5:2 is the diet for people who have a love affair with food. Sounds like us 😀
Very happy to say I didn’t suffer a headache or faintness yesterday – this was my number one concern as I have a demanding office job and can’t afford to slack off. I read an FAQ section with Michael Moseley, he said headaches are most of the time to do with lack of water, not sugar. I’m hoping this is indeed the case. I drank like a fish yesterday.

Floridag1rl

3:17 pm
28 Feb 17
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nw1990, Congratulations on having a successful fasting day!
I do usually get a headache on my fasting days, but it’s usually late in the day… I go to bed with a headache, but I wake up feeling great the next morning.

I’m hoping for another 5lb loss for March…I am going to be more careful about what and how much I eat over the weekends.

Have a great day everyone.

Sal47

3:26 pm
28 Feb 17
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I drink loads on Fasting days, generally herbal teas, tho I do allow myself one regular cuppa in the evenings to avoid a masssive caffeine withdrawl headache.

Yesterday I did get a headache actually, but it was nothing to do with fasting, like an idiot, I sat reading a magazine with my head at an odd angle against the wall. This is always guaranteed to give me a headache and sure enough it did – so this was not 5:2 related – but Silly Sal related.

My mission this week isnt actually to do with the FDs its to do with the normal days, the past couple of weeks I have been overdoing the food on the non fasting days, so this week ,for me, the focus is on regulating the calories on the “normal” days to about 1500-1600, rather than going batshit cray cray!

nw1990

1:36 pm
1 Mar 17
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@floridag1rl @sal47 – so do you think it’s important to regulate cals on NFDs? I have just completed my first ever 2 day fast, and now that I’m on my first NFD of the diet, I feel like I don’t want to eat, but at the same time I want to eat to treat myself. Does this diet change the way you think about food?!

Sal47

1:51 pm
1 Mar 17
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Well, I dont think you have to worry toooo much, but if you treat yourself every day, then you are just going to be undoing the work you have done by fasting arent you. It boils down to what do you want to acheive here.

There is a calculator on one of the front pages of this site that will tell you the rough estimate of what you should be aiming for, based on your lifestyle. But its only a guide.

This is a lifestyle, not a diet in my opinion and should be treated as such, so if once in a while you want a takeaway, or a massive cake, then have it.

Just – dont have it every day – or there is no point having the the fasting days is there.

For myself, I’ve lost about 45 pounds over 5 years. But I’ve learnt a lot about myself and food and how to live with food, and what my triggers are, and how to go out and eat with friends, and how to do Christmas, and how to incorporate takeaways, and how to have girly lunchies, how to build all of those things in and yet still overall lose weight. I daresay a lot of people could have lost that weight an awful lot quicker – but – kept it off? statistics would seem to say not…so I stand by my method of incorporating your daily life into what you do weight loss wise.

This is for life, not a quick fix, or you arent going to learn anything about why you are carrying a little extra, or lots of extra (in my case back in the day) in the first place.

Sorry, that turned into a mini lecture, i didnt mean it to xx

Floridag1rl

4:53 pm
1 Mar 17
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nw1990…did you fast 2 days in a row? just curious
I liked what you shared, Sal.

My fasting days are Monday, Wednesday, and a partial (20 hr) fast on Friday.

As part of his plan he talks about eating normally as if you hadn’t fasted. I have to say that after fasting…I don’t want to ruin it be eating a bunch of junk…so yes, I have found that for me, it has changed the way I eat. He has some cool documentaries, you can find on YouTube, that may be beneficial.

You’ll just have to find what works for you, and something that you can stick to.

Have a great day.