Hi

Apologies, typical long rambling first post (hope it makes some sense)……

Started doing the 5:2 on January 7th this year & if I can steal a quote from Gregg Wallace (who as we know follows a different dieting path), “I’ve never felt better”.

Was overweight, suffered high’ish blood pressure, occasional sleep apnoea, shortness of breath when exerted, very low libido & sex drive and hadn’t seen my toes in years, but like some lemming didn’t consider dieting as everyone I have ever known (with one exception) has failed in the long term.
I didn’t watch the Michael Mosley Horizon documentary until January of this year, but when I did I was instantly reminded of an Indian chap I worked with many years ago who had fasted one day a week for all his life. He was very old when I first met him, yet still 10 years later he hadn’t aged an iota and was still extremely sprightly (maybe he was born looking old),also, like most on here I could relate to the 5:2 concept.

My first day was horrible (purely psychological & established habit), serious hunger pangs and light headedness. Started the day with two cups of tea with no sugar but a drizzle of milk (my usual cuppa includes sugar), by 2.00pm that afternoon I was feeling awful (despite drinking lots of water) so had two weetabix with a couple of tablespoons of natural yoghurt (I remember the sensation of ‘much needed’ energy flowing into my body with each spoonful, but boy did it taste awful). For dinner I then had one of those boil in the bag cod in parsley sauce sachets with boiled broccoli, cauliflower and carrots – The whole experience was absolutely horrible. That night I remember being very bored and going to bed early, not to sleep, but to get away from food temptation.

I woke very early the next morning and discovered several things, I wasn’t hungry, I’d slept well and felt a little more energised than usual. My immediate desire on waking was for a couple of cups of tea with milk and sugar, I didn’t bother eating breakfast until around 10.00am.

Next few days were a learning curve as to what worked for me best and after just a handful of fast days I found a routine that suited me well. I allow myself one or two cups of tea with a splash of milk and a level teaspoon of sugar for breakfast, then put all thoughts of food out of my mind for the day, until around 7.00pm when I decide whether or not to eat a dinner (usually tin of soup or baked beans, both with a slice of bread), often nowadays I don’t bother with the dinner at all.

The 5:2 has become a very easy thing to do, despite all the food advertising you only notice when you’re on fasting days, and after two or three days of ‘normal’ eating my body is screaming to ‘fast’ again (is it possible to fast too much?).

My progress has probably been quite slow compared to others, but for me sustainable, as I love food and whilst eating less than I used to, still eat with no regard on normal days and enjoy a few glasses of wine, so excepting two days a week (occasionally just one) life is as normal – though my stomach has shrunk, I get tipsy a lot sooner than I used to on wine & I seem to subconsciously choose to generally eat a better diet (I stress ‘subconsciously’ as there is no effort or sense of sacrifice in doing so).

So, to surmise my progress to date (6 months) – I’ve lost precisely 20kgs/3 stone (with very little effort & no extra exercise), sleep better, have loads more energy, no more sleep apnoea, libido almost totally recovered and am wearing clothes that haven’t fitted me for over 9 years (if only they were still in fashion). I have further to go but frequently consider just doing one fast day per week for convenience, but after 2-3 days of normal diet find myself electing to do an unplanned fast over my first cup of tea of the morning – it’s becoming a difficult habit to break.

In conclusion, I’m a convert