Hello everyone, new member here!

This topic contains 9 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by Pollypenny 5 years, 9 months ago.

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Silvia Ci

11:47 am
27 Feb 19
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Hi everyone!
Silvia here. 29 years old living in Norway.

So here’s a bit about myself:

I’ve always been the “skinny fat” type of girl. Never had issues of gaining weight but at the same time I was never toned and had this boring flabby body shape. Still, I wasn’t fat or anything, so all good until I graduated from University and started my office job (in Italy).

The office had a canteen and the food was really cheap (and unhealthy). The job was stressful and made me quite depressed, so my only joy was the canteen where I was overeating all the time. So I started gaining weight.

Then I decided to start working out to “fix” myself. Got down a few kilos but the working hours were not humane so I had to give up. Weight got up again.

One year ago I quit my job in Italy and finally moved to Norway to live with my boyfriend. My mental state got better and I started taking care of myself a bit more. Started working out again and I actually saw some improvements.

But in a matter of months I started working again and started eating at the local canteen. The food was not good and I started gaining weight again. Also, we have a lot of take away options where we live now so both my boyfriend and I ended up eating a lot of crap. Also, the working hours + commuting aren’t the best so I stopped working out.

So then, a couple of months ago, we both decided to start the 5:2 diet. I stopped eating at the canteen and tried eating healthy (preparing lunches for both of us at home instead of buying).

And here is THE PROBLEM: I cannot get past that first week. I fast 2 or 3 days the first week and then the next week it’s one excuse after the other because I am starving and I can’t not eat.

I need some support and success stories, as well as your feedback and tips and tricks to actually go through with this because we both need it (both for our physical and especially for our mental well-being).

So yeah, this is me. Looking forward to reading your comments 🙂

aglowworm

2:07 pm
27 Feb 19
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Hi Silvia. I’m a new member too. This is my first week on the 5:2 and yesterday was my first fast day. When are you starting? Maybe we can help each other along??

Silvia Ci

3:09 pm
27 Feb 19
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I’m starting on Monday. Was supposed to start (again!) this week but I still have cake from my birthday and I cannot have that AND fast days ahah

aglowworm

3:37 pm
27 Feb 19
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I’m only speaking in experience from life – not the 5:2! – but why not start this week? Is putting it off to next week just another excuse? Surely it does no harm to have one (or even two?) fast days this week even if you have cake on your other days??

I’m very much playing “devil’s advocate” here and I understand I don’t know your circumstance. 😃

Ann1239

6:55 pm
28 Feb 19
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Silvia, that basically described me! But after I lost about 7-8 lbs, the gain was uncontrollable. I gained about another 50 lbs over the course 8-9 years because of personal reasons. There was no time for me to take care of myself. I am glad that you are trying to take control again before it is too much.

This week is my first 5:2 too. I heard about it on Sunday, did some research and had my first fast day on Monday. I was hungry all the time on Mon, Tues, and Wed. Not only that, i can’t seem to focus. Today is a much better day.

I started out small. On Monday, I had about 680 calories. Then Tues, Wed, and today, I tried to eat 1,200 calories. Friday is my fast day and I got my favorite soup ready. I am going to divide it up for lunch and dinner (which equals about 600 calories). Once I am used to this, I will try to move it down to 500 calories.

I am also trying to walk/jog 2.5 miles a day/5 days per week to help lift my mood.

It is hard, but I am so tired to being fat.

Pollypenny

10:12 am
2 Mar 19
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Silvia, what is your strategy for when you’re ‘starving’? Mine was to have a good slug of water, it stops that empty feeling. In horrible cold weather, I’ll have a thin miso or similar soup in a mug, which I spoon to make it last longer. Peeling and depithing a satsuma is therapeutic for me.

I wouldn’t worry about being exactly 500 cals. I was usually a bit over, but then found that I couldn’t eat anywhere upnear my TDEE on non fast days.

Good luck, it’s worth persisting. I’m been maintaining for nearly two and half years after losing 28lbs in 5 months, which included a holiday in America.

Silvia Ci

1:48 pm
2 Mar 19
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My “strategy” for when I’m starving is to drink tea (no sugar, never liked tea with sweeteners). But sometimes it makes me really grumpy! Today I cleaned the kitchen and thew away ALL the snacks and similar because I’m the kind of person that, if I have it, I’ll eat it. So if I don’t buy crappy stuff I won’t eat it, of course.

I think this time I’ll make sure to not have anything ready to eat around the house, regardless of how healthy. I’ll prepare my main meals and that’s it. Because if I have additional calories, I will eat them. I will convince myself it’s totally fine to eat this and that, and before I know it, I’ll have eaten 700-800 or even 1000 calories instead of my 500 a day.

I hope it goes well this time. I want it to be a willpower training as well, not just an eating habit.

Pollypenny

2:16 pm
2 Mar 19
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That sounds good, Silvia. If it’s not around you can’t eat it.

sachi

2:49 pm
2 Mar 19
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can anyone help please,
i am new to this as well.

if for example on Sunday, last meal is at 7pm, and I choose Monday as my fast day, what time does my 500 calories start from. Do I have to wait until a certain time?

Thanks

Silvia Ci

3:27 pm
2 Mar 19
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I’m not sure if there’s a general rule for that. I personally end up doing a combination of 5:2 and 16:8 simply because I’m never hungry in the morning so I always eat lunch at around 12.00 and then either fast or wat dinner between 7 and 8 pm.

In the 5:2 book there were different fast day menu examples and many of them included breakfast so I assume it doesn’t really matter when you start eating, as long as you fast that day.

Pollypenny

3:39 pm
2 Mar 19
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I would just skip the breakfast. I maintain on 16:8 anyway, realising that few people need three meals a day. That breakfast is the most important meal of the day stems from those flogging cereals. The French and Italians manage on coffee.