This topic contains 66 replies, has 32 voices, and was last updated by vicki 10 years, 11 months ago.
Hi Mumo, good luck! I too am from Australia and am a Mum to 2 kids the youngest 6 months. I have done 3 fast days so far & found them easy. But I am overeating on the other days. I have lost some weight but am worried the overeating will undo the benefits. But I am not giving up. I know I just need to use a bit of self control on the 5 non fast days. I think I took the book too literally when it said my appetite would lessen & I could eat what I liked.
Hi Mumo & Ferna,
This is the first time I’ve joined a “forum” and I was pleased to see your posts. I’m also in Australia, I have 2 boys 7 & 11 years. I’m looking to lose a little weight, but mainly hoping the long term health benefits listed in the book ring true.
Today was my first Fast Day. It wasn’t to bad, but it made me realise how often I pick at food which I don’t need. I do need to look at food options on fast days.
I to am looking for a little support (most of my friends think I’m nuts), good luck ladies I look forward to keeping in touch.
This is the first forum I have joined as well Mumo & Marie F, do you know the best way for us to keep in touch? I’m not really sure how to use it properly. It would be great to stay in touch as we are all starting around the same time. I haven’t told too many people about doing the 5:2 diet so this could be good support. My husband isn’t fussed about the idea I think he thinks I will give up in a week or 2. But I really don’t want to, this is the first thing that I feel I can do long term.
Hi Pippa2, never to old!! 🙂 How did you find the first 2 months & getting back to it after getting better? I’m sure we will all be great support for each other.
Hi Ferna – I think this would be the best way to keep in touch, maybe others who have tips will join in.. I’ve added this link to my favourites so I don’t loose the link (I’m not computer savvy). MY husband isn’t fussed either, but didn’t offer me any food yesterday, so that was good. I feel the same this could be long term. There is no counting calories, protein only days & so on. I have just enjoyed a glass of wine & don’t feel bad about it. 🙂
Hi Mumo – I’m with you, summer will be so much easier, and the better weather is more motivating, and I also felt different physically today. Thanks for letting me know the cook book is good, will pop out and get it tomorrow.
I enjoyed all my food today & tried hard to be good, until the school excursion I was on (I work in a school) hit lunch time & the kids offered me hot chips (dam you yummy chips). I know I will be ok on my fast days but could feel the old habits calling me, so heaven only knows how long I will be good for the 5 days.
So a little about me – I’m 41 (next week) live in Adelaide have to noisy boys (3 if I count hubby). I work 4 days a week in a high school with kids who have varied disability’s. Like most of us mums, I to am time poor & as much as I love the gym don’t get there as often as I would like. My Dad who is 46 wants to have a good, but is using me as a guineapig for a few weeks (cheeky bugger!!).
I’m hoping to keep my fast days to Monday & Thursday but as with all thinks it may have to change. So my 2nd fast day will be tomorrow as I’ve go a day of appointments & can avoid food so fingers crossed.
I’m not sure if I should be keeping a log of things so I’ve decided to keep a little spread sheet of my fast days & weight to help motive me.
Good luck ladies with your next fast day look forward to chatting
(Tue 4th June 21:50 SA time)
Hi all, I’m also from Australia and have been doing the diet for 4 weeks and getting the hang of it. I have lost 3 kg in that time. My husband is also doing it and the weight is falling off him. We tend to stick to our favourites now, and tend to fast on busy work days, rather than at home. I don’t particularly enjoy the fast days, but I do feel really good the following day. I find I really need a good breakfast to get me through, and I make porridge with water and add 50 g of raspberries , it’s delicious and great now in winter. Good luck with it all, it’s worth persisting…just say ” I can have that slice tomorrow if I really want to…”
Hi everyone. I am fasting today & thought I would jump on the forum to kill some time. I ate breakfast on my first 2 fast days but have since skipped breakfast only have a cup of tea at breakfast. I find I get less hungry this way, my belly just doesn’t rumble as much. I read something on another website about trying to go for as long as possible on fast days without any food for the best reduction in IGF -1. So I try & wait as long as possible before eating.
I haven’t tried fasting when my husband is home on days off. How did you go Marie F? Any tips? I just think it would be too hard with him home eating normally.
Hi girls,
We are all fasting today :-).. Ferna I also read about the longer you fast the better & people having breakfast later.. Well today I wish I did that.. I was hungry. I don’t think its just mentally Mumo, maybe our body is wanting to know what’s going on & by end of week 2 we will be more use to it.
Hi Mishani, great to hear from someone who as got the 1st month under her belt & 3kg is a great result. I agree at work is best, doing my day off run around & work at home was way to hard.
As I didn’t work today I was out getting all my jobs done & then home, I had to stay out of the kitchen, so the dishes didn’t get done.. I was so happy to have that last 250 cals for dinner.. I might treat myself to a coke zero, naughty I know but I’m thinking of making it my no calorie reward at the end of a fast day. I have noticed on other post people drinking no calorie drinks and still having success.
With my hubby home its ok. I just stress to him its a fast day so don’t offer anything. My kids have worked it out, we did our once a week coffee & donut run this arvo.. (So hard not to have a cappuccino..) I had a cup of back tea & my youngest says “is it your hungry day today mum?” funny really..
Today my husband cooked tea for him & the kids, which I found better as when got into the kitchen I only had to worried about my meal, not so tempting.
I have jumped on the scales a bit more often this week & dropped half a kilo, which is nice..
How did your days end up??? 🙂
Hi girls
Seems this diet has reached the shores of Australia! I started this week too and did my 2nd fast day today. Found it harder than the first with headaches. But its bedtime and I survived. Will be nice to keep in contact with you all. Oh, I am a bit older than most of you, late 40ties, married, 2 daugters both getting married end of the year! A bit of an insentive to loose weight before then, but also have high cholesterol which I hope will improve. My normal fast days wil be Monday and Thursdays.
Hi everyone, I have done a few posts before but am only just working out about the forums. I am 62 and in Hobart. I started on 22/1 and today, 5/6 have gone from 90.8kg to 77.5, total loss of 13.3 in 19 weeks. My BMI has gone from 34.18 to 29.17 (still not great but it will be!). After the first 12 weeks my cholesterol dropped from 7.2 to 5.9, and triglycerides from 3.2 to 0.8. I don’t eat at all on fast days, just lots of water. I swim between 3 & 4 km 5 days a week, On those days I don’r eat before swimming at 7am so do a 17 hour fast until lunch on those 5 days, and on 2 of those days don’t eat dinner so 2 x 24 hour fasts. I think the lunch to lunch fast is easier (and after a long swim in the morning I need to eat something at lunch). I still cook dinner for my husband on fast days and this has made me realise that I am not hungry, just need something to do. I feel fantastic and have never had more energy (or a better skin) and have no problem with just water for 24 hours. On ‘normal’ days I don’t count calories, I think too many people seem obsessed by them, just eat (and drink wine) normally and the total fast days do the rest. I think this is for life.
I am 70yrs old and finding getting weight off Soooooo much harder than when I was younger so have decided to try the 2.5fast diet This is my 3rd week and I am starting to lose some weight. On my non fast days I try to follow a sensible diet and not eat rubbish, I think it is important to eat sensible, if we eat everything in sight I doubt the weight loss would be much at all, so my tip is eat sensible 5days a week and have just 500 cal. On 2 days making the 500 cal. Healthy food too.
Hi All, Fasting today. I think this is my hardest fast day so far and its only 11am. I think its a mental thing, I am at home, its the long weekend, its cold and rainy and muddy. I am not sure if I could do a fast with no food like you @vicki. I have read other people do this as well and find it easier.
Hi English girlie living in Aus. Been here just over 7 years. Did my fourth fast day today with my husband and felt great. First day of having all calories in one sitting at around 6 this evening. Other days have been two meals per fast day. Looking forward to some good results! I am 47 and my children are 21 and 17. I have high blood pressure, graves disease and cholesterol that has gone down to 4.3 from 6.2 in 6 months on tablets. Doctor recommended a dietician appointment so started that off two weeks ago. Following targets made by dietician and the two fasting days. Fingers crossed I can keep going. Happy so far. Looking forward to reading all your journeys.
Hi Ferna, Its really not hard not to eat, but try from after lunch till lunch the next day (a tiny bit of a cheat but it still works). After a few kilos your husband will be amazed and hopefully supportive. I just get Tony’s dinner and sit down with my water and chat as normal. But I did find after a few weeks that I was actually eating less on normal days than I had before which was a revelation. I think Michael was a bit too positive in the book about eating whatever you want on non-fast days, don’t calorie count but just try to eat normally. I kept a food diary for the first 8 weeks and that was very helpful in highlighting “errors”. I still drink wine every (non-fast) day and have a piece of Lindt after dinner. I have really come to enjoy the fast days, hopefully my enthusiasm will last through a Hobart winter. Good luck!
Nice work Mumo, 1.7kg is great how you feeling??
As tomorrow is Monday I will fast but I’m a little worried as I’m home with hubby & kids (normally at work) it will be a good will power exercise. I’ve lost just under a kilo, and have stuck to the eat normally on non-fast days. I agree with Vicki, may need to watch the calories a little more.
My hubby did mention while out today I was leaving less on my plate, which is good for him as he enjoyed the rest of my yummy noodles (cheeky bugger just thinks of losing weight & it falls of!!).
Good luck this week everyone keep posting.
Hello, I’m another grandmother from Australia (68). I’ve lost 10kg over a year doing Paleo but it’s starting to creep back on (while I need to take another 16kg off!) so I thought I’d give this a go. First fast day today. I must admit, after finally getting round to studying the calory charts, and considering my usual diet I’m only amazed not to have put more on!! So I’m expecting to feel pretty hungry! ah well -heres hoping for success! Good luck all!
Good luck Grallina, I’ve not have breakfast today to see how that feels & its now 2pm & I’m feeling better that the days I did have breakfast.. Tea & water is my key..
Its great to be able to modify this to what works for you.
I so hear you Mumo, my hubby & I had no kids this weekend so enjoyed a few meals out.. We are strong, & will make it 🙂
Hi everyone. I am Odille, Vicki from Hobart’s sister.
Currently we live in far north NSW but have bought a house in Tasmania and the BIG MOVE is imminent – plan to be there by end September.
I turned 60 this year, and have struggled with weight for a long, long time. I first started low-carbing (Atkins) in September 2005 at 53 years of age and 131 kgs (289lbs) on a 170cm (5’7″)frame. I lost 29.6 kgs (65lbs) in 5 months and felt fantastic. I put on all my weight after an accident in 1997 to both Achilles tendons which I had surgically ‘fixed’ after 2 years (8-% left ankle and about 95% right). My favoured exercise of walking (5-8 kms daily) was denied me due to the injury and after the operation, due to my weight gain, it was just as hard and painful as before! So I just got fatter and fatter. I climbed to 131 kgs and was in constant pain from ankles, knees and back. I finally decided to act. I had picked up the Atkins book and had a read, thought (idly) I could do that, and then just sat on it – the information and my fatt bum! Then, after 15 months on the dole, I got a job! I started Atkins the same day and have never looked back. I no longer have pain, my blood pressure went from sky high (3 eye bleeds during coughing episodes when I had the flu last May) to 110/76, and I had so much energy.
The other plus was discovering I was gluten intolerant. After suffering migraines for my whole life, since infancy, I was migraine free after 5 days on low carb and have never had one since. And I had the whole range of food intolerance symptoms: migraine and headaches; gastro-intestinal symptoms including stomach aches, irritable bowel, diarrhoea, urinary urgency; eczema and other itchy skin rashes; nasal congestion (stuffy or runny nose); depression, unexplained tiredness, impairment of memory and concentration,; tachycardia (fast heart beat);; irritability, restlessness, inattention, difficulty settling to sleep, night waking. All caused by gluten and modern high carb foods
In March 2006 I had a car accident which initially slowed me up and sent me right off track. While I didn’t go back to lots of refined carbs, I did go back to eating too much potatoes – and they were my big downfall. I had a bad deep tissue bruising injury to my left leg caused by the dashboard and steering wheel coming down and bouncing off it. SInce then I have languished terribly but am now really dedicated to getting back on track.
Since then I have dabbled with Primal eating and dropped grains gradually from my diet. The Primal lifestyle does suit me, and the %:2 will fit well in that framework, so I am trying again and with Vicki’s great example I do intend to succeed.
Hi all, how is everyone going? I nearly gave up on this whole thing the other day. I had my worst fast day, uncomfortably hungry all day. I didn’t fast again for a whole week because it was so terrible. But after some reflection I tried again & thankfully the next 2 fast days have been fine. I think if that happens again I will give in, eat & fast another day. So far I have lost weight since starting, but had a small gain of 0.5kg last week. I am not worried about that will see what happens next week.
Good luck analog6/Odille, I wish you well with 5:2 it sounds like you haven’t had the best luck with health & injuries lately. Wishing you the best for the future & your move.
Hi Fellow Aussies, I’m from Melbourne and am discovering more and more people who are doing 5:2. I’ve been on a health kick campaign for 70 weeks now and regret only discovering this recently having (finally) reached normal BMI. Better late than never! Hubby & I are loving 5:2 and looking forward to the health benefits.
Hi everyone, Great to find other Aussies doing to 5:2 diet. I am in my first week and am very encouraged by the posts I have read above. I have around 20kgs to lose so here’s hoping it all goes well. I have done one day of fasting and surprisingly found it easier than I thought. Maybe it’s the thought of knowing I can enjoy eating the following day without feeling guilty? I have my second day tomorrow so I’m hoping it’ll go well.
Hi all, I’m in Melbourne and tomorrow will be my 5th fast day in just under 2 weeks. As of today I have lost 3.5kg. I just LOVE how EASY this has been. I do not feel like I am on a diet. In just the few weeks that I have fasted I have noticed so many changes in my body. this coming weekend will be the end of week 2 on this new life style for me and I plan on taking my measurements again as my pants are not staying up (I don’t think I will wait to do that every month like I first thought to do). It really has helped reading all your posts.
I know I will be visiting this forum often.
Booboo and Tribbles – just love the success you’re having, well done. I remember my first month or so doing 5:2, and rediscovering clothes I hadn’t worn for years, feeling so thrilled. The brilliant thing is that the method really is sustainable – I am still at my happy target weight, and I barely think about fast days now. They’re just part of how it is (I do a 6:1 maintenance version these days). Good luck with it, keep us in the loop.
Hi Mumo, I haven’t started exercising yet. My body tends to go in stages when I am trying to lose weight. I tend to have a really good first month by just dieting and then I plateau, then I find I have to kick start it again. Just waiting for that plateau and then I will start doing some regular exercise. On my fast days I do 3 x 150 calorie meals per day, so I have noticed that the preferred way is 2 meals a day with 12 hrs in between…don’t know how I will go with this, this might be a kick start event like the exercise. I do have a lot of weight to lose, I would like to lose 30kg…well 5 down, 25 to go!
Hi from central Vic. I’m 46yr old mum of teenagers, 15 & 14, I have been doing 5:2 for bout 5 weeks now. Lost 3kg & 5cm round my waist. I fast Mon & Wed, weigh in on Mon mornings. I agree that its easier if I eat breakie later or not at all. Whenever I feel hungry I drink water or black tea. Knowing that I can eat the next day makes the deprivation factor easier to deal with. I recently had an extra crazy busy week so just gave up on fast days, though I didn’t feel like eating much, I didn’t punish myself for not fasting, I just decided to reset & start afresh next week. I haven’t told many about my new eating habits so as not to set myself up for failure. My family is very supportive which helps. Talking to other 5:2ers will also help. Keep at it everyone.
Hi everyone, i’m from central coast nsw, starting my first fast day tomorrow, kinda looking forward to it!!!! Having an extra chocolate biscuit today and enjoying it lol. Have put on alot of weight due to being off work for 3 months after a road accident. Just started back at work and need to get my eating habits under control, not only that i am starting to think ahead with health etc, in my 40’s so now is the time for me.
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