Hi Aily,

Great that you’ve started. I believe you’ve made the best decision in not using scales as bodily fluids fluctuate so much. I’ve lost 2 stone using 5:2 and I’m 5 foot 2. I’m decades older than you though 🙂 Initially I measured myself and later just relied on clothes being noticeably looser. Recently I started checking the scales again and saw how unreliable they can be. (I even wonder whether I’d have achieved this had I not avoided the scales for fully 6 months.)

I began in July and I lost steadily. It continues, yet I enjoyed all of December with festive celebrations for birthdays, Christmas and New Year knowing I finally had a plan that works. As others say, after a while you look forward to “fast” days because you feel so good. My choice has been not to count calories. Instead I use low carb and don’t count anything. I prefer one small meal of protein with salad or vegetables (no starchy or sugary carbs) in the evening Mondays and Thursdays. I find I naturally eat less on the other days.

The forums are so encouraging and you’ll find heaps of wonderful advice.

Good luck.
Heather (Melb, Australia)

Thanks Aily.

Yes, I am absolutely thrilled with the way it works. I feel fitter and more energetic than I have for years. Do stay with calorie counting if that suits you better. So many of us do different things, yet 5:2 works.

I don’t worry about carbs in fruit or vegetables at all and I eat a comparatively high amount of fat – butter, olive oil, full-fat cheese, yoghurt, raw nuts etc. I avoid anything “diet, lite or low-fat” because in those products the reduced fat is replaced by sugar which is useless. I just avoid potatoes, pasta, rice, bread and anything sweet on “fast” days and often other days. If I’m eating out I just go with the flow and if everyone’s eating pasta for example, I do too. It’s very flexible. I enjoy curries, so instead of rice I microwave grated cauliflower. (You can google for some interesting ways to cook cauliflower.) I find fish (any except breaded) or chicken with home-made tziki (lots of garlic) is great with salad on hot days or hot vegetables when it’s cold. Soups are also great of course.

If I’ve eaten out a lot I sometimes do 4:3. I have no idea what my BMR is because I heard it’s just something arbitrarily created by insurance companies. I don’t do TDEEs either. My aim is to be slim and healthy. The numbers generally do my head in. There is a lot of mis-information about, including the bit about metabolism. Personally I make it as easy as possible. I just think of this way of eating being similar to our ancestors having a good day hunting, fishing and gathering and then having a day here and there where food’s not so available.

Using your jeans that way is great. It was only after I was well into 5:2 that I realised I could go all the way to what I weighed some 30 years ago. That may prove to be too far, but I’m looking forward to finding out. I have less than a stone to go and somewhere along the line I’m aiming for an Aussie size 10 pair of jeans.

xx Heather