Yep Tim This thread rocks! 😉
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I love this thread, it is really motivating and informative. I spent my first fast day reading it start to finish and it definitely kept me on track!
I am down another 200g today, so 1.4kg over all, and am feeling good. Fast day today, so maybe this best-day-to-weigh-is-two-days-after-a-fast-day business is true! I didn’t have a good two days food-wise, so this mini loss has motivated me to do better on non-fast days to see what could be.
Hope everyone is doing well. I have brought zucchini soup (45 cals per serve) to get me through but am hoping to go through to dinner without eating to have a long fast.
Well done Scout. Motivating isn’t it?
Don’t push yourself too quickly. Remember it is TOTAL calorie (1/4 of your TDEE) count over the 36 hours that matters. A long fast takes experience. Very easy to fall off the wagon if it is not easy and sustainable.
Keep the healthy end goal in sight (unlike Brazil!!!!!)
PVE 🙂
That’s great Scout
Most of us avoid early eating for the same reason.
My husband is like you. Waits until dinner for all 400 cals.
I know I get really cranky if I wait until then. I have about 100 in the afternoon so that I am a happier person when preparing our evening meal.
We are all different. Important to find what works for you.
Btw, I have copies of the different 5:2 books strategically placed around the house as a reminder 😉 PVE
That’s a good idea. A psychologist told me to put red dots around my desk at work to use as triggers, whether they be to stop thinking about something when I see them, or to remind me of something when I see them. I have reassigned meaning to them now haha – I am using the red dots as 5:2 reminders.
I am a very cranky hungry person, but I haven’t noticed any improvement if I eat a little during the day. 😐
Now, you’ll be cold Scout. Those winds off the Antarctic really cut through Hobart, don’t they?
At least they warm a little by the time they reach us, with a quick skim over the Snowy!
My computer won’t connect to my home wifi since my trip up north so this is all done on the phone…no wonder I get Coffs Tim and Hobart Scout muddled (I am a LOACA ; ( ) Coffs will be balmy compared to Tassy.
Purple (I’m sick of the other tag)
Hi Purple and all, had a good day got 2 of MM’s books, her recipe and cook book.
Couldnt get the excerise one so will order it. I need hardback not ebook.
Also a 2014 Borusheks Calorie, Fat & Carbo counter as mine was years old.
I find his little book so easy to use rather than going on line.
His web ” CalorieKing ” site is the go to for me if I am stuck.
But for me the real find of the day was when I went into a Health store. Theres been talk here of miso soup so picked up a 10 pack of freeze dried red miso soup to try and hot footed it home.
Someone mentioned that miso tasted like OXO it does! have always love OXO, so that has solved my fast day soup problem and is only 22 Calories.
Cheers,
Tim.
Very inspired by all the threads and enjoying reading everyone’s journey. I am on my first week second day of fasting first was Monday did ok. Ate a lot a Tuesday though! I am wondering if people are very active on their fast days? I am a remedial massage therapist only work part time and with school hols have only booked in 1-2 clients today as too hard to sort care for the kids, however I am about to do a gym workout – mostly to warm up it’s freezing! Then have massage to do and then will be doing a hot yoga class and will take the kids swimming – I generally do 60-70 laps. We also have a tradition of hot chips and gravy and a latte after the swim 😮 so will be a challenge to not pinch a chip! How do others go with a ton of exercise on these fast days?
Hi Imarni, Unfortunately I have a desk job, but I ride my bike to and from work and go out and walk in my lunchbreak do that on my fast days too. I have a friend who works outdoors, not vigorously but walking all day with some exertion, she’s been doing 5:2 for six months and finds it fine. I don’t know about swimming so many laps though. Maybe you should take a sachet of miso to have afterwards?
Good luck.
Today I’m doing my first ever fast day without breakfast, as I went to a friend’s to watch the World Cup semi final and didn’t have my usual egg. I think I can do it though and I need to as have been over-indulging a lot this past week!
Hi it’s good to hear from another remedial massage therapist who’s fasting.
I find that the more active and busy I am during a fast day, the better it’s for me, and the less I am likely to feel remotely hungry either. I find that working with multiple clients on a fast day fine, and my energy stays up until I get home, then if I’ve had a really big day I just want to sleep, rather than eat.
Please let us know how you manage today, as I’m very interested and can sympathise with you. I worried at first, but I didn’t need to panic so much. In the end I was more than fine, and all my massage clients were happy too! The other thing to note is that massage is a wonderful way to burn calories!
Cheers!
Hi Imarni,
Now I’ve finished all my kitchen sink jobs I’m going out in the sunshine for a quick walk – using a dimly remembered idea from Guides – Scouts pace where you walk say 50 paces then run/jog 50. The idea is to run and walk the same number of paces. There’s no gym and my local swimming pool has closed for winter. If this morning was still damp and gloomy I’d have done more indoor skipping with my new “rope”. I do it barefoot so I remember to keep jumping high enough! I will be at my part time desk job this afternoon so usually very little exercise but probably plenty to work to keep my distracted from food thoughts till I drive home.
Try an almond or two with your latte instead of a chip 🙂
ihaveawaist – I find the hardest thing is that my tummy can tend to rumble a wee bit while I am massaging a client which is somewhat embarrassing, lol. I do eat small portions of fruit during the day so possibly I would be better eating nothing until the end when I do have about a 300 cal meal but not sure I have that will power yet! Last night I had 3 back to back hours of massage and I couldn’t wait until DH had cooked a meal I had to have snacks! Anyway got through the workout fine, felt good having an almost empty stomach.
Gday all, just wanted to say hello – I am a 35 year old newish mum – I was pretty active before I had my daughter 19 months ago – since then am quite sedentary & have stacked on the kilos. I have been doing the 5:2 since last week. I haven’t even weighed myself yet, we don’t have scales here – but after reading in the forum I am feeling more motivated, been strolling around the farm today – carrying bubs & yesterday deactivated my Facebook account 😉
Hi Meggshp, deactivating probably be the best thing you’ve ever done! I deactivate for about 9 months of the year and only re activate to locally sell things once a year. There’s tons of exercise can still be done with a toddler so don’t let that out you off. For myself I am not worrying so much about the kgs but focusing on the cm’s getting smaller and toning up. Welcome only started myself this week. Lots of knowledgeable people on this thread.
Hi Meggshp,
Welcome 🙂
I hope this page gives you inspiration and motivation, and a place to have a whinge if things aren’t quite going to plan. But if you’ve deactivated FB due to time spent at the computer, make your visits to this forum brief! You can spend a lot of time sitting on your bottom reading the posts 🙂
It’s probably not a bad thing that you don’t have scales – it’s easy to obsess about numbers. Your clothes will start to feel looser. If you do want a starting point (it is nice to see how far you’ve come sometimes) you could take a bunch of measurements and update them every month or so.
I have 3 kids, the youngest is 2. I have no problem fitting 5:2 in around my family. I hope you find a way that works for you.
Hi everyone 🙂
I am finding the difference in the fit of my clothes is far more dramatic than any weight loss. My work pants are starting to swim on me after only 2 weeks on this diet.
I don’t have a measuring tape and keep forgetting to buy one, but I do have a pair of jeans I can’t quite squeeze into just yet, I will use those as my guide, and then a smaller pair after that. 🙂
Hope everyone is having a good week.
On the subject of scales and weighing in – many years ago when I was in my 20s, I read ‘Fat is a Feminist Issue’ by Suzie Orbach and was influenced by her argument that women should stop seeing themselves in terms of a number (ie. their weight) and try and eat according to how we felt in our bodies – that once we stopped obsessing about numbers we could be more in tune with our eating problems and start eating healthily (in the mental sense of health).
So I never had scales in the house for the past three decades and only ever weighed myself when circumstances led to it – sometimes only every couple of years. However, on the other hand I had read (and heard firsthand) reports that people who weighed themselves regularly were less likely to put on weight, which makes sense when you think about it.
I slowly but steadily got heavier from my 40s into my 50s. Being weighed by a new GP last year and finding I was heavier than I’d ever been was one motivating factor for me to go onto 5:2.
A couple of weeks after starting 5:2 I bought some new electronic scales and was pleased to see that I’d already gone down. Since then I have weighed myself once a week, the day after my second fast.
I find it interesting to note that on some weeks where I feel I’ve been overeating and might have gone up in weight, I feel tempted not to weigh myself – but I always do. It keeps me in touch with reality. I have gone up slightly (5-600g) a few times and I don’t panic about that, as 5:2 is such a calming tool for me.
So anyway, for me, weighing has now become an important part of keeping myself on track. I’m not obsessive about my ‘number’ but I realise that if I were to stop weighing myself I think it would be a way of avoiding facing what I’m doing, eating-wise.
It’s great when you can easily fit into those favourite clothes! It’s the simple things in life that can give you a buzz….shrinking thighs….being less puffed out…..feeling younger…..dancing around the house to those vinyl disco hits of ’74!….and taking smaller measurements around your waist!! Then loudly declaring it on this forum, for all and sundry to read…..haha! Life’s wonderful!
Welcome all the newbies!!!
A word of warning…we replaced all our clothes several times as we shrank during last year. SO exciting and you never imagine you could get even smaller!
I had to ask shop assiants what size I might be as “I’ve lost so much weight”. They would then ask all about how I’d done it. Doesn’t hurt to advertise!
I went from size 16 comfortable slacks to size 9 (yes 9) jeggings (super tight) They look so slim!
Hope this inspires you on this cold winters day to make it through Thursday Fast Day. 🙂 Purple
Hi all feeling a wee bit out numbered here as a member of the Male species.
Assuming that Bayleaf and Scout are also of the superior sex
are there any more Males out there who find that they are afraid to discuss
the downsizing of their dress sizes! —–go for it Girls.
All said with tongue firmly in cheek.
To the gentle and fairer members on our list I would like to say this.
What has been brought home to me is that living on ones own, one has
a very easy time of it not having a partner or children to manage/worry about.
How you cope with your own 5/2 and the rest of your families needs astounds me.
Well done.
Cheers
Tim.
Hi Tim, I think there are a few other men here. I meant to say when you posted the other day, if I haven’t mixed you up with someone else, it’s fantastic you’re doing 5:2 at age 80. It’s never too late to feel better. Many of us here in later middle age are trying to prepare for a healthier older age, carrying less weight on our joints, lower bp etc.
I had a nice surprise today in having dropped 1kg on the scales, after a week of eating lots of chocolate and cake (it was my birthday :-)) Maybe my first-ever fast without breakfast yesterday sped things up a bit. Interesting.
Weight as a number and how you look/feel are odd things that don’t necessarily match up. I started from a relatively low base (BMI 26) and have only lost 11kg in total, but as soon as I’d lost about 2kg people started commenting on the change. On the other hand, I have a close friend who’s also lost 10kg on 5:2 (started at BMI 28 or so) and virtually no one appears to have noticed. Maybe she wore baggier clothes to start with that concealed her spare tyres.
Hi Tim and Peggy
Yes you are surrounded by girls Tim, but that’s because my boy is too busy to post. He still works . Someone has to pay the bills!
He has lost 31 kg and is thrilled to wear mens size shirts and 30/32″ trousers. He wore a suit recently that he had when he was 22. He is now 63. His diabetes is under control and life is looking rosey. I can relay any answers to questions you might like to ask another Aussie bloke. 🙂 Purple
Great job Melb mum!
When people start noticing how svelte and re-energised you are becoming, it really makes me want to do a happy dance right there on the spot…even if it’s right in the middle of a crowd or in the supermarket, it doesn’t matter…..just laugh and clap those hands, twirl around and do a little jig! And the best thing is none of this 5:2 way of life costs anything and you are the boss! Compared to most of the other diets, 5:2 is a breeze.
Dancing also keeps you warm on these frosty mornings, it was down to zero here yesterday morning…brrrr!
Cheers my dears!
I have only been on the diet 1 week and lost 900 gms by the Friday! I dreamed of ham and eggs that night of second day fast and awoke to not feeling that hungry! Then went out to dinner that night and DH wanted an entree of Bruschetta which I really did not want to share felt pressured but had the teensiest portion with my main meal I actually had to give DH the rest of my main meal as I couldn’t manage it! I am doing well with exercise too and feeling really motivated and energised. Brought myself a fit bit Fri and averaging 17,0000 steps each day.
Just been reading all of your inspiring posts. I signed up today and I think will follow others example and make Mondays and Wednesdays my fasting days. I have tried the HCG diet a few times with only the first time being really successful. But within a couple of months I had put all 9 kgs back on. Just found it so hard to maintain when I was going out and eating normally again.
My biggest problem is my sedentary lifestyle which I have been reluctant to change. I’m hoping that shedding some weight with the 5:2 will boost my confidence and willpower in that regard.
Nice to be amongst other Southerners.
Good on you creaturofhabit. Welcome.
I find Monday and Thursday more workable, usually , as it gives me a couple of normal days in the middle. Seems less depriving:)
But flexibility is great too. I’m fasting today after a huge dinner party last night. The guilt and bloating make it easy.
When you get on a roll and the kilos start peeling off, you will probably find, like many if us, you just feel like moving more.
All the best with your new adventure.
Purple
Hello all from a southerner across the ditch,
It is a long time since I posted anything, but I have very much enjoyed reading all the postings on a regular basis.
Just to endorse what has been shared.
The postings are very encouraging. Save reading them for your fast days if you need the supportive boost.
I have lost 11 kgs since last December. Sounds awfully slow, but I spent 9 weeks of that time on the road abroad, and not following the 5:2 plan as rigorously as I can do at home. I am really pleased that I never put on any weight during those stretches and am really happy with the results I achieved to date. It is especially rewarding to have someone who hasn’t seen me for ages, say to me yesterday, “have you lost a ton of weight?”
The answer is definitely yes! 11 kgs isn’t exactly a ton, but now being able to wear clothes 2 sizes smaller than previously, it feels like I’ve lost a ton!
My advice is to take things slow and your body will adapt slowly, and you won’t feel like going back to the old ways. I can now happily get through any day I want without lunch, and quite frequently do. I’ve learnt that hunger won’t kill me. I’ve learnt that if I do overeat, I can compensate the next day. I love that I don’t need to deprive myself on special occasions.
This is certainly no diet. It is a complete change in the way we live, and the benefits are huge. To all you newbies, remember the first few weeks are the hardest, and it honestly gets easier over time. And it it so worth it for the hundreds of reasons shared on this blog. Don’t give up!
Cheers
N Z Mani
Bloody hell a mans having a quiet lunch, salad, and reading his emails when Purlple asks are you dancing Tim?. So I got up and did a few steps of the Charleston! Your all much too young to know that the Charleston was in vogue well before the middle of last century!!!!!
Seriously I am dancing in my heart and mind with the all the warmth and help of our group.
Cheers,
Tim.
Purple would you ask your other half, or you may know, did he receive advice as a Diabetic about
going on the 5/2. if so can he share that advice ? Before starting I checked with Diabetes Aust and was told they didn’t recommend it if you where on injections or tablets.
As a type 2 and controlled by diet and excerise I have had conflicting advice but my GP
has said OK. He also referred me to a Dietitian who was a little iffy, re me doing the 5/2, and put a limit of going no lower than 90Kgs because of other compliciations.
Also wondering if there were any other Dietbetics on the list?
Cheers,
Tim.
No Tim. We saw Michael’s documentary on SBS and my husband said he’d try it. We started the next day.
He has always recorded his blood sugar results, which he still takes every morning. He noticed within the first couple of weeks (and losing 1kg per week) that he needed to reduce the insulin dose significantly on fast days. He did multiple bs tests every day and soon no injections on fast days. After a year he stopped all insulin, only Metformin tablets. This week, 31kg lighter and 18 months on 5:2, he is beginning to stop Metformin.
Our GP is completely behind him and states “It’s not rocket science. ” My hubby is a scientist, mind you, so is meticulous about recording what he does to look for trends.
Find a health professional who will support you and, if you can, watch Dr Jason Fung’s lecture on Insulin Toxicity on YouTube. Long but worth it.
All the best, Purple
…and keep dancing…good for your health and spirit! 🙂
Ps Tim
He started fasting with an egg and herb Omolette for breakfast, a couple of felafels and lettuce for lunch and salad or steamed veg and fish for dinner.
After a few months he dropped the lunch, then after about a year, he dropped breakfast. He only has about 350 cals for dinner. Nothing else. I can’t go all day like that. He finds it easy! 🙂
Hi everyone! I’m from Dunedin, New Zealand and have been doing the fast diet for 3 months. I’ve lost around 3 and a half kgs but it does fluctuate.
I find if i wait til after midday and have a 250 meal then, and then have another 250 meal at night time,I do the best. Last week, i was so hungry in the morning that i had a really early meal of about 300 calories, and then, for the rest of the day i was so hungry i had to eat lots of little snacks which just left me feeling all anxious and not enjoying my day. I’m struggling a bit at the moment, finding 600 calories easier to adhere to. I have trouble sleeping some fast days but last week started having a couple of tablespoons of probiotic yoghurt just before going to bed, so then i would be able to get off to sleep quite easily.
Lately, i’ve been given a stick blender so i’m planning to make more soups because they seem to trick the stomach into feeling full for longer.Anyone else from the South Island on here?
Dear Purple, sorry– had to stop dancing to read your posts.
Thanks for the quick reply. He would need a scientists’ mind too so steadfastly pursue
his goal. What an achievement, quite amazing, as I have never heard of anyone stopping
all insulin injections, and now coming off Metformin.
Please pass on my respects for his efforts.
Will have a look at Fungs lecture.
I couldn’t survive on only 350 cals each fast day, at the moment need all the allowance of 600.
Best of success to all you Monday fasters.
Cheers
Tim.
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