Hi AGuy
If your local bookshop doesn’t have the book, you can get it through http://www.booktopia.com.au
They are very quick to supply and the books were at a reasonable price when I bought them.
Keep going and have lots of water to drink. B 🙂
This topic contains 28,295 replies, has 835 voices, and was last updated by Anzac65 31 minutes ago.
Hi AGuy
If your local bookshop doesn’t have the book, you can get it through http://www.booktopia.com.au
They are very quick to supply and the books were at a reasonable price when I bought them.
Keep going and have lots of water to drink. B 🙂
Hi IHAW
I didn’t see any responses to your question about whether we find fasting harder in cold weather. I am noticeably colder on my fast day. Not today, as I have been out in the garden, and because the weather is really odd. A warm hurricane style wind is coming from the East, off the ocean. Normally, all of our weather comes from the West. OTOH, I am glad I began 5:2 in the middle of a heatwave on 25 January. It was easy to drink 2 litres of water a day 🙂
I don’t think I find it harder to fast in Winter, as I love vegetable soup with lentils, and that is low in calories. However, I have to remember to wear more clothes through the day. Unlike Purple, I’m not given to streaking around the house on very cold mornings. 🙂
Like many people, I find it harder to maintain than it was to lose. Glad you’re all out there keeping me on the straight and narrow. 🙂 B
Have a set of good scales AGuy, set up to be able to step on any time, as Nikki says, naked, first thing in the morning and with an empty bladder if you want a really cheery result. Seriously, though, the clothes ARE the key. We replaced our clothes twice during the year. Expensive exercise, but hey, we saved a fortune on food! SO good for the self esteem. P
Hi Purple vegie eater,
I started my fast day by drinking a lot of water.Later about 11 am I will have low fat youghurt & banana.And ofcourse coffee with alitlle milk.My dinner will be a chiken breast with a lot of vegies and salad.If I get hungry in between I´ll have a carot.well, this is how I´ve planned it..
Unfortunately I´m not keeping myself at the moment very active.But that will come ,in time 😉
Hi AGuy
I also became very tired when fasting during the first 3 months. It’s good to know this about yourself, and to go to bed early on fast days.
It is ESSENTIAL to drink water – a minimum of 2 litres a day. At work have a jug of water and a glass next to it. Otherwise, it is very easy to fool yourself that you have drunk 2 litres. I know this from my own experience. If it becomes too much to drink, then squeeze a little lemon or lime into the water. 🙂
It is not an option to maybe drink some water when you are fasting. Drinking two litres of water is essential for the sake of your health. It will help you with headaches, it will keep your kidneys working. 🙂 B
AGuy, my hubby started 5:2 last year, with an egg for brekkie, a couple of low cal felafels and a bit of lettuce for lunch and a small piece of fish with salad for dinner. And a glass of cold soda water in a wine glass!
This was his standard fare for many many months. AND he lost 1kg a week. It took many months before he started dropping meals.
Some people swear by keeping breakfast (Bay), others (me) skip breakfast and eat a brunch and then dinner. Others, (my boy now) eat all their fast day cals at night.
Once I eat I have trouble not eating. It seems to stimulate the juices. I usually go all day now without until dinner, but fell off the perch today and ate at 11.30. Doesn’t matter though as I am past the early stages and really am only fasting to maintain, so a brand new experiment.
Do what suits you. Don’t push yourself too hard. If what you do one day doesn’t work, try something else. Record what you ate so that you can look back and go “Yes, that worked, I’ll do that again!”
I think the flavour is everything. LOTS of flavour in plants and protein (onion, chilli, lime, ginger, garlic, shallots etc)
Keep going. You are doing well. P 🙂
AGuy, Well done for hanging in there! Keep going. You will feel very proud of yourself tomorrow 🙂
Having an office job usually means you have to walk to various areas to perform tasks, e.g, the printer. Try to walk by the longest route possible. As soon as you start drinking the recommended amounts of water, you will find you need to get up and walk regularly. 🙂
Make sure you use stairs wherever possible, not lifts. You could park your car further away from work and walk. You could walk to the next bus stop, if you are catching a bus. There are many ways to sneak in some exercise without going to a gym. Have fun 🙂 B
Sounds as if you have your head around it Mirjam!
Blueberries are another excellent low cal food. As Bay says, it IS very easy to not realise you are needing more water. We usually get a lot of water in our food, so we have to keep it up on fast days. Coffee, tea,(black) soda water, fresh water will all hydrate you. Thai flavours on food (see LOACA Recipes thread on this site) are an easy way to make your food really yummy. Keep it up…going well. P:)
Hi Mirjam
Yes, I believe that it is possible to drink too much. You probably need to go on the internet and search for a medical answer. 🙂 B
As ever, Purple says it all. We are all different, and we need to try various approaches to find what suits our body AND our personality.
I found out yesterday that my sister, who is also wheat intolerant, saves her food for the evening meal. Just like you, she says that if she eats, she wants more. I tried going without breakfast and it left me feeling ghastly.
I like the poached egg for breakfast and a coffee. Then I’m set for the day, including golf or gardening or house cleaning. I experimented with fish, and leftover chicken. However, it seems that the soft protein of an egg is exactly what my body wants. 🙂 B
Bay, I think my issue is I love extravagant breakfasts. My mum put me off eating the same thing every day, so I get carried away. For me, it is better not to start. I get up, get busy and actually think I have eaten. Crazy!
Hubby can take or leave food, so he doesn’t even notice if he misses it. Me, I’ve always dreamed of breakfast and what amazing things I can cook before I even wake. So, for me to no longer even have breakfast 2 days a week (and often more than that) is gob smacking! How I’ve changed on this WOL.
I think the only issue with “too much” water is the potential of washing some vitamins out. Better than being dehydrated and getting headaches. I think the jug to measure and remind is a great suggestion. P
Hi Mirjam, just seen your post re low fat yogurt. The latest idea is that full fat is actually more beneficial for weight loss (the fat keeps you fuller for longer, and doesn’t result in weight gain). Low fat versions often contain more sugars/sweetener/other stuff to compensate for the reduced fat and aren’t really a healthier option. It seems that low fat is just another marketing ploy by the Sugar Marketing Board (global company)!
Agree re not eating low fat products and reducing sugar intake.
If you search water intoxication, it makes interesting reading. The consensus is that around 2-3 litres is sufficient for most people. There are definite side effects from drinking too much water in too short a time period. B
Search the phrase:
“Too much water side effects.” Or “water intoxication”
Hi All, bloody hell had no internet for a couple of days as in a back spot with a woeful ISP and just got back on and found 52 posts to have fun reading.
A belated and warm welcome from a newish 5.2er to all the newbies. Guys, its good to have some male company. The fems out number us by a huge majority but they are entertaining and dare I say it very knowledgeable and helpful as you have already found out.
Dear PVE posted on the 11.14 30 Jun a piece about 24:12 and 16:8 on the fact its really a 36 hour fast. Its to Mamaleish and well worth a read. Its near the end on page 27 of our forum.
Looking forward to tomorrows weigh in as feeling guilty as I demolished a large Baklava worth
1360 Cal’s yesterday Well why the hell not as I haven’t had it in ……….
Cheers,
Tim.
Hi SH mates!
Good to hear from you again Tim.
Hi AGuy, re drinking water, I only fast on work days (at my age work 0.6) and use ‘tasks’ in my email software to remind me to drink every hour, and get up and stretch/go for short walk every 15 minutes, if only down the corridor to the printer, or to the toilet. The heritage building I work in has 4m ceilings so a quick down and up one flight of stairs is good enough.
In times past I would get engrossed in what I was doing and it would be sometimes 2 hours before I moved – very bad for an old girl with osteoarthritis because I could hardly stand up after that time.
Cheers all, Nicky.
Good morning all from the SH.
I’m new here so please be nice! (Although having read a lot of this thread I can see there’s no need to make such a request).
I saw Dr Mosley’s doco on a plane about a year ago but honestly thought there was no way I could fast twice a week. Some relatives started 5:2 about six months ago but again I couldn’t fathom fasting and coping with 12 h working days that involve moving and thinking all day.
Then 2 weeks ago I watched another Dr Mosley doco (on another plane journey) and was struck by how different he looked. So I bought the book (& the fast exercise one too) and had my first 2 fast days whilst in Singapore last week. Had my third day at home on Wednesday & all going well. Luckily the OH is also on board.
As a trained scientist (PhD in biochemistry) I’m impressed by the data so far. I am a TOFI & would really like to lose some body fat. I also suffer from chronic pain and would dearly love to lower inflammatory mediators. I’m also particularly keen about any slowing of cognitive decline.
My plan is to start 5:2 and maybe go to 4:3 if I need a little boost. I’m counting calories on fast days only (MyNetDiary) and recording exercise on all days. I’ve done my preliminary measurements and hope to be in for the long haul. Once I get the 5:2 under control I’ll start the fast exercise (2-3 x weekly HIIT on the indoor bike). I do pilates every day for pain management and won’t be stopping that!
Sorry about the long post but greetings from a beautiful, calm (& not too cold!) Melbourne.
Wow! This site really did blow up yesterday, it’s great to see everybody engaging and chatting!
This morning’s weigh-in has got me close to a healthy BMI 25.8 from my original 32.7, so that’s wonderful, and I’m feeling much more confident and flexible in my movements these days.
I wish the tracker was available when I first started 67 weeks ago (23 April 2013), it looks like an excellent tool.
Is here anyone using it? How do you find it? I’m still using my original system of graph paper, highlighters, and fine black and red pens to track my losses. The only thing I need to do every so often is sticky tape another sheet onto my old ones, it’s getting fairly long now, but I’m able to handle it and it’s unlikely to disappear into the digital ether, like some types of programs I’ve tried to use before. I’m sure the 5:2 tracker is much better at storing info and staying available!
Well dearies, have a happy day. Today I’m putting on some waltz music to clean the bathrooms, after that maybe Jimmi Hendrix and I will do the vacuuming together. It doesn’t matter what you groove to, as long as you keep on movin’!
Welcome Jane. You’ve made an excellent life choice. Record everything (I’m sure you will..my OH is a scientist) ..measure your whole body and, initially, write down what you eat on fast days. Use the tracker on the home page to follow your progress.
My OH set up an Excel spreadsheet to record all our data when we started early last year. It was great but now anyone can do it with all yhe programs available.
All the best with your new adventure. PVE
Wow ihaw!! Absolutely fabulous. I am trying to do the twist in celebration but the doona is too heavy. Will get up and put The Boss or Marley on and sing my lungs out for you 🙂 🙂 Keep dancing nate.
We obviously both saw Michael’s doco the same night. That’s when we started too! Last week I transferred my data to the tracker. I’m sorry I didn’t do a full body measure originally (only weight and waist).
I found it easily on the home page. Top right from memory (I’m on the phone now)
Have a happy Friday all. I’m off to the doc to get blood test results and argue to reduce BP meds 🙂 P
Hi!
I just have to tell you that my second fasting day is over.I feel good,not hungry at all 🙂 For dinner (6pm) I had alittle chicken breast with a salad and I still feel full !Drank a lot of water and now I intend to go to sleep ( here it´s already nightyime 12pm).
Goodnight everybody,I love reading your e-mails !
till tomorrow,
Mirjam 🙂
Welcome Jane and well done, Mirjam.
Wow, IHAW, you won’t know yourself. When I began I kept a diary of weight and measurements, then I put them in the tracker after about 22 weeks on 5:2. It was astonishing to me to see that I had been through two plateaus each of four weeks. One I can explain by 3 weeks in China. The other seems to have been my body adjusting to very rapid weight loss by re shaping itself into one size less clothing. 🙂 because I was so focused on the new smaller body, I didn’t register that I was on a long plateau.
Keep dancing! 🙂
Good morning all
Congrats to you Mirjam
Good luck to you Jane
I completed my first fast day with success
I found that regardless of my large water consumption, I experienced constant headaches and a little dizziness from around lunchtime on wards. I got an early nights sleep though, and although difficult I’ve managed to stick to the Kj target.
This morning I feel great, really sharp and energized. I had a banana and black coffee for B’fast and I’ve decided to extend the fast until lunchtime today.
Thanks for all the support and info guys, its been invaluable.
Good morning SH fellow-followers of the 5:2 WOL.
Hi AGuy, well done sticking to your fast despite headaches. That at least has never been my problem so can’t offer anything helpful as you say you drank plenty of water.
on FDs an early night is my reward because unlike others who feel energized, I get very tired. Have tried to tease it out: maybe because I get up at 6am for work but I don’t fast on Wednesdays, still up at 6am and don’t feel so bad, despite weight training session as well. An early night also shortens the day and removes the temptation of a snack after dinner. That’s disastrous for me because once I start I can’t stop so better to not start.
Second of B2B fast days for me. Yesterday went well, with total intake 50C short of 450 allowance. However, for some weird reason the scales showed 800g more than yesterday morning 🙁
That’s another benefit of this WOL as on any other diet I would be having a chocolate biscuit (or several) with my morning tea as consolation. Today, just black tea until dinner of steamed whiting and salad.
Happy day (FD or not) everyone.
Thanks Nicky
It was quite a challenge I have to admit, especially last night with lovely left over pizza from my favourite pizza takeaway staring at me from my kitchen fridge!
I have just broken my fast with a fish burger (grilled) and some chips for lunch, hey its Friday right!?
The biggest challenge for me now is going to be cutting down over the weekend, which I guess means cutting down the beer as well 🙁
Hi again AGuy.
Fish burger and chips sounds marvellous! By this stage on the 2nd fast day I’m so sick of black tea and cold water that I could chew my own arm off. I just passed a colleague in the hall who was eating a piece of warm quiche – I could have mugged her. Apparently there was lunch for the Deputy Premier so confess I went hunting for the leftovers. Fortunately none in sight so was saved from myself.
How much weekend cutting down do you have to do? I find that eating up to my TDEE is so generous after my previous miserable dieting experiences that I don’t have any problems. I don’t drink alcohol but certainly have plenty of food vices. I just try to curb them so I have a taste instead of the whole packet. The fasting practice helps there – I’m no longer afraid of feeling hungry and know I CAN stop after a taste on non-FDs. Fast days I just have to not start, as I said before.
Occasionally I have a binge but then temper it with more moderate eating on other days. I don’t waste energy beating myself up the way I used to – the sun always rises tomorrow!
Have a good weekend
n
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We pay tribute to our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Mosley. Michael was an integral part of our lives, […]
Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
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