@ dumpling
Hmmm… I think I’ll have split my meals too, having half at lunch and the rest at night, or just cut back, period.
I find I’m eating less on normal days as well. Maybe my stomach is shrinking..lol

I’m having ‘retail therapy’ today, so will be otherwise occupied, even though it’s a day off 😀

Hi everyone and welcome to all the newbies 😀 😀

We have quite a large forum now so it does make it difficult to keep in touch with everyone, but at least someone generally manages to respond to each new post, which is good!

Can’t comment on the recent query re how weight changes over course of the day or over a couple of days – I only weigh myself once a week. If you can, try not to worry too much about the inevitable variability that happens with weight over short period of time – try to focus on the longer term trend. 🙂

Retail therapy can be good Aussienow – hope you are buying something nice 🙂

And unfortunately I don’t seem to ever feel full on fast days, and can always eat everything I have prepared (and I do have lots of veggies), but generally I do enjoy the feeling of not being full – much better that the bloated tummy I can end up with on other days…!!!

To all the new starters, do have a good look through topics of interest – those created by newbies can contain useful replies. There is lots to learn from the experiences of others. 🙂 It’s always useful to review the faqs too.

Take all your measurements, take a photo, find some clothing that is too tight now but you plan to fit into, take a good look in the mirror (!) and draw on all these, or whichever suits you best, to measure your progress.

Seek and provide help and support through this forum – it can really help keep you motivated. 🙂 🙂

Tonight is the Year 12 graduation of my younger son, and some of you know that I need to fit into ‘that dress’ I bought a few weeks ago – it is very close fitting and I could only just sit down …!!! I think I should be ok, have managed to keep the weight reasonably constant since I bought it. I will try to eat very little today… Normally I would have had a fast day yesterday, but I changed it to Wed because I had a very large meal with friends on Tues night and needed to clear the system… Had planned to keep the cals down yesterday, but older son really wanted a roast so we had beef with Yorkshire pudding. Oh dear! I couldn’t resist having an extra serve, it was so yummy as we haven’t had such a meal in ages… Oh well! I have been doing 16:8 for the last 2 weeks and that really seems to be working for me – much better than when I tried 4:3, as I felt hungry too often then.

Anyway, off to do some shopping now. We are going away for the weekend to the high country with our new off-road caravan, meeting up with others who have the same brand of van. It’s only our second time venturing out with the van, and first time off road. Am looking forward to it! 🙂

Good wishes to all for fast and non-fast days and the weekend 🙂
Catch you later!
Sassy 😀

Hey Melbourne Girl, from what I have picked up from different threads 16:8 is where you only allow yourself to eat in an 8 hour window during the day. Say 10:00am through to 6:00pm, and therefore fasting the rest of the day. 8 hours of your choice. 🙂

Had a great fast day yesterday! Am finding that breakfast and then nothing till dinner seems to work for me. Although I often find that I have to deliberately turn myself away from food – I go looking for it habitually.
I know this is only my first week but I have been finding so far that I am a lot more disciplined with my eating on my normal days. I think it is because the fasting days are difficult and I don’t want all that effort to go to waste.

I am really intrigued as to how the following weeks will go for me.

@ dumpling
Yay! Weighed this morning and loss shows 600gms for the week!
You were right about waiting that extra day 🙂
Even after a nice lunch of fish and chips and a light evening meal yesterday.

What day does everyone else weigh on?
Sunday – end of week or Saturday, end of fast days?

I’m looking good and feeling even better!
Oddly, no-one has commented on my appearance 🙁

Have a great weekend all!

Over half a kilo…whoaaa!
I’m kind of keeping track come Thursdays, as I started on a Thursday, but I weigh daily!
Just write down the Thursday and Fridays weights, as Friday is lower…2 days after a fast.
I fast Monday and Wednesday or thurs, but have done a Sunday, as had a girls lunch at mine Monday.
So I swap the days around, but do find you need to sort the days you are going to do before the week starts, or you are all over the place….and running out of days and a back to back is not fun.

Hope you had a nice night sassy.

@iwant2bincontrol … Thank you 🙂
You have no idea how good that makes me feel xx

By no-one, I mean friends and neighbours.
My husband and daughters are supportive, but the girls live away, so have not seen me.
I think DH sees it as ‘another diet’ and not really looking at me.
Maybe it’s a man thing 🙂

You have a super day too!

Wow ghost girl, you drop those kilos!!! Well done, and if you stick with it and don’t binge the other 5 days you may get a 2 kilo loss, so 5 kilos in 2 weeks ain’t bad. Just tell yourself that’s what you want to see on the scales please.
( did you see the meditation I shared on pops thread? You listen to it at night. 22 mins. Will re program your brain to release the weight)

The jeans measurement sounds accurate…so the scales and jeans ..it must be true.

Aussienow, now I see you from behind, you can really tell you are shrinking, yay!!!!

ghostgirl, hang in there, you are doing just fine!

dumpling, you’re priceless!

Good Morning all and welcome to another week, this week i am more determined as during my weekly weigh in i found i actually put on 1kg!! 🙁 so back to the drawning board i go

I’m packing so my mind has leaked out my ear.

Is a drawning board something that involves crayons?

My Monday fast day and was feeling rumbly tummy around 1pm..so made a soup with 2 cups of chicken stock, 2 tsp red curry paste, 3 cubes frozen spinach, 1 pkt slim me Rice and a threw a handful of fresh baby rainbow chard silverbeet leaves from the garden in just before eating it.
It definitely cured the rumbly tummy..BUT!I think there may have been a bit TOO much greenery in there!!
Oh well!! at least I am not constipated anymore lol.

Hi!

My name is Nat and hailing from Adelaide! I came across Michael Mosley’s programme about the 5:2 diet on TV a month or so ago and found it to be quite intriguing. Pounds have been slowly but surely creeping up on me in the last year (menopause is rearing it’s ugly head…) and thought I’d give it a go. My first fast day was yesterday and I was genuinely surprised at how much I could still eat (200 calories @ breakfast and 300 calories for dinner…MEGA veggie salad with a little chicken)and it’s called “fasting”! Here’s to a new lifestyle 🙂 Cheers all!

With the price of fruit/veggies being so horrendous in this country (well, at least in SA and it could possibly get worse if the federal government decides to add on GST to fresh foods to close up it’s budget black hole…),I’ve figured out a way to still pile them on my plate and not kill my grocery budget:

Most supermarkets have a “reduced to clear” section or trolley, with bundles/bags of fruits and veggies (even meats and dairy) that are still good to eat for a day or 2 and at 50% or more off 🙂

Cheers,

Nat

Wow! What an amazing supportive bunch you all are! I have just spent an hour reading through every single post and am very grateful to have found this thread.

I’m from sunny Melbourne! (lol) I have started the 5:2 way of eating 1 week ago so have only completed 2 fasts. They were HARD! I have gained 8 kgs in the last 12 months after coming off a very low carb diet and firing my personal trainer. I am now desperate to lose those 8 plus 2-4 more as I am getting married in may 2014 and need to fit into a gorgeous wedding dress.

I actually didnt lose any weight during my first week :(( and am now wondering if 10-12 kgs in 6 months may be a little unrealistic… Hope not!

Hi everyone 🙂

Am checking in after my weekend away – there has been lots to catch up on, so I won’t attempt to comment on what I have read – except to say welcome to all the new starters :D, keep up the good work (everyone), and to ms_nk that losing 12kg in 6 months is possible (and that I am a Melbournite too 🙂 ). For those of you who don’t know, I have been on 5:2 for 7 months and have lost 17kg and am now BMI 21.

For the newbies – do read thru the posts in various topics in this forum as these reveal the wide range of experiences of those following this Way Of Eating – so you are very likely to find someone who has similar experiences and issues to you, which can be of help to you on your journey. Best wishes for this!

An update on me, for those who asked: The year 12 graduation went well – the dress did fit and looked pretty good, if I say so myself!! The weekend away (on the Howqua) was great 🙂 am loving our new caravan 😀 And despite a week where I ate out, ate well, and ate lots (tho perhaps not quite as much as I may have in the past) on 3 evenings, I did not put on any weight – tho I was pretty careful for the rest of the time. I have been observing 16:8 for a couple of weeks, and think that helped too. (Ate out again tonight – it’s that time of year!!)

Alimax asked about plans for Christmas. I am aiming to maintain my weight from now thru the festive season, but will still do two fast days a week to help compensate for the extra eating that is bound to happen. Fast days won’t be so easy when away on holidays for 3 weeks, but will do 16:8 when possible (I am finding that skipping brekkie is quite easy, tho I am a bit concerned that I am not getting enough calcium as brekkie was the only time I had milk.)

Enough on me! Is past my bedtime so will sign off for now.
Cheers 🙂
Sassy

Hello from Lismore, North Coast of NSW! Just having a web surf & found this forum – and My wife & I started the “regime” as we call it (such a nicer word than “diet”) – and the French use it too – at the start of July 2013. I weighed 98 Kg after a very nice eating & drink trip to Perth & I set a target of 85 Kgs. I’m now 88.5 Kg & my wife has lost 10Kg – and looks sensational! As we’re 66 & 59 (& 3/4) respectively, we’re both pleased with the result, but we seem to have “plateaud” for the last couple of weeks. Now to do some excercise too! Great to catch this thread, very encouraging!

Hi ms_nk, spot on I am 5ft 2, so a kg either way is obvious. I haven’t tried the 4:3 but maybe start on 5:2 and once you are more used to the fasting and if you are not getting the results you want them maybe switch to 4:3 and see if it is doable and gets you over the line.

Hello, I’m another one from Melbourne.

Have posted elsewhere a few times, but thought I’d chip in here too. As I don’t follow 5:2 to the letter, it’s harder to contribute sometimes. I combine 5:2 with Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) and the results in almost 5 months are amazing. I subscribe to the Diet Doctor’s newsletter which I heard about in one of these posts. I’m down to an Aussie size 10 from a 16.

I gave up weighing myself earlier this year (long before I heard of intermittent fasting in July) because I finally realised my obsession with it was ridiculous and it threw me off course for decades. I may weigh myself in Dec, but regardless of what the scale shows I am just thrilled to have found an eating strategy that is so flexible, so doable and that gets such results. This is for life for me.

Nik, even though I can’t provide proof with actual kilos lost, I know you’re definitely on the best strategy to achieve your wedding day dreams.

Jen8 – I’m 5 2 and a bit (not to be forgotten) so I identify completely.

Heather

Wow, lot of hobbits in oz.
I thought we had the monopoly on that one, but I see we don’t!

ba ha ha hobbits! Love it!

Am a newbie in northern NSW – only in my 3rd week and have just lost cms not weight but am quite buoyed by those results – my body composition is changing for the better! Very confronting to get on your scales and be advised you are comprised of nearly 50% fat.

You guys are great – have enjoyed reading through this forum; keep it up!

Hi all, I’m having a super day of washing, ironing and deciding whether to take more darts in my pants, or just flick them and wear the size 14s I have…oooh aaah!

Re coffee, I still have a little milk in my one cup-in-the-morning, as I don’t get much calcium, and I have chicken stock in the afternoon (in boiling water..lol)
Actually, I prefer cold water 🙂

Are there any Brissie-ites here?
I’m 1 1/2 hrs north, but closer to Sunshine Coast.

Have a great day all!

Lol @ hobits!! Haha if I had hairy feet I could probably pass as one!

Definitely wear the size 14s!! I have jeans ranging in sizes 10 through to 14!! It will be fun to start going downwards again.

I soooooooo miss my cappuccino on fast days! Would prefer to go without then drink instant or coffee I won’t enjoy. (yes, I’m a typical melbournite coffee snob)

Have been finding the day after fasting I am particularly tired. Is anyone else experiencing this? I’m back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks off and I am trying to figure out which days I should fast as I work 4 long days a week and have 3 off.. Am also on my feet most of the day and dealing with people. Thinking if I fast on my days off I will be super tired the next day whilst at work. Guess I will experiment and see what works…. 🙂

Hi All,
so just joined the forum and thought I would say hi. Some great posts through here. I started on Tuesday and am doing my 2nd fast day today. Havent really done huge amounts of research into this before starting and so far so good. (have ordered the book so hopefully it will arrive soon) But I figure how complicated can eating below 500 cal for the day be. And that’s prob why this has appealed to me so much. I’m an all or nothing person which means that I burn out on a diet before too long. This way its all in for a day, then off for a couple of days.
The fast days are not easy as such – but nor would I call them hard. Knowing that I can eat “that” tomorrow makes a huge difference to my mental state. My best friend and I are doing this together and will try to fast on the same days – so that makes it easier.
I do however have a question for everyone – in many diets there are considered “free” vegi’s. How does everyone count the calories in their veg…? or do you…? I assume that I should – but just interested in what others are doing.
Looking forward to seeing how I progress and feel but so far I’m feeling pretty positive rather then dreading the new “diet”