Seila, we here at 5:2 don’t need to try any marketing spiel from diet companies. Please leave this site to those of us who are actually interested in our growing good health, through good food habits!
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This afternoon, i made sugarless crumble to go on top of my apple. It is a bit ordinary on its own but on top of stewed apple with yoghurt it is yummy. And while i could happily eat more, i find I can cope with just a 1/4 cup serve. I experimented with different things but i haven’t actually tried the besan flour version on my apple yet so not sure how much i like it. But besan flour has a higher protein content than wholemeal flour i think but its got a sour flavour.
60g unsalted butter
1 cup flour – besan/wholemeal/or whatever else your want to try maybe semolina (which might need more water i’m not sure)
1 cup shredded coconut (or desiccated)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup of mixed seeds and nuts including sesame, sunflower, pumpkin kernels, walnuts
1/2 cup of mixed dried fruit – sultanas or currents would also be fine.
Duck egg for this much or 1 small egg for half this quantity
4 tbsp water.
Beat the egg separately and add the water.
Rub the butter with the flour, coconut and oats before adding the nuts and dried fruit. Then add in the egg and water.
Bake in a greased tray at 180 for 45 minutes or until golden.
If you are making this directly onto the apple, then put the dried fruit on top of the apple instead of mixing it into the crumble. It will absorb more water.
You don’t mean fourth fast day in a row do you?
I blew mine the other day at the 11th hour (but at least didn’t go over my daily calorie budget) and i plan to do better this weekend.
Do you like rhubarb crumble too? I love it. And also pear. I’d love a berry crumble but they are quite expensive here except strawberries, though perhaps i could try this crumble with fresh ones sometimes. Actually when i freeze my strawberries they go like they are stewed which i also like.
No! It’s my second week, fourth fasting day. Can’t wait to get on the scales tomorrow morning. Did you blow yours unintentionally or because you couldn’t resist a prohibited snack? Yes, love rhubarb. I mostly use frozen berries as fresh ones are too expensive here in the west (like most food). The Turka Dahl stuck to my ribs, as my Nan used to say, so that was 137 cals well spent.
Hi Pattience,
Your crumble recipe sounds wonderful. The other thing I added to apple and rhubarb the other night was some almond meal in the crumble topping It made it taste sweeter without the need for sugar and yes it is really good with unsweetened Greek yoghurt.
Enjoy your week everyone.
Charlie
Evening folks ๐ I’m going to have my second fast day tomorrow. I was well pleased with my results up until now, dropping down to 68.8kg. This morning I was back up to 69.9kg. NOT. HAPPY.
I’m not kicking myself though, I’ve been unwell and as a result I am definitely retaining water as a result. I’ve actually been eating like a demon today as well. My hubby said the same thing, and he’s got the same lurgy that I have so clearly our bodies are asking us for recovery food.
So tomorrow hopefully I’ll be feeling better and ready to tackle another fasting day. I don’t think I’ll weigh myself again for another week or two just to ensure that I’m healthy again and not retaining depressing water weight. Hope everyone is doing well ๐
Fasted today, and it felt good. Feeling less hungry each time. This is my 8th fast day I think. I hope to see a bit more of a loss on the scales tomorrow. So far it’s definitely the easiest way for me as a forty something to lose weight. I find eating almost nil easier than trying each and every day. Thanks to Michael Mosley ๐
Hope everyone’s going well. I can feel my attitude to food changing and that’s exciting. ๐
Alison
Thinatlast, i gave in. I had a glass of wine early in the evening, and later on i had another. I knew it would put me over my fasting calorie limit but i guess i didn’t want to accept i must have been hungry because i usually do not drink wine later at night. So my thirst must have been hunger. Anyway, with that second glass came loss of willpower and i stayed up and first i ate fruit and marscapone (which is rather a danger food for me i must admit), then i had a second helping. By this stage i just wanted to experience the sensation of being full which i haven’t had for quite some time, so i said to myself i know what will fix this. And i had a bowl of porridge with milk. I was good after that and got myself off to bed knowing that i hadn’t done too much damage over all but my fast was long gone.
A fasting friend said “not to worry just do it again the next day”. But no i’d rather not because it is effortful to have to fast. So i’ve just let that one go and will go for my usual 2 day fast on the weekend to come. I hope my will power is not totally worn down. I like the fasting idea. But i have to make sure i go to bed earlier. I keep getting sleepy early in the day and so go back to bed which doesn’t help later at night.
Charlie, i considered the almond meal option when i was making the crumble but decided it was already rich enough with the nuts and butter. But my pigeon tart (pine nut tart) did include almond meal and i know its a great thing to use in pastry and cakes.
Oh god, i mustn’t think too much about yummy foods like this because it will trigger a misdemeanour!
I think we need a southern hemisphere foroom as i can’t keep up with this thread and all the people on it. I can’t be the only one.
Someone back a page was talking about weighing. I think i will start a thread on the subject. Please join in if you’ve got something to add. I weigh daily and think at least once a week is a good idea. I weigh daily and do not get upset about daily fluctuations. Why? I don’t like seeing other people so unnecessarily upset by it either.
Hi Patti
I don’t understand your comment that you had a glass of wine on a fast day. How is that possible when you have a calorie limit of maximum 500 calories? Did I misunderstand which day you are on?
I agree with going to bed early on a fast day, and never go back to bed in the daytime. I work hard physically in the garden, or cleaning the house. I am always tired by the end of a fast day and like to be in bed early after fasting all day.
I never have alcohol or processed food on a fast day. Otherwise I am using precious calories for something that is not nutritious and certainly won’t leave me feeling full. It is helpful for the body to repair itself without alcohol or processed food at least two days a week.
If you need to fill up, have lots of steamed green vegetables dressed with lemon juice, pepper or chili flakes, and a little quality olive oil. Or make homemade vegetable soup, with lots of greens and carrots. No potatoes or thickeners.
Cheers, Bay ๐
Morning fast family! How’s things?
We received 45 mm in the rain gauge overnight, and are expecting considerably more with lots of stormy wind and high swells battering the coast. I must say I slept deeply, even though it was wild weather outside. Snuggling down under the doona is wonderful.
I feel sorry for the guests I massage at the resort, they’ve mistakenly come up here to enjoy warmer winter conditions, poor sods! At least they enjoy having a toasty warm relaxing massage.
I’m creeping closer to my goal weight of 65 kg and I’m expecting to reach that by the end of the year. I’m on my 71st week of the 5:2, and it feels really normal, easy and empowering. I no longer overeat, as it feels disgusting and heavy. I no longer crave chocolate or sugary, salty foods. I smile at myself in the mirror nowadays, and love not having a muffin-top, large thighs and big arms anymore….even my boobs and bum have shrunk! My face looks younger too.
The best things about this WOL, is my positive changes in health. Lower b.p., lower blood glucose, lower cholesterol, no snoring, IBS gone, and feeling a lot more energised and happy. All this has been achieved without drugs or any medical interventions, which has to be a good thing.
I’m expecting to continue on a maintenance version of 5:2 for the rest of my life, and this thought fills me with joy! Something so simple and effective, that I’m in control of! I feel like doing a dance in the rain sequence, like the movie….oh to channel my 1950’s starlet self….’I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I’m happy again…’
Cheers sweeties!
Second week in and its getting a lot easier on my fast days. Last week on my feast days I was eating like I was competing for Australia and was wondering if it would settle down. The good news is that it has and now on my feast days I find I am eating normally not feeling like I have to make up for the fast the day before and prepping for the next. I drink a lot of diet drinks and have found that on my fast days they just make me feel worse/more hungry so I am avoiding them all together. I am really enjoying the freedom of eating a well balanced diet with out the guilt if I eat what is now know as a sometimes food ๐
Bayleaf, i have wine if i want it regardless of it being a fast day or not. A glass of wine isn’t harmful though it does not have the nutrients that we can get from food so from that perspective its not ideal.
I think i had a glass of wine on my second fast day. My lunch of steamed and sautรฉed vegetables took care of my appetite for the rest of the day. But on the day i referred to in the above post, it took me over my calorie limit of 500. That wouldn’t bother me but i should have gone to bed earlier instead of taking a second glass of wine. That’s all.
I don’t drink wine to fill myself up. I just like it. I don’t have it every day. I didn’t have any yesterday as i didn’t want to break my 16 hour fast.
So now i’m doing the 2 consecutive fast days as my low cal weightloss days.
And the other five i’m going to try to do my healing fast of 16 hours. Those have higher calories when i do eat but i get them into an eight hour window. Obviously there will be many days when i don’t stick to that plan but i think for me it would be worth having a go at it.
Good morning fasters!
I’m very excited to report a 1.8kg loss after 2 weeks with this new WOE. I didn’t increase my exercise routine or modify my eating habits on the other 5 days. I know we’re likely to lose higher amounts of weight when we first start any new plan and I am prone to weight fluctuations. Nevertheless, I am so optimistic about my future and hope to fulfil my tongue-in-cheek prophecy of being thinatlast!
Enjoying my cappuccino more than ever and off to walk to dog with an extra spring in my step this morning.
Congratulations IHAW and huntmike. Really heartening to read your entries.
Kia ora whanau, I am in Auckland, Aotearoa. This is my second week and I am finding today particularly challenging. I have not lost any weight as yet. I am breastfeeding my one year old – mainly through the night, I haven’t found any difference in my supply and have been drinking supportive herbal teas to ensure that my milk does not suffer. If it is affected I will stop.
I am carrying over 10kg extra since I had my boy – and as I carry him a lot I feel like I am carrying an extra 20kg. I am am impressed with the health benefits of the 5:2 plan, but find it hard not to feel discouraged at not losing weight – it is silly, but I would love to fit my clothes. I can only wear my preggie clothes still.
Thanks all for being here
Stephanie
that’s great ihaveawaist! My goal weight is 65 too and I have gone from 75 to 72.5 already in 3 weeks! It almost scares me thinking of being under 70kg but I know I must fight these feelings and soldier on.
Just ate a tim tam though which is unhelpful! Not a fasting day though. They just shouldnt have been left in my fridge!! ahh
cheers
Alison
Hi Stephanie and welcome!
Please don’t feel discouraged about the lack of weight loss. When I was exclusively breastfeeding my son I could NOT loose weight. Full stop. Every time I tried, I found that I stayed hungry and I didn’t loose weight. To make matters worse either my milk supply or quality would reduce. I assume that wouldn’t be such a dilemma for you as your little guy is older than mine was when I first started trying to loose weight. At one I suspect he’s eating some solids already… My son was only 5 months so for me it was far more of an issue.
I ended up giving up in the long run. I decided that it wasn’t worth me stressing about my milk supply and whether or not it would be worth it because it just wasn’t.
That being said, that won’t necessarily happen that way for you! Just be aware that you might find that you have trouble loosing while you’re still BFing.
As for me, day two of fasting for this week. I have to admit I’ve had several ‘I want to chew my arm off’ moments already. I haven’t eaten at all yet (I usually have a very low cal brekky) but several cups of coffee have kept me going. Counting those calories too of course! Hope everyone’s having a good day so far ๐
Hi Kits, thank you for your reply. This is my second boy and I didn’t lose anything whilst breastfeeding my first. He weaned himself just before his first birthday and it took me another couple of years to lose weight ๐
My younger boy eats 3 good meals a day plus snacks so not worried about his nutrition. Just hoping it is not hormones stopping me from dropping some kgs. Anyhow is just after 2pm now so too late to give up on the day ๐ Might just need another cuppa ๐
I just realised that I was automatically allowing for a 500 cal diet just because the book and FAQ state that the average female fast allowance would be that. I forgot to actually do the maths with my TDEE. ๐ It turns out that I should only be allowing myself 359 calories on a fast day. Nooooooooooo! This is going to make it so much harder. Today I have already consumed 284 calories. This only leaves me 75 calories for the rest of the day. Spinach for dinner I think!
Aitchbee – welcome to the curse of the short people!! The bad new is, that 25% means even fewer calories as you get lighter. The upside is that this process is slow, and you get used to eating less over time. My current TDEE is 1510 which gives me around 377 calories to work with on fast days, but I rarely find myself wanting more than that. I’m looking forward to maintenance, which is only 5-10kg away, but I think I will need to keep 5:2ing rather than 6:1ing as it is difficult for me to maintain such a small TDEE on a daily basis, so I’d rather fast for 2 days and enjoy my wine and the odd snack the other days.
Sending you a warm hug Kits!
It is much harder to keep your fasting resolve when you’re cold. If you can do it now, you’ll motor through summer. While I love my soups, I’m looking forward to salads – I just don’t feel like salads in winter, I need something to warm me up. When I have had my fill of black tea (which has been my favourite drink for decades) I’m having “silver tea” as recommended by another SH – hot water. It warms you up, and silver tea sounds much more enticing, especially if you have it in a nice cup.
I’ll have to come back and reads the others later but just wanted to say, great news for thinatlast.
Just stick to your plan and don’t lose sight of your goals. Yes you can do it. Its possible for all of us to achieve our goals and sustain them. We just must not lose focus and tackle any issues asap to prevent falling of the wagon.
Thanks @melbournemum, it’s much harder isn’t it! It’s amusing though, I normally can only drink warm water when it’s cold. I can’t drink it cold at ALL. As I read your post I was knocking back a cup of boiling water *chuckle*. It certainly did the trick for a little while.
I’m still trying to take my mind off food. For some reason today has been much more difficult than usual. I guess it’s because I’ve been sitting at home rather than being at work like usual.
ihavea
Yes! As a maintainer, I am travelling and have slipped lots of times on the trip, but it is ok. When you do this long enough you can really muck around with what you are doing. We think making sure you do actually fast is the key. eg We skip most breakfasts and slip up in the evenings. You can binge a bit in between, if you “have to”, but if you are at goal weight it is pretty easy to stay on the straight and narrow, interspersed with madness!!!
My OH does blood sugar tests every morning and is a very good guide for how we are managing. We carry fresh food to avoid too many stodgy bought meals.
Flexibility is the key, but don’t lose the main goal, a healthy weight, regular fasts and long term health benefits.
Cheers PVE
Welcome newbies.
Aitchbee, i have thought about that before but i don’t care. 500 is enough for me even if its above 1/4 of TDEE. I don’t believe in making it harder than necessary.
They don’t say in the book “why 1/4 of TDEE”. It sounds like just a fairly arbitrary number. the thing is few calories will mean weightloss. But by all means if you can do the 1/4 do it.
I think about it some more down the track and if i’m feeling strong i’ll give it a shot.
Hi Aitchbeb and MM I could well be dreadfully wrong here but where did the idea come from that your fast day cals had to be based on your TDEE. As I understand and read it both Michael and Mimi state that its 500 for women and 600 men. They infer that its to be around a 1/4 of your daily intake but don’t mention TDEE as the base for fast days.
I am surprised that this subject hasn’t come up before.
On page 41 of the M/MMs book The Diet in Practice,What do 500-600 calories look like, theres no mention of TDEE. Also a very telling point All the Menu Plans are for 500/600.
I feel several of our group are making it harder for themselves than it needs to be which also goes against the sprite of the diet.
Now to dinner,grilled chook and lots of veg followed by fat free yogurt with strawberries.
Thats 300 cals Hope you all had another successful day.
Cheers,
Tim.
Hi Pattience and Tarkeeth
I’ve just gotten this information direct from the website, but it is in the book too:
You may have wondered how we came up with the recommendation that women have 500 calories and men have 600 calories on a Fast Day. We used the rule of thumb that women need 2000 calories and men need 2400 calories per day and on a Fast Day you should eat a quarter of a normal dayโs recommended calories. Some of you have also wondered exactly how many calories you should be eating on days when youโre not fasting.
TDEE is the number of calories burnt in a day scaling BMR to level of activity. This is the number of calories you need daily to maintain your current weight and is about the amount you should eat on the days youโre not fasting.
SO based on the information above my TDEE is the daily rate I should be aiming for on non fasting days and therefore on fasting days it should actually be a quarter of my TDEE which currently stands at 1436. If I eat 500 cal I am actually eating in excess of a third of my daily TDEE instead of a quarter. No wonder I haven’t really felt hungry at all, I’ve been eating too much!
Keep in mind too that your actual TDEE might be different to someone else that’s exactly the same age and weight as you depending on muscle composition and also just simply the way your body uses energy.
I found that even though I *should* be able to eat 2000 calories and not gain (or lose) weight, for me that number is actually far closer to 1500 calories a day. Any more than that and I tend to start gaining, albeit at a very slow rate. So even though I exercise regularly I will still gain weight when I consume less calories than the recommended to maintain. It’s because really all of these numbers are very hit and miss. You have to work out what works for you. It takes a bit of wrangling but eventually you find the balance point :).
Hi SH mates.
Regarding the discussion around 500/600cals or 25% of TDEE on fast days, 25% of mine is about 450C but I usually am nearer 500 and I continue to lose at roughly 1kg/month and have done since January this year. I am well past menopause and it’s certainly more difficult to shed the weight than when I was younger – in fact I didn’t know what a weight problem was until the ‘change’ arrived at about 50.
The answer is that if you want to lose faster then certainly be more stringent with calorie counting on both fast and non-fast days.
I’m at least as much interested in the health benefits of IF as weight loss and I’m in it forever. Without any pressing health issues, I can wait to get to goal more slowly and enjoy life without counting every calorie every day- that seems like hell. It would seriously impact on my daily life as I love food and cooking and my OH is skinny and fit. My way is sustainable for me in the long term.
We’re all different and have different priorities. There may be as many ways to follow the IF WOL as people practising it.
Keep up the good work everyone.
I agree with you Nicky,
I don’t get so intent on calorie counting that it stresses me out. I give myself some leeway, without getting too anxious about it all. I like the process and know that I’m in it for the long haul, so taking my time to lose those remaining kilos isn’t such a drama, it’s the change in my health now and into the future that I’m really thankful for!
It’s important to see the bigger picture, breathe, smile and focus on the positives….then do a little happy dance when life becomes just that little more easier and you’ve lost that double chin!
Be gentle and kind with yourselves, cheers!
HI all,
I believe the 1/4 TDEE figure arose form the alternate day fasting trials, when they were trying to find a figure that was acceptable to the subjects and sustainable over the long term, whilst still giving the benefits of a fast.
For my body 2000 calories is overeating, and until I started 5:2 and really looked at TDEE estimates for my body, I never really “got it” that I can’t have regular size meals all the time, because I’m not a regular size person – and I certainly don’t burn the excess off with exercise. I’m learning to feed the body I have. This also helps me understand why other eating plans haven’t worked for me – the calorie count is too high for there to be an energy deficit for weight loss. While others have a metabolism which readily burns the calories, alas, mine is not one of them.
The 500/600 figure is a general guide based on the TDEE of an average man/woman. For most, it’ll work. Others will need to experiment what works for them.
Re my sugar free crumble for apple crumble, i’ve just made an important realisation.
Simple sprinkling seeds and nuts over the stewed fruit and yoghurt is yummier than the crumble. So i probably won’t bother with making this again once i’ve chowed through this lot.
and its pretty clear why simply seeds and nuts are yummier. There is more flavour in seeds and nuts than there is in flour, oats, and butter which make up the bulk of the recipe i made. And there is not enough dried fruit to compensate for the lack of sugar. I could simply increase the quantity of dried fruit somewhat.
Of course i could play around more with the recipe but having noticed when i put straight seeds on my yoghurt and fruit an extra mysterious sweetness shows up, it seems that this is simply yummy enough without the extra effort of cooking.
Of course i could feed my crumble to guests just to show off what i can do in the kitchen but then by the time i need to show off, i will have developed something even better to serve them.
I seriously can NOT stop eating today. And it’s junk too. Half a bag of Cadbury chocolate drops, half a bag of white chocolate and licorice, takoyaki for lunch with mayonnaise and bbq sauce. Seriously. I’m FULL. I don’t need to eat and yet somehow I just can’t seem to stop myself. I started the day really well with a good healthy breakfast and yet somehow my brain won’t allow me to stick to normal eating.
I know this is pretty normal in the first few weeks of this wol but my gosh I can’t wait until it passes ๐
Kits your not alone, my unplanned intake on this non FD includes 2 pieces of fruit, handful of Almonds and Walnuts, slice of bread and butter and lathered with blackberry jam, 2nd cup coffee and milk and its just turning 5pm.
What is it but after a successful FD I seem to get hungry and as many others have said once you start eating its lift -off! A part from the BBJ the rest is healthy at least thats something.
Iv’e been on now for 2 months and reached my modest target but still get the ‘ Munchies ”
this is despite planning non FDs menus.
Anyone a cure for “Munichies”?
Pass me the chocolates please.
Tim.
Kits and Tarkeeth, I haven’t actually stuffed myself yet, except for clearing up the left overs at lunch time, but you should have seen the things I chucked into my shopping trolley today! Chips and lollies and biscuits – I don’t normally buy them all at the same time! I suspect that tonight when the kids are in bed I’ll suddenly go berserk. LOL
H
Aitchbee, go and chuck them out now. At least that’s my advice.
Well sorry Kits, i don’t know what to tell you. I used to be like that a lot – before i started my diet this year and well before i started 5:2 and i have not experienced it so far on 5:2 and i don’t plan to give in if i do feel the urge. I’ve got to avoid it.
I have had it with binging and lollies and stuff. Once i start i can’t stop and with me, my diet would be over and i’d be fat again in about 2 days. Yep i do put weight on fast.
Things that i think trigger a desire for those sorts of foods:
lack of sleep, tiredness
depression, stress, anxiety
rapid weightloss
hunger – so avoid getting too hungry by eating something else that’s not so bad before it gets out of hand and avoid hunger by eating slow energy release foods.
eating too many carbs – some carbs make you just want more so avoid them or limit them severely.
low seratonin levels -if you don’t know what i’m talking about read an article about it on nutritionwonderland.com
if you do get this hunger for bad carbs head it off as best you can by eating a good amount of other nutritious foods first and chuck all the junk food out even if it means you’re throwing away money.
So just to remind you about my experience. I am habitual binger but this year i decided enough was enough. i was sick of being fat and i was sick of losing weight only to put it back on again. Usually that happens because i start eating lollies etc again and things tend to get out hand always so i’ve quit. Forever. I only have sweets in very restricted and low risk circumstances but its my daily mental commitment that keeps it going. Without that i’d be subject to any passing whim just like anyone else.
This year i’ve had a couple of times when i started to want to eat in a bingy way. One was just the other night and triggered by a second glass of wine late at night on a fast night. But i got over it before i did any real damage by eating a bowl of unsweeteend porridge will filled me up. I hadn’t been eating sweet things anyway just fruit and marscapone.
Earlier on in the year i had stress. I rang lifeline. And had a glass of wine altering “binging” on a big carrot, and then i could go to bed. And soon after i went to see a councillor which helped and i started to tackle the problem of the day. If you’ve got stress and no other way to get relief, go see a councillor.
I haven’t had any other episodes and its because i stay away from refined carbs most of the time and sugars (sweet foods) all of the time. I’ve done my best to avoid getting hungry even on fast days. The best remedy for me if i am hungry is to eat or to go to bed with a book if its night time. Sleep or change activities if its day time. But i try to eat so that my food lasts me a long time before it runs out of energy to release.
This is my first post and my first day on this programme. I have ordered the books but decided to start today with a fast day. I have read some of your posts and thought … start now don’t wait. I have kept busy all day but am feeling hungry now.
How do you all get rid of the habit of eating after the evening meal. I have to break the eating in the evening. Any tips please.
I keep thinking about tomorrow. Maybe I should go to bed but I know that I will want to get up and raid the cupboard during the night. How long does it take before these bad habit are broken?
Good on you Annie ๐
Have a big drink of water or a black tea or coffee…clean your teeth and go to bed.
You’ll be amazed how you will not be hungry in the morning.
Remember, man evolved to be alert to be able to find food when hungry, so you will be more alert than normal tonight, but you CAN survive!
Next fast day, try saving most of your calories until evening to stave off the hunger. Resist….you will be proud of yourself tomorrow and your body will thank you!
All the best PVE
I don’t know if coffee is the best advice just before bed. but anyway go to bed and don’t assume you will wake up.
Do a little meditation to relax yourself and then continue when you are lying down. I need to go to bed too. My fast day is tomorrow but i haven’t eaten anything since about 4.30.
Postive self talk Annie. Use that. Talk yourself into things and tell yourself its easy and you are enjoying it blah blah.
If you can’t fend off the hunger just eat something and let it go. Try again next time. Don’t punish yourself if you do give in. In the grand scheme of things its really not a big deal. Just keep trying.
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12:11 am
27 Aug 14