I don’t have the problem, but on non-fast days wine & TV works for me every time.
This topic contains 7,289 replies, has 660 voices, and was last updated by Opal Shine 9 months, 4 weeks ago.
@sharatl. I am full of admiration for what you have achieved, but most especially for your discipline I keeping your resolution to only weigh in every four months. Having the willpower to do that, I’m not surprised you have been so successful with this regime and equally confident you will let go of those last ten pounds.
Hello from Baltimore, MD, USA! I have loved reading posts this week here inside the “polar vortex.” It has been a bit chilly. I was able to do my first fast Monday and am doing my second one today. Monday I had an egg for breakfast, nothing for lunch and then a salad with chicken for dinner. It was under 500 cal., but someone told me I should try to have nothing for 16 hours…is this true? It worked perfectly just the way I did it.
Last night I had 2 glasses of red wine with a salad that had lean ground beef. Also delish, and I mean delish gluten free chocolate cake…just three bites of my daughter’s!!!! Yummy!!
@heidihutch ….you will see time after time on these forums (and I’m going to shout it) – YOU DO THIS HOWEVER IT WORKS FOR YOU!!
Some people do 5:2; some do 4:3; some do ADF; some only eat in an eight hour ‘window’ (called 16:8); some people have 3 meals on fast days; others have one; yet others have water only.
So you see – there are no hard and fast rules, no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way. It’s ‘right’ if it’s the best way for you. It may take a few fast days to find YOUR way but that’s what it is ..YOUR way.
Just go for it! You’re doing fine so far.
Keep on keeping on x
@heidihutch…..apologies if you thought I was ‘shouting’ at you personally 🙂
I wasn’t …but I keep seeing posts that say ‘someone told me I should…..’ or I’ve been to told I must…..’
It’s interesting when people say ‘this is what I do and it works for me’ because if you hit a plateau or you’re not losing as much as you’d like it can give you new ideas to try but there’s no ‘should’ or ‘must’ just because it works for someone else.
Unlike all these other ‘diets (how I hate that word) that give you lists of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, it’s a personal life plan not a ‘one size fits all’.
Hi, Anto58–thank you for your supportive comments but I have to clarify that I’m not nearly so disciplined as to stay off the scale for 4 months at a time; the curiosity would kill me! have a weekly weigh-in every Tuesday morning & record my progress then, but I also take a peek several times a week to see which direction things are going. I know that some people don’t want to be so tied to the scale but I’ve found that frequent check-ins are very motivating. I look at it as impartial feedback & I can monitor and adjust my choices according to what the numbers say and how I feel. And that 4 month weigh-in was more to tally my total weight loss and measurements after a good long stint on the 5:2. That’s one of the things I like best about this plan; everyone on it seems to find what works best for them in terms of fasting practices, exercise and monitoring progress–there’s no one ‘right’ way to do it. And yet, results ensue! Good luck to all today, fasting or not.
@vicki ….I remember shopping in Yeltuor when it first opened, I was (mis)spending time in Tassie at that point. Glad to hear it’s still going strong. Congratulations on the smaller trousers! It’s good feeling.
I have just done another purge on my wardrobe resulting in yet another bag of stuff for the charity shop. The worst part is that there a some pairs of size 14 jeans in there which are nearly new, I’ve bought some cheap size 12 to be going on with, and my lovely red coat!! I hated parting with it as I loved that coat, although it is about 8 years old now and nearly wraps around me twice!! Ah well some larger lady can have it and Cancer Research will have a few £££s 🙂
I was given a load of ‘Love to Shop’ vouchers at xmas so I am saving them for when I reach my target and then – look out shops, here I come
Hi heidihutch! I agree with Sylvestra – do what works for you. I was not the someone who told you to try not eating for 16 hours, but I thought I would explain why I do 16:8 and why it works for me.
I used to feel I had to eat something – anything – before bedtime to help me sleep, even if only a small cup of yogurt. I also used to eat breakfast every day because I thought I should.
What I realized when I started fasting was that first of all, eating or not eating before bedtime does not affect my sleep in any way.
Secondly, I knew that for most of my life I felt very hungry an hour or two after eating breakfast. When I skipped breakfast I didn’t get hungry until 10 or 11 am.
So on most days, I stop eating after my evening meal, and don’t eat again until later the next morning. Thus, I fast for 16 hours most days, and eat during the remaining 8 hours.
I have never felt better and love to do this on both FD and NFD. I am flexible of course – I’m having breakfast with friends this Saturday and next, and I’m looking forward to that.
You are doing great heidihutch. Best wishes to you. Keep checking in and asking questions.
@Markie ….. I was reading your post and I’ve just realised that most days I do 16:8 without thinking about it! Who’da thought!!! 😀
I used to make sure I had breakfast, usually carbs in some form but, as on FD, I find that when I start eating I want to keep on. Now I don’t eat until about 1pm, usually a filling soup and a yogurt, and then have my main meal around 6pm. I have a rice cake, a Kallo chocolate one, or a cracker with cheese or homemade smoked salmon pate, or fruit in the afternoon and the same around 8.30 if I feel peckish (or have the munchies!)
Hi All.
Pfffft well my pre weigh optimism was misplaced. Not an ounce lost 🙁 and I’ve truthfully stuck to it. I’m very surprised as I was certain something was happening. My clothes are definitely not quite as snug. Snug being a euphemism for tight!
Anyway, I haven’t fallen off the wagon and tomorrow will be my 3rd fast day.I’ll be having my breakfast for my lunch which will be porridge made with almond milk (different but better than water) and then for my evening meal I’m going to have a couple of scrambled eggs with a slice of wholemeal toast.
That’ll leave me enough room for an emergency apple!
Hop everyone is doing better than me 🙂
@l1nda …it’s early days and this happens with some people BUT your clothes are less ‘snug’ so something good is happening!
I love almond milk with my porridge – I make it with water and our the milk over.
keep on keeping on!!!! x
Thanks for the encouragement. I’ve just been scrolling though another forum and it seems it’s not uncommon not to lose.
I won’t be giving up and have today resisted the offer of a chocolate hobnob! In all honesty I had to refuse or I’d have eaten the lot!
I won’t give up though. I feel so much better even though I’ve only done one week and I can only put it down to 5:2. It’s made me so much more aware of what I’m eating.
Tomorrow is my fast day so I’ll drag myself off to the gym on my way to work and hold off having my breakfast until probably one o’clock (ish). That’ll be 18 hours since my last meal today.
Take care x
@sylvestra, love that you are doing 16:8 instinctively if not with thought :). I think you are listening so well to your body and giving it what it needs, when it needs it.
@L1inda, I hope you stay optimistic. You might read the terrific thread started by annette52. Search for “If your clothes are looser but the scales are the same”. You are doing so well – on your third fast day, continuing to be committed to 5:2. You will have success – let us know how you are doing.
Planning to fast tomorrow. Have had a great NFD today. Our weather is a little warmer (somehow 15 degrees F now feels so comfortable, lol) and I’ve had a busy off day today running errands and not thinking about food too much. On one of my stops, someone complimented me on my cowboy boots. I worried that I was too “of a certain age” to wear cowboy boots, but feel so wonderful when I wear them. The compliment really made my day. I’m going to try to be better at complimenting people I meet, when appropriate, to try to spread that good feeling around.
Good luck to all the awesome LOACA – fasters and non-fasters as well!!
P.S. Finally entered a profile introduction. I feel like I belong now, lol.
In answer to loretta 1 (who asked, “What is amp?”), “amp” is simply the symbol for “and”(that is, “&”) which is called an “ampersand”. It is just a computer glitch when the HTML doesn’t translate the symbol properly, usually in emails or text messages. I get your posts by email throughout the day on my Android phone (mobile / cell)and “&” comes up all the time. For instance, yesterday sharATL’s comment about losing “5 inches from my waist & 3 from my bust” came up on my phone email as “waist amp; 3 from my bust”, so the phone obviously didn’t process the symbol for “and” (&). When I use the desktop computer with its large monitor of an afternoon (like now), I can read all of your comments without any problems.
First weigh-in this morning after a 4:3 week attempting to lose the 5lbs I put on over Christmas……success!! Woo-hoo!
So, that’s almost a year now and managed to take off 38lbs altogether, with a little blip here and there! I’m 58 tomorrow, so it just goes to prove you’re never too old to give weight loss a go! Mind you, there will be G&T’s tomorrow along with a little cake! Yum!
Will be back on 5:2 next week…..only another 22 lbs to go!
Hi,
I’m 55 and started the 5:2 last April and lost 12 lbs in the first 12 weeks and pretty much nothing since. I had 2 weeks off for a holiday and 2 weeks off at Christmas but always lose the gains very quickly. I’m over 2 years post menopause now and haven’t had any trouble losing the weight or sticking to this new lifestyle but now I’ve obviously stabilised when I could do with losing another 5-7 lbs. I hope to walk more when the weather cheers up and the garden needs attacking; I’m keeping stable so not at all unhappy and can wear all the clothes I had put aside. I’m 5′ 5″ and always attacked my weight when I nudged 11 stone, (this now seems incredibly overweight) but this is the best change I have ever made and I don’t intend to give it up. If I lose a little more this year I will be really impressed; I have 4 colleagues hooked on this now and they can’t believe how easy it is; you’re never more than 24 hrs away from a ‘normal’ day.
I’ve been vegetarian for 37 years and find that a good veg, bean and grain casserole fits the bill nicely on a fast day with a low cal soup and fruit for lunch.
As far as PMT and the menopause goes, I never really suffered PMT but had a dreadful and weird three years going through the menopause, glad it all seems to be abating. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the IBS went within the first week of fasting. Hooray!
Thanks. I feel a bit better every day, but I have no energy at all. I come home from work and sleep. I am way behind on my training but will have to leave it another week I think. My priority is to get well first.I cannot believe that it has almost been a year since I started this way of life….or that my body and attitude have changed so very much. Extraordinary!
Well! I took a bag of clothes that are now too big for me into the charity shop today …but didn’t come out empty handed.
A beautiful ‘Klass’ leather look jacket in perfect condition and a MUCH smaller size than I would have needed last year which fits absolutely perfectly and makes me look quite trim….for £5!!!!! BARGAIN!!
Congrats sylvestra! How fun! I’m sure you look super in your new, chic, small-sized jacket! And what a bargain!
As for me, I’m comfortably wearing a pair of beige slacks I haven’t been wearing for the past 5 years! I haven’t had the heart to give them away as I like them so much and have wanted to get back into them again and I have!
Yippee!
Hey Lovely ladies,
I just wanted to thank whoever said they were watching Dr Jason Fung video’s on Youtube – I’ve really been enjoying them. Dr Fung’s theory is that insulin sensitivity leads to obesity (not eating too much) and that fasting reduces insulin sensitivity without the usual slowing down of your metabolic rate that occurs when you simply reduce calories by the same amount each day.
So anyway what interested me – is other studies that say diabetic women have trouble controlling their blood sugar in the last half of their cycle because there is reduced sensitivity to insulin. And then there are also studies showing the reduction of PCOS symptoms in women when they lower their insulin sensitivity which means the relationship works the other way too.
Sorry about the geeky post, but the conclusion I’ve reached is that if the hormones that make you cycle, or not, affect insulin sensitivity then no wonder we get thicker around the middle and develop type 2 diabetes around menopause.
I’m excited (because I’m a geek) and because my struggle to prevent weight piling on is not just a figment of my nuttines – and if Doc Fung is right then I have a way of changing the ‘inevitable’ outcome.
Hi Heidi. As MM et al, say it’s what fits for you. Don’t be afraid to try. Be sceptical, play with it, experiment.I was, and did play.
You can have your cake, chocolate, and wine. In fact, I feel better able to fast or reduce calorie intake after enjoying the freedom and pleasure of any food. Do it your way. Best wishes.
You ladies inspired me to sort through my wardrobe this afternoon and fill 2 bags for charity. I have lost 7 kg in total since the first week in November and am now down a dress size (an 18) – aiming for a size 10 by this time next year. Today’s loss for the week (Saturday today in Australia) was 1.4 kg, which was a big surprise, as I had a cafe lunch on Tuesday of beer-battered fish with chips (I couldn’t eat it all,though) and I have been eating a lot of fruit this week in our hot summer weather. I never used to be a fruit eater in the past, but now I crave paw paw, cherries and watermelon. As tbarnes says, you can enjoy your favourite foods in moderation on non-fast days and never feel deprived.
Great week! As of yesterday, I lost 3.1 pounds! However, went out to dinner last night and ate bread, pasta, cappuccino Tartufo and red wine! Yikes. I am so impatient with myself… Everyone here is so inspiring and the support is great! It’s interesting how a night of carb indulgence makes me way hungrier the next morning.
well done @heidihutch I bet you enjoyed your dinner too….and why not!!
@hermaj …definitely a fiver well spent! The jacket I thought was just ‘leather look’ is actually real leather!! I really should learn to read labels, Just as well I’m not anti leather goods 😀
@gomarg …when you take your bags to the charity shop make sure you have a good look round ….who knows what you might find 😀
I am that lady of a certain age. Do very much like the 5:2 eating plan! Husband is also on it. I began last Aug 12 (2013) I have lost 15 lbs. I have shrunk 2 1/2 -3 pant sizes. Have been loosing fat. Unfortunately didn’t measure. For the same reason others express: this is so easy. I am never more than 24 hrs until a normal eating day! I am not obsessing with food. Happy to be eating better. I don’t seem to be able to convince many this is a great idea. Two of my friends are trying it. I don’t know that either are loosing though. Reading other posts I must get into closet and sort out the items now to large and take them to charity shops.Ü what a good feeling. I am convinced this is a great eating plan.
So far as other health benefits: don’t have so much swelling in finger joints.
I started 5:2 in November and am slowly making progress. Won’t weight myself until end of January ’cause, like Michael says in his exercise book: all I have to do is measure my waistline….I have a fair ways to go.
I’m so happy to hear that some, such as you Pea Jay, are just blowing through your fast days. Good on ya….not me, well, at least not yesterday. The day went pretty easily but at night I thought I was going to find a barn door to tear off and eat! Drank water, drank zero cal tea, thought of God and Country–nothing– I was hungry and my adrenaline kicked in so I was not ready to sleep until quite late.
Today’s a new day. I’m watching my calories, keeping track so I don’t go over the recommended 10-12cal per pound of body weight, thus, keeping me between 1750-2000.
Feeling better knowing I’ll be able to get a better night’s sleep tonight, will probably need to do more exercise on my fast days so I can be tired at night.
Thank you ladies….keeping on….
Hi Applecrisp
Yes I did the low GL diet for 6 months and got down to 129 lbs which is less than I am now 😉 it does work but for me I got a bit bored with oatcakes and pumpernickel and he does believe in snacks. I remember what the lowest GL foods are though and still mostly choose them when being careful. He is also in the lowish fat school which I have turned my back on now.
Cheers
Barbara
Hello LOACA’s, although I think of you all as LLOACA’s, that is ‘Lovely Ladies of a certain age’, you are all so kind and supportive to each other. I am 55, from Dublin, Ireland and have been following the 5:2 way of life since August 2012, inspired by the original BBC documentary’Eat, fast and live longer”. I originally embarked on it in the hope of increasing general health outlook, with weight loss an added bonus(hopefully). I did weigh myself before i started, but like a few others here , I dont have weighing scales at home to avoid the ‘tyranny of the scales’ as another poster put it. Four months on I finally weighed myself and I had lost 16 pounds- less than a pound a week but more importantly the lightest I had been in 14 years! The 5:2 made it easy to maintain. My BMI is now just under that crucial 25. I have taken a week or two break a couple of times for holidays and easily slotted back into it. Untill this December, when flu followed by Xmas etc took me ‘off the wagon’ for the month. To get me back on course I watched the video again(it’s still online if anyone wants to see it) and then flicked through a few forums, thus dicovering you guys, and what an inspiration you all are! Best of luck to you all for 2014
Barbarita, Thanks for your comments, I have not heard of anyone on it. In your opinion should I give it a go as I have about 75lbs. or 34kg which seems like soo much. I am overwhelmed and there is a fasting component to this diet.
Again thank you for your prompt answer and as always the suppotive environment
Hi Applecrisp
The GL diet is no faster than 5:2 (people should be told, it’s the Fast diet, not the Quick diet!) so after the initial larger weight loss which you get on many diets you can expect no more than 1 – 2 lbs a week, that is about the same as 5:2. Unfortunately, if you do both at the same time it doesn’t give you a weight loss of 2 – 4 lbs alas!
There are health benefits in choosing low-GI or low-GL foods e.g. blueberries rather than grapes, because these foods do not raise insulin as much as the others.
Barbara
That sounds much easier than it actually was: I can still remember how nervous I was starting out- how was I going through a day on so little? I had never tried fasting or very low calorie before, and found it tough for the first few weeks, with headaches, crankiness and lack of energy on my fasting days. I pity my poor family! I had to get out of the house, often to the cinema, just to get through those hungry evenings. After that initial period my system seemed to adjust and the negative symptoms disappeared. Instead I seem to be able to manage my hungry days with a combination of lentil soup, herb teas and promises of my good breakfast the next day, and my energy levels increased. So hang in there Nubies, this is a great way to get in control of your eating and your weight, and hopefully you should increase the chance of long term good health.
Hi Applecrisp: you have a big challenge ahead, but I hope you decide to give the 5:2 a go. Could I suggest you watch the video- google ‘Eat, Fast and Live Longer’ it is a fascinating documentary on the latest research on diet and long term health, and will introduce you to the lovely Dr Michael Mosely. It explains the science behind the Fast Diet and the health benefits.
The fasting in 5:2 takes some determination for those two days, but you do not starve as you can eat a small amount, and you can be more relaxed on the other 5 days.
I don’t want a “quick”diet at all, I just want one that works for me and my problems. They include insulin resitance and Arenal Fatigue. I just found out I don’t do well with the homones and am relying on diet. Thanks Nicky, you are right I have to be patient.
I know I won’t starve and there is a good bit of science behind as well as all the success on this board. I plan to use The GL
diet with the 5:2. As others have said reducing carbs help. I just wanted anyone’s opinion on this diet but it may just be too restrictive which does not lead to success.
I have done 3 fast days and have survived. But I am well aware no diet is ‘quick’.
What a wonderful group of determined ladies!!
@oceanblue, @nickyb, @applecrisp, @pea Jay, @barbarita and all the rest that I have already met, you have the most amazing attitudes.
I so agree that progress does not have to be quick, just moving in the right direction, no matter how slowly. As LLOACA (I like the extra L NickyB) this is a good thing to keep in mind. When I was younger I hardly thought about my weight, ate fairly mindlessly and was very slender. My high of 155 pounds was tough for me because I just didn’t feel comfortable in my body and I wanted the extra weight gone fast.
Now that I am approaching my goal of 135 (still 6 pounds to go) I find I am more patient and willing to follow this WOE no matter how long it takes. I just want to keep moving forward.
Tomorrow is a NFD as was today. Looking forward (as I always do, oddly) to my fast days of Monday and Thursday next week. Good luck to all!
Thanks for answering my silly ‘amp’ question, Gomarg- I thought it was another of those abbreviations like BMI & TDEE etc- all the other LOACAs seem to be measuring, weighing, testing blood etc…..I rely on on my tape measure , my mirror and my critical fashion designer’s eye!
And as for your losing 7k since the beginning of November- I congratulate you but how is that possible? My weigh-ins are very infrequent, but I haven’t lost more than 3 k in 4 months- and my goals are modest- I only want to get below 60k from my current 63ish-and lose a bit more from my waist- I am so jealous!
Somebody commented after one of my posts that my work (TV Costume designer) sounded interesting- only up to a point- there is little creativity involved, especially compared to the Fashion industry. (which I obviously miss). This is because, for most shows which are set in the present day, we usually just go out and buy stuff according to the budget and alter if necessary- very little is actually designed & made from scratch- and for period costume shows you are usually trying to copy something from a photo, painting etc. Add to that the absurdly long hours, cold & wet /hot & dry locations, poor pay, no permanent jobs etc… it’s not that good!
Good luck to all, especially in the Northern winter- I’m hoping to be doing 6/1 by the time it gets cold here!
@earlybird199 I don’t think your height will have any effect on your success with weight loss – I’ve never heard this to be the case. The only thing it will affect is your BMR and TDEE.
Good luck and do tell us about your progress x
Reading through all these posts and i recalled two things from Weight Watchers that have stuck with me- 1) You have to eat to lose weight and 2) If you’re stuck on a plateau try changing your foods. We often just stick with the foods we’re used to and that we like, I find eating different vegetables can help if you’re stuck on a plateau. I’m 60 years old and post menopausal- I had gastric banding about 6 years ago and lost 15 kgs. without too much effort but after that no matter how well I ate and how much I exercised I found it impossible to shift any more weight. The important thing to remember is that the band is just a tool and not a miracle cure. I’m glad I had it as I feel it still serves it’s purpose as there is still a limit to the amount of food I can eat. I started 5:2 about 2 months ago and have lost 8.5kgs. I work out for 60-90 minutes about 6 days a week, thank goodness I’m enjoying it because I doubt I could have lost the weight otherwise. I think we really have to up the amount of aerobic exercise we’re doing as we get older. Walking is OK but you have to really get your heart rate up to reap a lot of benefit. I did have a plateau that lasted 2 weeks and that was when I started incorporating different veges and that seemed to do the trick. I still have to be very careful of what I eat on non-fasting days, I’ve pretty much eliminated bread, potatoes, rice and pasta from my diet. I do have 1-2 slices multigrain toast occasionally. I think 5:2 is a healthy and maintainable eating plan and I hope to lose another 8kgs.
Well done with your impressive weight loss, sassafras. I should imagine that the gastric banding demands that you have small portion sizes. I have also nearly eliminated potatoes from my diet, only have one slice of wholemeal/multigrain bread a day, but I still have rice and pasta occasionally. I walk 5 days a week (15 km in total) and find that fast walking, with some hills en route, is still good for my aerobic fitness. I also “ride” the exercise bike 2-3 times a week for 20 minutes a time. I pedal at 60 rpm for 5 minutes, go as fast as I can for 20 seconds to get my heart-rate up, go at 60 rpm for another 5 minutes, etc., so I am doing my own modest version of rapid interval training. I sympathise with my fellow “shortie”, earlybird199. I’m a bit taller than you at 5’4″ (163 cm), but I know it is difficult to carry any excess weight when you are vertically challenged. Like you, loretta1, I rely on my tape measure (and scales) as well. I try to avoid any further mathematical
challenges. When I first started writing posts on the “Southern Hemispherites”
forum, I couldn’t figure out how people were writing such long posts when I seemed to be confined to a little box space. I was clicking the side arrow instead of just pressing “enter”! I also think I should be the one who is jealous of you, loretta1. I can only dream of being 63 kg, as I am currently
86 kg, having started the 5:2 fast plan at 93 kg. The heavier one is, the more weight one seems to lose in the first few weeks. Like Applecrisp, I had about 33-34 kg to lose, and with about 26 kg to go now, it still seems a long way to ride that wagon on the long trail to my goal weight.
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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.
9:33 am
9 Jan 14