Hi all

So far so good with 5:2. I do like Michael Moseley a lot for his TV work and the book reinforces the sense of a decent, scientific likeable person. I am not someone who has really dieted before and over the years my weight has crept up. I eat healthily and enjoy wine and beer and in the past I have dropped the booze expecting to see a difference and it hasn’t had a noticeable effect.

I have also tried lots of exercise over the years to some limited effect but that is not an available option right now as I am in the middle of a bit of a health challenge of low SPO2 (blood oxygen levels). This has gone on from January and is still happening and means I have very limited stamina, slight hills are challenging when before Xmas I could easily row 10km at pace on my rowing machine.

Apparently I have a genetic defect called Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency which means I have reduced levels of an important hormone that protects the lungs, and I have lung damage in both lungs so I may have to get used to this!

I decided that if I lost weight this would be a positive thing that probably would help and couldn’t really hurt so am doing 5:2 as of last week. I have done 2 fast days so far and in a strange way kind of enjoyed them. Day 2 was easier than day 1 though I did get some feelings of nausea later in the afternoon. Supper was lovely though and doing 400 calorie tasty meals in summer seems pretty good so far.

Other interesting side effects are a better appreciation of what a portion size should be and also how many calories are in different foods. I am finding I am eating smaller portions on non-fast days and feeling satisfied, and making consciously healthier choices without effort already. I know I am in the honeymoon period but still, this feels very doable!

One other thing thats a bit weird. I am on three different BP medications and recently I have been feeling light headed during the day a bit due to my BP being a little low. We’ll yesterday and today its a lot low, as in 100/63 so I have dropped one of my medications pending a discussion with the doctor. No idea if fasting has anything to do with this. Faster dispersion of pills if gut is empty? Whatever, less drugs for a good BP is a good outcome and I am hopeful that as my weight reduces my need for medication will drop too.

Anyway, enough of all that. I hope you are all having a wonderful summers day and enjoying your fasting!!

I am absolutely persuaded though that

Thanks for the links. I can imagine this is a diet that works indefinitely. The fact you can eat what you like for 5 days is a big plus rather than little or no bread/carbs for ever makes it workable. I am already finding I am making better choices on my 5 days and also the portion size for a filling meal is already smaller. We will see but so far so good!