Hi from another newbie (but not to attempts to losing weight!)

This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Kay65 8 years, 6 months ago.

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Kay65

2:11 am
29 May 16
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Hi everyone!

Im 51, living in the UK, and currently weigh just over 11 stone (urgh thats bad when I put it in black and white) and want to get down to about 9 and a half stone.
Not much in the scheme of things but more than enough to make a difference!

I have always struggled with my weight and self control but this is the heaviest I have ever been. At my lowest I was just under 8 and a half stone but that was 16 years ago and I was a keen runner then!
So Im not expecting or wanting to get back down there, but at 5ft 4 I think my goal is realistic.

My personal history is full of diets and I am from the low fat diet era but I have put that firmly behind me!
Now I try to eat less sugar and processed foods and as a non-meat eater my daily diet is predominantly fish, dairy and veg based. I have a good understanding of nutrition and science. However Im no angel as I wouldnt be here starting yet again!

A few years ago I tried the Dukan diet and yes I lost weight but it wasnt sustainable and the weight went back on, plus a bit. Then I tried the 5:2 diet for the first time and got on with it ok, lost weight but then didnt change my lifestyle so obviously put the weight back on, plus some again. More recently I tried the Harcombe diet and read everything available about it and yes initially lost weight again but struggled to constantly separate carbs and fats so yep back on the weight went.

So here I am again….I think this is the more achievable plan for me to maintain, but this time, I need to see this as a long term plan. Once I got into the 5:2 regime I didnt struggle with the restricted calorie days – I never did full fasts – Im still not sold on the extra benefits. I believe its important to eat your TDEE on the remaining 5 days as I dont want to fall into the very low calorie intake over 7 days as I dont think thats good for weight loss in the long term.
On the exercise side I currently do very little. Ive not run in 6 months so apart from the short dog walks and usual house chores etc I do nothing. I have set my activity as sedentary but will adjust it WHEN (not if) I start being more active again.

Im inspired after reading things on here but it is going to be hard to start right now as Im visiting family for a week and catching up with people Ive not seen in over a year, but I can be mindful of things Ive read and try!

Oh yes and my 2 downfalls every time……snacking on cheese and crackers and …..alcohol!!

I dont know if anyone reads these newbie posts but its helped me to get focused and maybe I will get to talk to people on other parts of the forum!

Kay

bigbooty

4:56 am
29 May 16
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I know that most that do 5:2 do not do zero cals on their fast days. I do and trust me the benefits are there BIG TIME. Blood sugars have come down and mine are 4.5mmol/L average down from low 6’s. Sleep better, no reflux. But of course how you do 5:2 is up to you. No simple carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. NO SUGAR. Read labels real careful. Have your crackers and cheese WITHOUT the crackers. That’s whats killing you, not the cheese. I might have a glass of alcohol per week, how much are you currently having? EVERY glass you have goes straight to your liver and is processed and stored as fat. Go for a one hour gentle walk with the dog every day.

Its not a diet, don’t treat it like a diet. Once you reach your goal weight it then becomes 6:1. Its a life long journey not a destination.

It works, just give it a genuine try.

Kay65

8:22 pm
29 May 16
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Thanks bigbooty 🙂

Ive managed a reduced calorie day today. Im currently at 400 cals, in 1 meal so fasted all day, and another 100 to eat!
Once Ive cracked a few 500 cal fast days I’ll try a complete fast I think, but not just yet.

Yep no crackers or added sugars etc and a limit on the alcohol 🙂

I usually cook from scratch anyway, with raw ingredients so my main meals are generally good, so if I can solve the rest, it will go well!!

bigbooty

1:47 am
30 May 16
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Most people find zero cals hard, my wife has tried a couple of times and she gets to 3pm and caves in and ends up eating more than she would have normally. So its not for every one. Personally after counting calories for two weeks when I started 5:2 I couldn’t be bothered counting any more so decided to just make then zero cal fasts. I actually found it easier than limiting myself to 500/600 cals.

Im not a vegetarian (my wife is) and even she thinks Im weird but most of the time I have my veggies raw. A big bowl of them finely chopped up. Celery, zucchini, cucumber, capsicum, eggplant, (sometimes carrots), broccoli, cauliflower, anything you like really. Some tofu, or chicken or tuna and some squares of your favourite cheese. A splash of apple cider vinegar and whatever low sugar dressing you want.

This will keep you full for hours and very low cal. You may suffer from headaches initially, this is normal as your liver will be very lazy at converting fats into energy when there is a drop off of glucose to power you. This will take about a month to get better. Drink lots of water as well, it will help.

Kay65

12:51 pm
11 Jun 16
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Hi all,
I just wanted to add a quick update on where I am within my first week. Today is day 5 so over half way and Ive been reading lots of posts on this website, sifting through info on the website and finding some FB groups for support.
Heres how my week has panned out so far:
Day 1 (Tues) Diet day – consumed just over 400 cals.
Day 2 (Wed) Normal day – consumed 1546 (TDEE is 1569)
Day 3 (Thu) Normal day – consumed 1380
Day 4 (Fri) Fast day – only herb tea, black coffee and water
Day 5 (today) I will have fasted since Thur evening which is roughly 36hrs and will be a TDEE day as will be tomorrow.
Monday will be day 7 and I was going to do another fast day while I feel motivated but Ive just realised that Im giving blood so it will need to be either a TDEE or at least a diet day!

I have my activity level set at sedentary at the moment but these last few days have been doing a fair few hours of gardening every day so my TDEE is probably higher than its set at, but thats ok, as thats more cals expended over the week.

For week 2, I am going to work out my TDEE based on my goal weight rather than current weight and gauge activity somewhere between sedentary and light activity as Im now more active and have finally got back into cycling. My new TDEE will be 1600 so not a great difference and as I got on with my complete fast absolutely fine, I will do that once a week, with my other diet day around 400 cals. I’ll do this for a month and then review things I think.

I’d welcome any observations or suggestions as to whether Im approaching this in the right way 🙂
Kay