14 weeks, 12kg (26 pounds) and 2 dress sizes! Definitely seeing this as a long term way of life, hopefully backing off to 1 day a week when I reach my goal weight ( another 10kg to go)

I’ve been doing this since the 1st week of August 2012 (the week the documentary first aired in the UK). So far I’ve lost 3 stone> (can’t be absolutely exact as I never took a start reading – that’s about 42lb).

As others have said I have plateaued a couple of times (weight wise) but have continued to lose inches etc. and as soon as I tweak the pattern a bit it seems to kick off the weight loss again. This is a long-term thing for me, I don’t intend to “eat normally” ever again as I find my current pattern really easy and comfortable to do.

Hi All I’m doing 4:3 simply because I’ve loads of weight to get rid of.
Have been on this WOL/WOE for. 20 weeks now
I’ve lost 30 lbs
Dropped. 3 sizes in clothing
And down a group on my BMI starting at M/obese
I’ve taken almost all my clothes to charity shops and bought a new. ”Interim ”
Wardrobe and when I’ve dropped another 3 sizes they can also go to charity
because I will never look back on this so called diet it has completely changed my life, I walk on all my 3 fast days started at 2 ml and now do 3 x 6 mile walks this I quickly found out to act as a suppressant for me ( I can use all the help I can get)
Lucky for me I find fastdays easy mostly, I’ve set my ”goal ” considerably lower to see how I feel When I get there because I feel that at my age etc I’ll be happy with it, but I can always move the goalposts if I so wish. Having said that I’m amazed at the fat loss look I’m now seeing, truly unbelievable my shape has changed so much never before on ANY diet (and I’ve done them all ) have I seen such results.
Hope my story so far has helped to inspire someone out there. Sue

We are just starting our 6th week. Ive lost 7 lbs. Husband about 4 lbs. Finding it easier and easier.

I started yesterday, so I’m sort of a 5:2 virgin, as it were.
🙂
I’m really looking forward to seeing the results though.

It is really good to see people doing so well. I know scientific statistics are important but it’s good to hear people’s own stories. It really keeps me going. Although comfy speaking in real life I’m a bit shy on a forum. Am loving this way of life, Have lost 17lbs in 7 weeks am enjoying being more active and have just started wearing my blue size 16s again. Feels good! I had been wearing my size 18 grey jeans for over a year (in between washes obviously)and am sick of the sight of them lol My 22 year old son is starting on 5:2 also as he sees the difference this is making to me. Thanks for keeping me going and being the hero in your own stories.

Been doing it for a year 🙂
http://www.the52dietplan.com/52-weeks-on-the-5-2-diet/

You can also get an idea of how long people have been doing it by checking out the forum stats here (see the pie chart for ‘length of time on diet’)
http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/tracker.php?p=stats

Ten weeks…minus 4 weeks on holiday…so actually this makes my 6th week on the diet. Will weigh in again this Saturday…but have lost an average of 2 pounds a week 🙂 And I love how you can drop it on holiday and enjoy yourself and then pick it right back up!

I have been on the 5:2 for 5 weeks using Monday and Friday as the fast days and have lost 17 lbs. so far so good.

I’ve been at it since August 7 2013. So closing in on a year now. I have lost almost 50 pounds. I was on a plateau these last 2 months – nothing moving!! So I started some of the HIT fast exercises and lost 4 pounds all at once. I feel like I can do this forever. I am on my 3rd set of clothing – and just shopping at charity shops for the interim. You have to realize as you lose weight you have to adjust your eating and fasting day calories. Especially if you have to lose a lot over a long period of time. Also the weight loss slows from the heady excitement of the first 3 months or so. Just don’t be discouraged.

I’ve been doing this for 4 weeks; as of today, I’ve lost 11 pounds….I’m not finding it as difficult as I thought it might be 🙂

Hi Arielle,

I think you raise a very good question and I think the answer is very personal, and it is really interesting to read what others have gone through. I would say that you should listen to your body and it will probably tell you what the right thing to do is. I started out on this to shed some unnecessary kilos but mainly for the longevity aspects having seen Mosley’s documentary (which I actually stumbled across by chance). I have fasted for 20 months now, 12 months of 5:2 and 8 months of 6:1. For me 5:2 felt unsustainable after those 12 months. I just felt instinctively that it was time to change regime – I felt drained and my body felt rather sluggish than refreshed after a day of fasting, which was the perfect opposite of how I initially felt on 5:2. I reached my weight goal relatively quickly (I only had a couple of kilos I really wanted to get rid of) so it kind of made sense. I had never been able to get rid of that extra weight with anything else I did but 5:2 was different. I therefore hung on until the end of the 12 months period, had my blood test which was really pleasing to see and then went on to 6:1. For me, 6:1 really feels sustainable and although I am not losing weight any more, there is the other aspect that many describe: although your weight may not continue to go down, you look clearly leaner. I do not understand how that could be 🙂 – but it is satisfying!

Hi Arielle. I began 5:2 the first day of Lent this year. Lost 12 pounds so far but even better than that, I’m exercising regularly like I used to, which is something I need to be committed to. I have 20 more pounds to lose, but not dwelling on numbers. It will come off, eventually, with my new lifestyle change. Good luck to you.

I started 5:2 in Feb 2013 when my weight got to 100.6 Kg. Generally I found it much less challenging that I expected having never really dieted. I stopped for 7 weeks in Dec/Jan whilst in Australia, but continued daily exercise and reached 86.5 Kg. Having then had a shoulder reconstruction in March which has severely curtailed my canoeing exercise, and my daughters and gran children staying from Australia, my weight slowly crept up to 93.9Kg 2 weeks ago. I did a crash fast, 4:3 last week and 3:4 this week, and was 88.5Kg last night. To me that is quite impressive, the comparative ease with which I was able to shed 5 kilos, much quicker than losing those 5Kg first time round. I am so used to fasting days, that for my partner and I it is a way of life, she is just on a holding fast as she has reached her preferred weight. We have combined 5:2 with a ban on alcohol on Mon thru Thurs, and regular exercise, I have taken up running as I can’t paddle at the moment, enough of a challenge at 63 but not going too badly. It is a way of eating that I would recommend to anyone