Day 0 – USA/GA

I am a 46 y/o male in northeast Georgia in the US, and have lost 59 lbs since January 2020, the overwhelming amount of which has been thanks to 5:2. My weight loss has slowed considerably, but after a long plateau, it is bumping slowly downward. I hope to continue downwards this month. My goal is to lose an additional 66 lbs to get to a mid-range healthy weight (although truthfully, if I get to the high end of “healthy”, I’ll be thrilled). I am also hoping to no longer be categorized as “obese” by the end of summer. This month, my goal is to get into the 210s. Good luck to everyone!

USA. June

Thank you, AT, for hosting! Count me in!

Day O. U.K.

First of all @at, thank you very much indeed for hosting this month, especially when it sounds like it will be a busy one with birthdays…

@susam_dormi : WELCOME!!

Just a quick intro!

So I have done fasting and 5:2 since around 2014, I can’t quite remember exactly when I started. I have found it an incredibly successful way to lose and/or maintain weight.

Last year due to Long Covid I ended up putting on around one stone, so I have been gradually losing that since January

I am now 3 lb off my goal weight!

Last month I was on a plateau for much of the month and then suddenly at the end I lost over 3Lbs pretty much in one day!

My strategy is this:

• FD 800 twice or even three times per week
• ZBC (zero breakfast club) as often as possible
• Eat whatever I want when I am not on a fast day
• Be happy with a weight loss of 0.25 lb per week (i.e. do not be in a hurry to lose weight and then end up getting despondent and falling off the wagon)

To anyone new to fasting, my own personal advice is to start slowly! It’s so easy to be in a mad rush to lose weight and then try to go cold turkey and then to end up falling off the wagon!

1. Start with simply skipping breakfast for at least a week
2. Move to an OMAD format (just eating one meal a day but not controlling calories) for at least a week
3. Eventually move to a fast day of 800 cal per day
4. If you really feel you want to eventually you can move to a fast day or 500 cal per day

I personally find a 500 cal fast day just too miserable and I don’t get started in the morning because I just can’t bear the fact that when I’m going to have his 500 cal for dinner. So I personally find it easier to get started on a fast day when I know that I can have 800 cal in the evening.

Everybody is different but that is just my personal ten pence worth!!!!

Look forward to seeing everybody during June 🙂

Day 1 AUS FD800

Thanks @at for hosting us this month!

I’m F51, and started IF in Jan. Like @fivetwofan5252, I’ve been finding a slow but steady weight loss is now starting to add up in a sustainable way. I had put on 5 pandemic kilos on top of the extra 3k I had been carrying and unable to shift for a few years.

I’ve now got 1.5 kilos to go, and all 8k will be gone.

I’ve been doing FD800s 3/4 times a week, and CFDs 2 days a week, with a limited treat day 1/2 week.

With any luck, June is when I will hit goal weight. My main focus this month, though, is eating healthily and nutritiously, and toning and strengthening muscles.

Thanks to these threads for keeping me accountable!

Day 1, NFD, New Zealand

Thank you @at for hosting us this month. I’m not the best at posting, can usually catch up with others posts at work, but don’t get the chance to post myself. I have my daughters wedding in November and hope to feel and look good for the family photos by then. I work shift work which sometimes makes fasting difficult, but I know it works. Coming into winter here in New Zealand, which means I can have soups and there are plenty of varieties to enjoy.

Almost Day 1, USA/DC
@at, thank you for hosting us this month. I was so absent last month among my goals this month is to be more present. So here I am, starting 1 1/2 hours before Day 1. Last month was crazy – getting ready to head out west for the summer to a new home that is partially, at best, furnished and renovating our kitchen here while we are away. Yup – I am out of my mind. But hey, why not.
I am feeling less chaotic, so I am hoping to be more present both here and in my eating. Fingers crossed.
So happy to have this challenge and all of you along with me.
Here’s to a successful June.

Second post

I always make mistakes and typos when I post from my phone so my apologies

Above it should read: “And I COOKED something out of it last night”

I also wanted to find out if anyone else is experiencing a strange phenomenon of counterintuitive plateau/counterintuitive weight loss???

I am noticing a distinct pattern with my weight… The day after a fast day I am always heavier than I expect… However the day after a non-fasting day, I am lighter!! I find this counterintuitive!

(Last month for me it was plateau after a NFD and weight gain after a FD!! Luckily my clothes were getting baggier and baggier so I knew there was something kooky going on with the scales!)

Does anyone else notice this strange counterintuitive cycle?

Dear @at, thank you for hosting this challenge 💐 and @brightonbelle for offering to host 🌹. Thanks for the nice comments and see you all later this year. 🤗 ❤️ Liesbeth

Day 1 – Canada – FD

Good morning everybody. Please count me in. I still have those pesky 6 pounds to drop and this month I’m aiming to shed 3 of them. Thank you @at for hosting, it’s much appreciated.

Looking forward to a successful June. My plan is to fast 3 days a week and stick to TDEE the other days. I’ll walk everyday and play tennis twice a week. Hope to fit in some weight training too.

Good luck to all.

Pocket List Day 1
@daffodil2010
@flourbaby
@at FD800
@brightonbelle
@dvw

Day 1, Melb Aust, NFD

@at, I’m in for this month, after an abortive start that went nowhere in May. I’m hovering in the 84-85kg range, which is way above where I should be, BUT – despite the lack of 5:2 discipline, have managed not to gain for the past 2 months. Now ready to move on the downward journey again.

@snowflake56, sorry I disappeared last month. It got difficult once I’d broken a bone in my left hand. Being left-handed, there wasn’t a lot I could do for myself for the first couple of weeks, and generous people gave me stacks of food. Delicious, but more than I could eat (some is still in the freezer) and somewhat more fatty and salty than I’m used to. Now the splint is off my hand I can do all my own cooking again, yay!

Brief bio – 71-y-old female, single, retired ESL teacher, currently studying. Household ruled by ginger tabby Wilbur. After initial 5:2 success, the weight was regained, then lost again, and now I’m back near the top of the yo-yo again. That’s okay. It will come off again. Just have to work on strategies to prevent the upward swing.

Looking forward to interacting with all you wonderful international folk again this month.

Stay safe, stay well!

Day 1 OMAD London

Hi. Yes, @at, I’m still doing OMAD and it suits me. I’ve just read The Laid Back Guide to Intermittent Fasting by Kayla Cox, and I just love her attitude. And I’m still dry. I’m one of those people who thinks that if you find the right book, and get your head in the right place, you can do most things. ( not nuclear physics, obviously. That’s just slightly beyond me..).
She talks about her fear of the scales, which is definitely something I’ve had, but she finally decided to treat the scales as a ( capricious..) way of finding out how your particular way of fasting is going. Scales go up and down in the most irrational way, but if the general trend is downward then that’s fine. And I now know that I weight 13 st, and I’d like to weigh 12 st. ( last time I weighed myself, I was slightly untruthful with my height…😳). I’ve decided to take it very slowly, and give myself a year to lose a stone. I love OMAD because I can eat as much as I like of whatever I like in a shortish window, which is nice and simple. So, we shall see. I’ve done OMAD for nearly a year, and my weight has slowly dropped, I just didn’t realise because I was afeared of the scales….

Day 1 – Rural Nebraska, USA – FD500

Not surprisingly, I was up an exact three pounds this morning! Not only that, but neither DH nor I slept well, because we ate too much and drank too much yesterday. But what a glorious day it was, sunny and warm, and filled with friends and laughter, and I regret nothing.

Well, one thing.

Both sons and DH were in charge of taking the ribs from the sous vide and putting them on the grill to finish up while I dished up everything else. As they headed out the door to get the first batch off the grill, we all heard DS24 say, “Uh-OH!!!!”

Apparently there was a MASSIVE column of smoke coming off the grill and, as DS29 reached to lift the lid, DS24 said, “No, Pete, don’t–” but it was too late and DS29 now has singed hair on his forearm! The flames were shooting up, and those ribs were quite charred, LOL! Thankfully, that was only half of them, and the second half worked far better and everyone was quite philosophical about the charred ribs. 🤷‍♀️😂

So, about me. I’m a 62yo female with only a few pounds to lose to be officially not overweight, but anywhere from 10 to 20-some pounds to lose to be at my preferred weight. I figure I’ll know that weight when I arrive at it. I did a decent job of controlling my weight most of my adult years, but starting in 2003, I started gaining what ended up being a total of 34 pounds. They haven’t all been on all this time, as I first discovered 5:2 in 2014 (or 2013??) and it was effective to lose much of what I’d gained. But it is not effective to keep it off when you quit following the plan, LOL, so it’s been a roller coaster of a weight-ride. I’m currently down 18 pounds (well, I was yesterday morning, at any rate! 🤣😂🤣😂), having faithfully resumed 5:2 in February 2020. I’m not losing weight fast, but I’m proud that I’m keeping off what I lose. My current focus is to recapture eating “reasonably” on NFDs, and losing whatever weight comes off as I do that, and continue to fast twice a week.

Looking ahead to this month, it will be a bit of a challenge as DD and 20 month DGD are coming on the 9th for five days, and then DH and I travel to Kentucky on the 25th or so. So those will be great opportunities to practice my “eating reasonably” behavior. 😉

Thanks to @brightonbelle for volunteering and to @at for actually hosting this month!!

Day 1 USA (Illinois) NFD

I am Gwynne, 73-year-old woman, live with my DH(74) in northwestern Illinois, rolling hills, farm and dairy area. I’m a retired school music teacher, still do private piano lessons and church music. Once we are able to meet again, I will sing with our local Choral Society and work at our children’s museum.

I joined @coda in May 2016 for her first challenge. Been on every one since then. Started 5:2 March 2016 at nearly 200# (90kg) and lost 40# down to 72.5kg by January 2017. It’s been pretty much maintenance since then. At my age, a 25BMI keeps most of the wrinkles away. I’m a little more than I want to be right now but mainly happy with 6:1 these days. I do Silver Sneakers 3x a week pretty faithfully.

I’m looking forward to getting to know our newbies and continuing to connect with us oldsters. Thank you @at for hosting this month!

Onward and downward.

Obesity ratings of states — Illinois is at 31.1% of us. But it is #21!

https://articles.living101.com/ip/fattest-states-ranked/?utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=T_FB_L101LT_US_FattestState_L1_UV11CC45BD400AP_v10_S24_0106_A_2565_A_23847761963130372&utm_content=feed&utm_medium=T_FB_L101LT_US_FattestState_L1_UV11CC45BD400AP_v10_S24_0106&zp_custom1=T&fbclid=IwAR060PiUUdOnN8G8cVuZEOhW5GfKRBdDC8VuUxJOyN2cIzVbVGo4JOHBzVU

@susan_dormi — congratulations on your first FD! Believe me, there will be times they are easy and other times they cause a struggle. But remember that you are making your body get accustomed to sensations and ways that are completely unfamiliar. “Feast and famine” were the ways of our ancestors (I remember that from “The Fast Diet” book) and it is ever so doable.

This forum (and the website) can give you support and information, so may I encourage you to check in here every day.

Day 2, FD, Aus

I’m working from home today and I’m freezing!! I always get cold on fast days but today seems worse. Need to dig deep to find will power.

Second post

Hey, @penz – I find that if I can get warm in the evening from a hot bath, socks, big furry robe, than I will stay warm through the night. You just have to get to that warm point. Maybe some hot tea, or even just water, also. It can be absolutely miserable, I know. Best of luck to you. Stay strong!
(By the way….what time is it for you? so interesting….it is exactly 8:30 pm for me.

@penz – I am almost always cold on FD’s. I’ve made rice bags (usually 2# in a cotton bag with baffles or pouches) that I heat up in the microwave. They are great to warm hands or feet. You can even use a tube sock for a no-sew option. Here’re some ideas:
https://wellnessmama.com/24601/reusable-rice-heat-packs/

Day 2-Ireland 🇮🇪 – NFD

@songbirdme, and my iPad tells me that it was 4.45am on these islands when you posted at 10.45pm CDT and 11.45am Perth! Love all that nerdy stuff 😀

Wasn’t really an FD, more over 800 cals and a handful of peanuts 😱 But I am down a pound. My measures are staying the same, but keep on keeping on.

When I go away this weekend I will not be thinking of fasting, there are no pubs or restaurants open here yet, but we are in our camper van and it will be laden with nice food and drink. We are staying three nights in a riverside campsite (one we had to leave early last year as local lockdown took place), and relax. The plan was to head off on the motorcycle when we get there, but I am not taking the chance just yet.

@flourbaby you would have to go back to late March and early April so I will summarise…..mysterious abdominal pains, went to doctor, she didn’t know but took bloods, they came back as sky high inflammation, off to ED, ruptured appendix, hospital for 3 nights. So the surgery on 17th is to take the remains of that appendix out. Lovely 💪

@at yes June is a good month 🍾 Mine is 6th and DH 29th ☺️
Have a great Wednesday hump day 🐪

Day 2 – USA/GA – FD

Yikes, 224 lbs this morning. Doesn’t surprise me. I forget that part of vacation mode is emptying the refrigerators. Thankfully, not a lot there to “polish off.” Eggs, milk, cheese, fruit, and vegetables are about it. Hoping to get a soft reset on today’s FD and flush the sodium out by the time Saturday’s road trip begins.

Blood pressure was excellent this morning at 114/74. I’m hoping it behaves at my biometric screening this afternoon (I have white coat syndrome bad, and not sure why).

Pocket list – day 2
@penz
@litprof (FD800)
@northgeorgia (FD500 + ZBC)

Day 2 – Lake district UK – NFD

Good afternoon everyone

My usual routine has gone totally to pot!
I’m normally on the forum first thing with coffee in hand, but since being away can’t get into a routine? Trying to catch up with too many things and juggling other at the same time, thank goodness I’m retired and can take life easy …. not!

So running just over 7 hours late today and still a neighbouring garden to do, but finally got round to a coffee and a stop!

Planning my usual Thursday FD tomorrow, see what the scales say on Friday and if I’ve lost the couple of pounds holiday weight yet, just in time for my next set of adventures starting Saturday.

Take care all.

Day 2 North Canton OH FD

I am posting late but still here which totally counts 😁

@susan_dormi congratulations on your first fast! That is awesome and the first of many, this lifestyle is great and we are so glad to have you with us.

@northerndawn it has to be water and salt for sure.

@penz holding your hand, you can do this. @songbirdme great idea for battling the cold. I get cold as well and it can be very challenging

@litprof slow and steady wins the race, and you are winning

Re: memorial day leftovers. OH and DD made too much food for four people for Memorial Day cookout, as a result our fridge is crammed with leftovers. I am hopeful that we can get to it all before it goes bad, but I am not sure how this is going to work – OH eats only OMAD, I eat every other day, and my 2 teen daughters are very finicky. I am used to scaling down my cooking to compensate, but OH is not there yet, and DD loves to cook-but not eat. I saw the mountains of food they were prepping and badly wanted to point out that it was too much, but did not want to micro-manage especially since I was not doing any of the cooking. Eek! its great having OH home all the time now, and I would rather enjoy it than point out everything that he is doing differently than I would.

Prior to him getting laid off, I was hounding him to spend more time with me, Oy! be careful what you wish for 😅😁 . It’s all good though- we just have to adjust to being in each spaces more frequently than we are used to, and I am thankful that 22 years later I still enjoy him and oddly enough he seems to enjoy me.

have a great day everyone, @stitchincarol summed it up beautifully – may your fasting resolve last the entire day; and may “reasonable” be the watch word for the non-fasters 💙👼.

Day 2 UK NFD

Ha ha seems like we are all running late today

I’ve been busy getting ready for the delivery of a new fridge-freezer The outgoing one has lasted 18 years , but I remember it was very tricky getting it in , at least we are a bit more prepared this time we’ve taken doors etc off so hoping it will go smoothly

Yes @stitchincarol I’m going to try some different exercise this month , I already do quite a bit and have quite a strong core , it’s just the belly fat and I’m resigned to the fact it’s going to be hanging on for dear life but I’ll try

Back tomorrow for a fast day