@abogage. Use the resources section to find out what your current BMI is. That way you can calculate how much weight you need to lose. Aim for a BMI<25.

Weigh yourself as often as you want. It depends on your psychology and frame of mind. Some people fear any sort of increase, some just use it as a trigger. I weigh daily but the only trigger I use is what I weigh the morning after my fast day. Im now in maintenance having lost 48 pounds over the course of one year. 202 down to 154 (55 yo male). Above 156 triggers me and I actively eat less. Below 153 triggers me and I actively eat more for the week. I still fast one day per week (water only fast).

Make life easy for yourself. Avoid sugar like the plague. Avoid processed carbs, especially grains like the plague. So that means no bread, pasta, pizza, cake, biscuits etc. If it came from a grain DONT have it. Get your carbs from veggies. Have some fruit but not a lot. Try and go for your berry type fruits. Don’t be scared of fats. Eat good cheese, high fat low sugar yogurt. Avocadoes. Eat nuts like almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts. Protein from meat and fish, tofu, beans, legumes. Avoid potatoes like the plague.

Some consider what I say to be controversial. Ask those in maintenance the same question and the response is usually positive.

Good luck, 5:2 works if you give it a genuine try.

@marker. Drink lots of water. Hunger comes in waves. Get up go for a gentle walk for 15 minutes. Chew gum like there is no tomorrow. Are you water fasting or 500 cal? If 500 cal avoid the consumption of grain based carbs. In fact best to avoid grain based carbs ALL the time. Grain based carbs will spike insulin so that any food intake you do have will be sent to fat storage and 30 minutes later you will be hungry again. Hang tough, it will take about a month for your liver to even remotely start working properly. Once it does your body will be able to access stored fats easily.

Your hungry because of ghrelin (hormone produced when stomach is in a contracted state. This hormone stops being release once the stomach is stretch/taught. As you eat less your stomach will naturally shrink. It will therefore take less to stretch it and thus will produce less ghrelin less often. Cold comfort for you now. Hang tough for a month.

Hi newbies and welcome!

Here is most of the information you need to be successful on 5:2: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

@bigbooty, how long have you done this 5:2? i am thinking to do 4 days in a row next week. I feel that I am mentally prepared. I’ve also googled Ghrelin-which I keep somehow typing it as gremlin!!

I started my health kick in Feb 2015. 92 kg (202 lbs) and very unfit. Now 70kg (154 lbs) and pretty fit for a 55 yo male. I love bike riding. My biggest regret is that I stopped doing it for 30 years!!

Didn’t find out about 5:2 until Oct 2015. I then did 5:2 until March 2016. They were consecutive days Mon/Tues and they were water fasts. I just found it easier to do it this way rather than eating 500 cal or breaking the days up. Since March 2016 Ive done 6:1 water fasts every Monday.

Personally I wouldn’t push past 4 days unless youre doing it for a particular reason and you’ve been doing it for a while. Be careful. Take fluids and salt. Take sodium salt as well as potassium salt. Potassium salt is marketed as “lite salt” in super markets. About half a teaspoon per day while fasting. Take a good vitamin B multi every day. It helps liver function which you are going to be relying on big time as you fast.

The constipation goes away after a while (about 1-2 months). This is partially dehydration, so drink water. It is also all your gut bacteria having a war because of the change in your diet. It will take time for this to sort itself out. I love chili so I have them in my salads all the time. I find this helps a lot with constipation.

Hope that helps.