Michael and the Easter eggs

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Michael and the Easter eggs

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  • Michael and the Easter eggs

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    Easter has come and gone and with it rather more Easter eggs than I had intended. I start off each year thinking that I will eat just a small amount and every year I end up wolfing down far more than is healthy. Why do we have this tradition of chocolate eggs at Easter? Apparently one reason is symbolic. The hard shell of the egg symbolize the sealed tomb which encased Christ; cracking the egg is like cracking the tomb, a celebration of the Resurrection.

    Unfortunately, while eating real eggs is pretty healthy, as they are packed full of vitamins and high quality protein, the same is not true of chocolate ones. I would probably feel better about myself if I had eaten eggs made from dark chocolate, since there are some health benefits to eating the dark stuff (including a slight lowering of blood pressure), but the truth is most of what I ate was milk chocolate. Fat and sugar. Sigh. Ah well, tomorrow is a fast day…

    Well, never mind Michael I think we all did that so, onward and downward. Good luck all post Easter losers and shrinkers. Keep going.

    I saw the original programme, and was very interesting

    without going into great detail
    I would like to try this diet, and see if it beats my diabetes and other problems
    Its a struggle to hold my job never mind do other things in life, suppose i could be compared to people in their 80s
    how about me as a test subject with some support?
    Richard 48 22stone, health issues – lots
    so tired of it all,

    I have been on this diet for 7weeks now and have lost 8lbs. This is remarkable as I really do only diet on the two fast days, on my normal days I eat quite well, still enjoying a glass of wine and some extra treats. Thank you Michael I am so thrilled with the results. One of my tips is to wear something that is a bit tight on the fast days, it reminds me why I am doing it!!

    Richie64 It is miserable when every day is a grind due to a chronic condidition. I have Systemic Lupus and I am hoping that the anti-inflamatory thing will work for me plus weight loss which will help with tiredness and joint pain. I am in my 12th week and have lost 11lb so far. It’s worth a go and I hope you do get the support you deserve. All the best with it.

    Well here we go. We are 2 NH Heavies that are going to become NH Fasters. Just watched the piece on PBS and it makes sense and feels like it could be a new path to better health. One comment I read on the blog noted the guilty feeling around food for years and now this will remove all the guilt in 2 “hopefully simple” fasting days. We really think that we can do this with good success. We will officially begin on our first fast day, Monday 4-8, as we want to prepare to have some of the fast menu food ready and waiting. We will let you know how we are doing!

    I just want to get this straight….. I have bought the book and read it…….. On the days that I am not fasting, I can eat anything I want …..Is that right???? No counting calories no missing out on anything that I should not have ?????

    Hi Pinkyj, IMHO it’s better to view the feed days (non fast days) as ‘eat what you normally would’ days ‘instead of eat what you want’ days. And now I will totally contradict that by saying it’s still fine to eat what you want on your feed days!!!

    What I mean is that it’s important not to hit a feed day and go absolutely nuts and stuff down lots of takeaways & cakes because of the perception of being immune to calories, one can still eat takeaways, sweets, fry-ups etc on feed days but not an infinite amount. I found that I had to rewire my brain a bit on the 5:2 diet, and the psychology of having “eat normally days” worked better for me than “eat what you want days”.

    Or I suppose another way of looking at a feed day is that it can be an “eat what you want” day but not an “eat as much as you can” day. HTH

    Just into the diet 5 weeks, ate easter eggs (chocolate) last weekend, weighed myself this morning down 5lbs and 4 3/4 inches off my waist. Eating as normal on non-fast days find I get fuller faster. On occasion feel a little light headed in latter part of fast days but just keep drinking a lot of water with a splash of cran/blueberry juice.

    I’m finding this diet incredibly interesting so far, 3 weeks in and my tolerance for sweet food has rapidly decreased and my tolerance for hunger has increased a lot. I’d like to think of myself as someone who is fairly informed on food and I do make good food decisions 90% of the time – my biggest problem was never being able to guage fullness and I was following the ‘little and often’ approach to eating. SO, basically eating when I wasn’t hungry, to stave off hunger – that’s the proper way to do it, right?! Hmph!! My 500kcal days are a big eye opener, I’m finding it convenient to fast all day and eat 1 evening meal, because I like to eat with my Husband. 500kcal on a plate isn’t actually that much to look at unless it’s a massive pile of vegetables – it’s now obvious where I was going wrong before! This easter wasn’t the usual chocolate fest, I just couldn’t stomach my usual quantity! I’m not measuring or weighing regularly (for my own good), but my was-tight trousers are now comfortable and the scales noted an 8lb drop after 2 weeks. Partly from fasting, but partly because the fasting is having a huge affect on my appetite and I’m not eating as much, I can tell when I’m full and I’m fuller for longer between meals!! Day 1 might have been one of my toughest challenges in a while but I’m so glad I stuck with it and didn’t cave.

    I just found out about your presentation on Public TV and watched it online. Amazing! I ordered my books and await them. In the meantime I am joining your group here and look forward to meeting and chatting with all of you here. I started my fast today and plan to fast on Saturdays and Tuesdays as long as that works for our schedule, which it should. I have a suggestion. One time I tried a different diet…haven’t we all…and there was a suggestion for a fasting type day to jump start weight loss during a plateau. It works and so I will try it for a fasting day and will share it with you. Take it or leave it as you will…You eat just Granny Smith Apples for (1) 24-hr period…so in this case you can weigh the apples and women eat 400-500 calories and men 600. You can sprinkle Stevia/Splenda etc and cinnamon if you like and eat slices throughout your fasting day. Two to three days later you will have a nice weight loss. Michael and Mimi – any thoughts on my suggestion? I am going to add this to my regimen and will post how I think it has helped. Good luck to all! Happy

    I was wondering on a fast day when drinking herbal tea or black coffee, is it ok to add stevia as a sweetener????

    I’m into my nineth week and have lost amazing 1 stone & 2lbs. All without too much effort. I feel so much better, and I knowing I can eat normally on my off fast days makes me more careful about what I actually do eat.
    This is the most effective diet I have ever tried. Brilliant

    Oh dear post Easter egg guilt setting in. On my first fast day again after 2 weeks off. Very hard!! Any encouragement out there for me? 🙁

    Hi danni I find it good to drink plenty of liquids such as herbal tea and coffee, not forgetting water, on a fast day to stave off the hunger pangs. Hope it helps.

    Thanks Gillian. I am going to do that ! Just come back from a morning run too which always helps

    Hi I see lots of successful stories out there, with great wieght loss, I have been doing the Fast diet since february and havnt had anything like the results others have achieved.What on earth coiuld I be doing wrong, I hope I am not a “nonresponder”!Does Micheal offer any direct help on this forum, or do you have to Tweet? AQny advice from you folks aout there would be very much appreciated.

    I put on 2lbs over Easter but wasn’t fasting at all and did in fact over-indulge in the chocolate, although I don’t think I over ate generally otherwise, probably due to a change in the way I think about food now. Back to a regular 5:2 fasting week now and hopefully back on a downward trend this week. There’s a friendly and helpful forum with lots of good information available at fasting-forward dot com if anyone’s interested in joining us.

    Hello Rosie5 – so many factors affect one’s progress on the 5:2 system, like how much or how little excess weight one is carrying to begin with; whether one is transferring over from another style of dieting (on which the easier, initial loss might already have been achieved); how careful or not one has been in eating reasonably on the non-fast days, etc, etc. You don’t give any specific details of your own statistics so it’s hard to say anything that might be relevant to your experience. It need not be that you are doing anything wrong. A February start-date is still only recent – it takes time to find the best rhythm for oneself – and other people’s ‘big success stories’ can be unhelpful, promoting unrealistic expectations. I know of people who are relaxed and happy to be losing a steady 200-300g per week, as that is going in the right direction for them without having to stress themselves too much. (As far as I can remember, ‘non-responder’ was a term which related to lack of weight-loss after intense physical exercise, as seen on Michael M’s documentary on the subject of exercise, rather than about the 5:2 diet programme.) I assume you do have access to information about the best way to adopt the 5:2 way of eating. Well done for keeping going so far and I wish you every positive result ahead.

    Dear People,

    A few weeks ago I listed the program in NPR about Dr. Mosley and I bought the book right away and I started the diet on March 18.

    I am not really overweigh person only 9 kg up my regular weigh. so I start the diet with a 4 weeks regimen of exercise (Yoga, weigh lift, cardio) after 4 weeks I have lost 2.30 kg, so far so good.

    Because I live in Arlington, VA and my family and friends are in Mexico, I asked them to joint me in this diet, so many friends were interested so I decided to start a blog in Spanish, with some recipes and my own experience.

    http://micincodosdieta.wordpress.com

    The recipes was the hardest part because I had to change some ingredients because some of them are hard to find in Mexico, but it has been a really nice experience, and be one of the first to do this for the latin america community is something that I enjoy.

    I hope you can share my blog now that you will come out with the book in Spanish.

    I will let you know if I reach my gold.

    Antonio Santiago

    Hello again to Rosie5 – if you go to the ‘In Depth’ section on this site’s homepage and click on the ‘Question & Answers’, included there are two separate listings of people’s comments/advice around the subject of difficulties in losing weight. I’ve only just discovered this whole section of further subjects myself, this evening. I hope you find some helpful information that suits your circumstances. With all best wishes to you.

    OH NOOOO!!!!! Just wrapping up our second fast day during our first week and we used a recipe from your book on page 134. The tuna bean and garlic salad. Upon finishing our dinner we could barely eat our entire meal. I was suspicious that we somehow ate too much. We looked at the can of the beans and realized that the recipe, which states 1 1/2 cups canned cannellini beans must mean just a half cup not one and one-half cups. We have overdone it on our beans!!! Drats! I suppose we could have still done much worse and eaten a pint of ice-cream! Your recipes should be reviewed to assure the measures are accurate and the language is appropriate for your US release. Hopefully we do not find any other such issues with the recipes. All in all so far so good. Great first week!

    Hi NH Fasters – yes, the US edition of the recipe book will have all the recipes converted to American measures (and names of foods – so many are different!) Hope this will keep everyone within their calorie allowance, apologies for the bean counting issue. Good luck with your fasts – keep letting us know how you get on

    Hi Antonio – yes, the Fast Diet book will soon be available in Spanish – and it is also set to be published in 25 other territories too, including a version in Arabic, Hebrew, Polish, Korean, Japanese, Swedish… very exciting. Would love to know how the translations will read, and how the Fast Diet will be adapted to different culinary cultures. Keep those stories coming in!

    Incidentally, I was away in Italy for Easter and ate my body weight in pasta and ice cream (who could resist??). I managed to put on four pounds in a week, but a fortnight of the two-day fast regime and now I’m back to my original weight. The good news is that it seems possible to return fairly quickly to the pattern, even if you have a few weeks of pure indulgence!

    Let’s talk about . . . CONSTIPATION. Any ideas? I eat whole grains, beans, fruits, vegies and every time I reduce calories/up exercise, . . . . HELP!!!! And yes, i’m adding ground flaxseed to my oatmeal.

    MM – -did you make the EXERCISE film prior to FastDiet film? Because you look heavier in that PBS production!!

    MM – re the “fidget pants” — why not use a tracking device like FitBit? I loved the PANTS, though. And Levine. Keep it up — this is much needed and appreciated . . . from your friend in the USA.

    I am on day two week one. I am encouraged by the simplicity but worried that my ‘eat what I normally would’ is not going to lead to weight loss. I tend to skip lunch but graze on a variety of food, nuts chocolate, sweets and whatever else takes my fancy. NOt in huge amounts but clearly enough that I am an unhealthy weight (thankfully all my bloods etc are still good). I hear what people are saying about a rewire, but I really like chocolate! One of the main reasons I wanted to try the 5:2 was because I could still eat bad things. Now not so sure this is true.

    Hello sphynx – no foods are off-limits on the 5:2 system but it is true to say that if too many calories are going in every week, overall, then there will be weight gain rather than loss. That is a law of physics, I’m afraid, whatever programme one adopts.
    ‘A little of what you fancy does you good’ is also true but, for weight loss, one does have to discover the calorific truths underlying this saying and work out how best to balance one’s eating habits between fasting and non-fasting days.
    If you can, have a look back at the comments about ‘normal’ eating in the ‘Different ways of managing your fasting days’ section over the recent few weeks and also, perhaps click on the ‘In Depth’ – ‘q and a’- heading on the homepage : there are numerous comments there, in two separate postings, about what to do if one is not losing weight when using 5:2. I hope, like so many of us, you do find the right balance for you and can thrive on this system.

    Why do we in the USA believe 1 tsp. of olive oil has 40 calories, and Brits think it has 27? All your recipes list 1 tsp of EVOO as 27, so I looked it up in several places — it has 40 cal. Across The Pond! Maybe i’ll just fidget more and not worry about this, ;-D

    Peggy S – you might just find that your desire for chocolate and sweet things reduces as you get further along in this diet. I love chocolate and treats too, but 5 weeks in am finding that I often can’t manage to eat as much as I used to. It’s like for the first time in my life I’m doing moderation in sweet things – without even trying! So keep going and don’t worry too much – you might just be surprised by how your body starts telling you to behave in a few weeks’ time! Good luck.

    Hi Jeanius thanks for your help. I have the book ,and am familiar with the science and the process. and I am not dreadfully overfat, probably would like to lose 10 KG and I am 45 .I eat less than the recomended cals on my fast days. I actually look forward to those days .I dont eat at all until dinner , when I have a cup of miso, and a poached egg or some steamed greens and 100 gm of steamed fish. I feelquite ok on that. just wish I could lose some wieght or inches for my efforts. My consolation is the fact I may be preventing chronic disease.Thanks for the links, I’ll get onto those.PS are you in England? I’m in Australia .

    Hi, Rosie5 – yes, I am in the centre of a currently very windy and rather cool England in Springtime. As I start to think about preparing my evening meal, it pleases me to imagine you as I write, facing your breakfast, half-way round the world from here and in such a different setting. Enjoy your day – I hope it goes well.

    Hi, Connie – going back to your various comments since 12 Apr:
    Yes, Michael M’s documentary ‘The Truth About Exercise’ was first broadcast in the UK by the BBC in Jan ’12 whereas the 5:2 feature ‘Eat, Fast and Live Longer’ went out in Aug ’12 – and his weight loss, using 5:2, is very apparent when you compare the two.
    Constipation: I had one very scary episode soon after starting on the 5:2 system. I think the sudden reduction in food on a fast day was quite a shock to my usually very efficient and reliable bowels. I took a gentle laxative for a couple of nights (brand name: ‘Senokot’) and upped my water intake. (I habitually take in much less than the recommended volume of fluids). Thank heavens, normal service was soon restored and I hope you too have found a comfortable solution for yourself.
    I don’t know anything about ‘fidget pants’ or olive oil, sorry to say, but it’s nice talking to you. (How British, and restrained, is that?!)

    This diet is a breeze, I’ve been following it now for a few weeks now and lost 14lbs, I did have some chocolate over Easter and totally enjoyed it and still got good results on the scales at the end of the week – the following is just my opinion and not scientific in any way, but before I started the diet I suffered from joint inflamation in my hands and feet that I took daily anti inflammatory medication for, I’d started to notice a week or so into the diet that the inflamation was reducing and that I needed to take less and less medication, I’ve not need to take any medication for a whole week and my joints aren’t troubling me at all, in addition following the diet has given me the energy to go back to the gym and I’m happily completing two, hour long gym sessions a week, something I wouldn’t have dreamed of trying a few weeks ago. Persevere even if you are having a ‘wobble’ on your ‘fasting’ day the food you are craving is only a few hours away. About time the NHS caught onto this and GPs promoted it to their patients – we’d all be a lot healthier as a result!

    I’ve been on the diet for three weeks and have had no problems sticking with the regime, I too look forward to fast days and have lost a few pounds already. What I am looking for is some hard and fast evidence that this diet will reduce my triglycerides from 3.4 no matter what I eat on food days. I am a long standing vegetarian who always eats pulses etc but would like very much to keep the odd ounce or two of hard cheese as a weekly allowance. Does anyone have improved results they could share?
    Love the Beetroot & Bramley apple soup!
    Thanks for everything so far.

    Into diet 8th week.
    Total loss 20lbs.
    Start weight 13 stone 10 lbs.
    Today 12 stone 4 lbs.
    Did start walking exercise (not drastic) at same time
    and now on maintenance regime adding a little on 600k days.
    I am a COPD and now breath much better, peak flow up, and manage steep hills down here in Devon without distress.
    Often forget my morning inhalers before setting out with no problems.
    Like my glass of wine and like my food plus chocolate
    !!
    Do find fast days difficult by late afternoon but benefits outweigh this 100%.
    Totally recommend.

    Hi, rafgyroman – Glad to hear of the benefits you are experiencing. That must feel so good! Long may it continue.
    For those, like me, not in-the-know:
    ‘Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the name for a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease.’ (Extract from NHS Choices website)

    Thanks Mimmi for letting us know you had a week off the diet and put four pounds on. I too had last week off the diet because I was on holiday and it was Scottish breakfasts, chippy lunches and hotel dinners that caused me to put on four pounds. I’m back on the diet today and hopefully won’t take too long to get back to the 10 stone I was before the trip. And then downwards to my goal.

    Dear Michael,
    I am 51 years old, and I am on my fourth fast of the 5:2 diet. My reasons for doing it are preventative. I don’t know my exact weight approx over 11 stone. My mother recently had a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with cancer of the uterus. She weighs 16 stone and I do not want to end up the same way. She has had a hip and knee replacement, and her mobility is poor. I will weigh myself soon, but for now I can already feel the difference in my clothes. My goal is to try and make this a way of life, and so far it does not seem like too much of a sacrifice. I loved the programme last year, and the book. I hope to inspire my brother to follow in my footsteps too, as he has grown very paunchy in the last 10 years. Everyone in my family feel that this is the first diet to come along that actually makes sense.

    Begining the 5:2 this week with hubby, ( I will break the news to him today over lunch :-0 ) we have always “started” some kind of weight loss plan at one point or another and it takes over your life !!! you get so fed up watching the calories and measuring everything to drop a pound, we are no good at the counting and when you come home from work quick and eay is the key for us no willpower !! One question I have my friend has started and found it great but the only comment was “Dont go to the gym on a fast day” she suffered headaches and felt faint anyone else found this or if you excercise on a fast day how have you found it? Thanks

    Hi MrsMoo,

    I have looked extensively into the research on fasting and exercise. The evidence is strong that if you exercise in the fasted state (even if that simply means going for a run or walk before breakfast rather than after it) then you will burn more fat. The reason is that after 10 hours without food (if, for example, you have been sleeping) then your glycogen stores will be down and the body will turn to the fat stores.
    Some people do report feeling faint if they try exercising while fasting, others say they feel energised. Make sure you drink plenty of fluid before exercise (dehydration is commonest cause of headaches). There is also a strong element of suggestion involved ie studies show that people who expect to feel faint while exercising do feel faint, while those who expect to feel good do feel good. So don’t go into it expecting to feel terrible. Good luck

    Will be going to gym with friend on my 1st fasting day this week, am going to tell her how great she looks being on the fast diet, after that and plenty fluids before and after should do the trick. Thanks

    I’m a fellow chocoholic *sighs* I wish I wasn’t so addicted to sugar =/ I was able to abstain from it for about 2 years, but then I had the terrible idea of trying it again last December and after that I got hooked again and I haven’t been able to kick if out of my diet yet.

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