I’m happy to be on a non-fast day too, Beck–although I found the fasting less unpleasant yesterday than any other day so far. I made cauliflower rice and had LOTS of that, so quantity-wise, more food went in. But apparently cauliflower, which I love anyway, is very low in calories, so hurrah! I had about 400 calories, which is my highest intake on a fast day–but I felt comfortable all day. (Oh, except when my stomach growled LOUDLY in a meeting at 11:30 am!)

But the scale this morning–not such a big hurrah! Back up to 137.4, from 135 (my original target goal). I am trying to be my own voice of reason–that weight does fluctuate, that while I was sick I was eating LOTS of yogurt because it was soothing, but I have noticed in the past that too much dairy has an impact on the scale, that I was making good progress on the 5:2 so as long as I stay the course I should be ok. And that even with this big bump, I’ve lost 6 pounds since starting on March 10–6 pounds in a month with lots of chocolate is not so bad! But still, not very happy that this happened after only one fast day!

Hi all.
So I have decided to stop 5:2. I know it’s only been a few weeks for me, however I have my body fat percentage measured regularly at the gym, and despite fasting my body fat went up while my overall weight and lean mass went down. After doing some research it seems that because I am not eating enough calories to maintain my lean weight I’m losing the muscle I’ve worked hard to build.
So I had a good think and I decided that decreasing my body fat percentage is more important to me than my scale weight. My clothes are looser and I’m losing fat which is what I want, so the huge calorie deprivation from fasting is really not helping me at all. I understand that for some people 5:2 is a wonderful concept and gets real results, but it’s just not for me.
I wish you ladies the best of luck and I hope you get the results you’re looking for.

Hi everyone
Hope you don’t mind me joining your thread. I love reading about all your different life and fast stories and I am in a very similar situaion to some of you.
I’m a working mum of 2 – a lovely 9 year old boy and a determined (read crosspatch but lovely all the same) little girl of 7.

I started the FD two years ago so I am not new to this at all but in December last year I tailed off and lost the path due to work and homelife. So now I need a bit of a boost to get back to working towards my target.

My FD journey goes as follows: I stumbled upon the FD way of life in January 2014 when I weighed a massive 13.3 stone (85kg) for my fairly short stature of 5ft2 (160 cm). I’ve always been quite muscular but at this stage I was proper blobby. My back ached and my knees were sore when I tired to exercise.

I found the FD hard in the first 2 weeks but I could see instant progress so I kept going. By May 2014 I had lost 1.5 stone (10kg) and I was flying.
By christmas I was down to 10.7 stone (68 kg). I kept going throughout 2015 with a lot of exercise and in August 2015 I almost hit my goal weight of 9.4 stone (60kg). I was so happy and a new person.

Losing all that weight and feeling so much healthier and happier meant I plucked up the courage to go back to work in early 2015. 🙂

Since December 2015 my weight loss commitment has been tailing off and lately I’ve been going back to my bad old habits of snacking and finishing my kids meals (a total no-no for me).

I am now back at 10.3 stone (66kg) and really need to focus. I don’t feel happy with myself anymore so I am looking at losing almost a stone to get back to 9.4st (60kg).

Sorry to ramble on… Hope you are all having a good day! I had my first FD for a month yesterday and will have another tomorrow (Thursday).

Lotta

Hi Myggan(or do you prefer Lotta?)! Your description of your children made me laugh. My younger one (age 6) is also “determined”, as you put it! I am so encouraged at hearing about your experiences in 2014-2015–that’s an amazing weight loss! Like Beck, I wonder how things went between August and December, when it sounds like things started to go awry–did you find it hard to maintain the weight loss? Did you do any fasting in that time, or were you able to maintain it just by eating normally?

Thanks for the encouragement, Beck! It’s a fast day for me today too, and I’m hoping for some scale movement too. I think this is the first day it’s been nice weather for a fast day for me–I’ve been associating fast days with gloomy weather. I wonder if that will help adjust my attitude to them at all!

Hurrah, Beck! And good for you for managing despite the annoyances. I had an everything-goes-wrong day yesterday (including accidentally turning my cauliflower rice to mush!) and was grumbly about having to fast on top of it. But, the good news is that my scale did, as you put it, come to its senses–I’m at 134.8, which is 0.2 below my original goal. Only 0.4 down from two weeks ago, but at least I’m moving in the right direction!

Lotta, 1.5 kg in one week–wonderful! Do you find that exercise helps with weight control? I’ve tended to find it has little effect–that it’s what/how much I eat that makes all the difference–but I do enjoy it (uh, sort of–some kinds more than others!) and I certainly feel better afterwards, and I think it might help with appetite regulation–so I stick with it despite not helping much with weight.

By the way, my husband joined me in 5:2 four weeks ago, and he weighed himself for the first time this morning–down 11 lbs/5 kg. He’s now about where he wants to be, but he’s decided he’ll continue for another four weeks. So I suppose he and I are at the same place now–at our goal, but wanting to stick with it to see what happens. Also, for me, given what skipping one fast day last week seemed to do, I think I certainly need to continue if I hope to maintain. What I’m hoping is that perhaps I can drop another 5 pounds or so, and then shift to 6:1 in the hopes of staying around there. We’ll see. I do think that without any fasting I won’t be able to maintain, so I do foresee this as a long-term strategy.

Hello everyone – its great to see your posts pop up over the past few days. I didnt fast Thursday to Sunday, but seeing your posts kept my mind in the game which was a nice reminder. Congrats to you guys that have hit your original milestones and gone further, I salute you! I am using you guys as inspiration (and peer pressure lol) to keep me going.

Having said that…I have completed two weeks of 5:2 (not 4:3 as I had originally planned). Somehow I have not been able to bring myself to fast for that third day, but Im completing the 5:2 so Im ok with that for now. I noted that I had dropped a total of 4lbs after my 2nd fast day last week, which I was thrilled about. Im sure its gone up since then but time of the month combined with associated comfort eating….I can be accepting of what the scales might say.

On that note, I wanted to ask you guys for your view on something. If I weigh myself on Sunday (for example) and it says I am 146lbs, then thats great. If two days later the scales say I am 150lbs….surely my true weight is the lower weight? I understand that due to water retention or what not you can weigh MORE that your actual weight, but surely the lower weight cant be wrong, because you cant weigh LESS than your acual weight? I hope that makes sense, it was something I was trying to get my head around last week. Im fairly positive of the answer, but I wondered what your take on it was.

As for today, I have started the day with the mindset that I am going to fast, but I am struggling a lot. Not so much with hunger, but I really miss the “fix” that I get when I comfort eat. Its crazy to even say that out loud because I sound like an addict, but I suppose its true! I feel tired and achy etc because of the obvious, and I desperate to eat something comforting. I almost feel a sense of shock that I have realised how much I rely on food as a relief from so many things other than hunger.

Plough on through today or start on a day when I feel more composed???

Thanks for your advice Beck 🙂 I did decide not to fast. I can tell it was one of those days where I was looking for a reason not to fast, so better I let today go and have a better day tomorrow.

Hope you are having a good day too 🙂

Excuse me for intruding but I live on both sides of the border and use American, Canadian and European recipes. The things that help me are a digital scale that has a metric/Imperial toggle switch and a measuring beaker like this: https://www.amazon.ca/2-Cup-Mix-N-Measure-Glass-Measuring-Cup/dp/B000I1V2GM

Between them you’ll have no conversions to make whatsoever. You just measure out as the recipe specifies. I’ve also found that most modern ovens also permit you to choose a C or a F setting. If not, most smart phones have a conversion app or you could use this table: http://cafefernando.com/conversion-tables/

We were supposed to have snow today too, but it didn’t materialize…

I didn’t fast on Thursday or yesterday. I’m freaked out enough by the menstrual changes to leave it be for a bit. Perhaps I’ll try again if my periods return to a more typical pattern, but for now, I think I need to be cautious. It seems so strange to me that this would cause such marked changes–I was not doing it for that long, and I was certainly not restricting calories on non-fast days.

I’m frustrated with myself, though, because I told myself that yesterday even though I was not fasting I would be restrained (not least because my husband started doing 5:2 in part to support me, and now I’ve left him fasting alone!), and I found myself nibbling here and there through the day, taste-testing FAR too much when I was making supper, etc. Argh. I’m scared to get on the scales now… 🙂

Hi Beck! Hurrah on yet more loss! As for your attempt to hold on at 300–that’s what I was doing on my fast days, and I think I would have been far better off at 500. I always prefer to leave myself wiggle room–I thought that running out of calories would be terrible. But I was so miserable on the fast days, and I’m guessing that an extra 200 calories might have really helped with that! As for you, you’ve been losing so nicely at 500 that it seems wise just to stay there.

The 16:8 is a good idea–I will look into that more. I haven’t been able to get a really conclusive sense of whether dieting can bring on menopause earlier, or just affects one’s cycles. And this would be significantly early, too–my mom was about 50, and when I was in my mid-30s and getting some medical tests done, I was told that I had about the average amount of eggs left for someone that age, and so should expect an average age for menopause. It seems implausible that going hungry two days a week for a month and a half would accelerate it by 7 or 8 years! Just so hard to know what to make of it. Maybe if things get back on track, I’ll try 5:2 again, but taking my own advice to stick to 500, not 300!

Meanwhile, my husband has reached his target weight. I think he’s going to try for 6:1 now for maintenance. He finds the fasting much easier than I do. He doesn’t find it too hard to skip breakfast and lunch, have a decent workout after work, and then just eat whatever he would have had for supper. I find that I start crashing by about 2 PM!

I haven’t weighed myself in about 5 days, and I feel apprehensive about stepping on the scale. Sigh. And we’re having people over for dinner, so I’ve been cooking most of the day, sampling as I go!

Hi Beck, Great to hear your update! Lentils with onions and garlic sounds really nice, I love that kind of thing. How many cals in cooked lentils? (I can look it up don’t worry). I had my last fast day last Thursday and then a long weekend and trip away began and I’m soooo looking forward to fasting again tomorrow!! I’m really glad I’ll still get two definite fast days in this week (today and friday) because next week is holiday again and I might not get any! I was so impressed with the first two days after the fast last Thursday at how easy it was not to eat unless I was really hungry and to eat smaller portions. I only hope that has paid off when I go on the scales though because I feel like I’ve reached my TDEE cals most days and probably gone over because of wine etc. I’ve been having tuna salads, mushroom omelettes (both with a tiny splash of olive oil which takes up 50 cals a time so might try and do without) and a kind of German cottage cheese with either fruit or veg in the evenings on fast days. Really like what I’ve been having but will definitely plan to mix it up a bit if I’m going to stick at this for another couple of months and maybe more. I would LOVE for it to become second nature to fast twice (and then I guess) once a week. Last Thursday I also tried a cup of beef broth as well and I really liked it.I think that’s usefull for when OH and/or kids are having a meal and I’m not joining in. I love the term ‘Hunger games’! Let’s hope there’s none of that for me tomorrow. I have a yoga class from 6-8pm so if I eat at 4 pm (which I think I can get through to easily) and then have a shower and bed after yoga it should be simples… 🙂 Let me know how you get on. In answer to your question, I’m still finding my way with non-fast days. The first day after a fast I watch myself without even meaning to and it feels good. By day three and I can make bad choices (i.e. sweet snacks) and convince myself it’s ok. which is why I’d love to try 4:3 and fast every mon, weds, fri, so that there never is a feast day 3 if you see what I mean. I think I could get the best results that way but so far I’ve not managed it so that’s shame. Anyone got any advice for having fast days during school holidays and/ or when friends/ family are staying? I’m worried I might get grumpy and stressed cooking/ managing meals for other people and eating celery myself. So far it’s just not been possible. All the best for now Becks, looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi Beck,
Wow- getting down to BMI 20 sounds amazing!! You must be a lot taller than me. I need to go down to 45 kg to get a BMI of 20. That would never happen. I’m happy with 22/23, I think my body type could not manage a low weight like that. I’m small but am not light boned or anything… anyway… fast day gone ok today. No hunger games. I made a spicy lentil soup with some celery and carrot and onion and cumin and chili and a lot of stock. Works out at 72 cal per 100g so had a small 200g bowl after yoga. Before yoga I had a salad. I’m glad I’ll have a fasting buddy on Friday. OH has done the odd fast, but doesn’t really need to lose weight. I had a bad reading on the scales this morning but didn’t take it too seriously because I’ve had 5 full days without a fast and I’m pre-menstrual and always heavy at this time of the month. I hope that in about 6 days I’ll get a much lower reading. Really going to try and eat well tomorrow. I may eat fast day type food but just more of it and try and stick to around 1200 cals or so. Let’s see… Going to jog tomorrow morning before I break my fast and then have a banana pancake (just 1 banana and one egg with cinnamon) and raspberries. Mmmmmmm can’t wiat. Better go to bed now 🙂

Hi Beck, Yes, well done for enjoying your chocolate day and not feeling guilty. That’s the whole point of this way of eating, that we can still enjoy a naughty moment now and again. I’ve just finished my banana pancake, yes, it’s an egg mixed with a mashed up banana and I add cinnamon and sometimes a sprinkle of sugar (today I used up a bit of apple puree in it so no sugar). Seen as I eat it on a non-fast day I melt a little butter in the pan and fry it in that. It’s more like a banana omelette than a pancake and it’s delicious. I got the idea from a thread on here and I’ve tried to make banana pancakes loads of times but always put flour and buttermilk etc in- no need! This is a great solution and it’s wheat/ simple carb free! On top I put some Quark (I live in Germany and can’t explain quark, it’s ‘curds’ i think. A bit like fat-free greek yog I guess, I also topped with stewed raspberries and chopped strawberries and a dash of maple syrup! It’s the second time I’ve broken my fast with this breakfast and I think it’s a winner! I bet I won’t be hungry til mid-afternoon now (I did eat at 9.30 am though so quite a late breakfast).
That’s great that you’ve got some ideas for going into maintenance modes, I guess you can try different ways and see what works. I’m the same with summer holidays. It’s the winter/ spring holidays where I put on weight. In fact the first 2-3 kilos I’ve got to lose I only put on from Xmas onwards! I’m wearing some jeans today that would definitely have been pretty uncomfortable 3 weeks ago so that’s good. They’ll still fit when my muffin top has disappeared so that’s good too. What are your plans for your fast day tomorrow, Beck? Have a great day! 🙂