Hi I am a woman late fifties still 7 stone overweight. I thought I would chart my weight loss to date. 10 weeks seemed a good time.

So is my week by week in case it helps anyone new to the site. Or wondering whether it is worth doing.

W1 – 2
W2 – 3
W3 – 1
W4 – 2
W5 – 0
W6 – 1
W7 – 1
W8 – 1
W9 – 1
W10 – 2

I have just started exercising on the Wii. Starting slowly the last two days before my last weight loss.

I don’t fancy the idea of the gym and being so much overweight wouldn’t feel comfortable, the doctor has suggested swimming, but as I said if I jumped in the water would jump out. I told her to ask me once I had lost another four or five stone.

I had already lost 1 stone since last May before started. I had very night blood pressure now it is high even though it is still controlled by tablets. The tablets give me vivid dreams so I would like to get it down to reduce the side effects. I am signed off from working by my doctor as my bloodpressure is too high and I am not sleeping well, the dreams and nightmares wake me up.

I was made redundant last July so that also added stress, which doesn’t help blood pressure.

My son had started this and was telling me how much he had lost. I decided that I must get healthier and who knows possibly lose weight. I must say I didnt have much faith that I would lose weight. I have been to three different diet clubs over the years and after a few months left all of them. I consistently managed NOT to lose weight on a regular basis and also would often put on weight half a pound or a pound here and there on a regular basis. I did lose overall but I felt that I was miserable and demotivated watching my food every day. Some people have a really good experience as you see in the press and it wasn’t because the group leaders weren’t helpful they were. The whole thing didn’t feel right for me.

Those of you are doubtful take a chance and start. The first day is the most difficult. I do Monday’s and Wednesday’s as I want the rest of the week to be clear. I can’t do two days back to back. I also started with having some calories at lunchtime and the rest in the evening. I have now found that having all in the evening helps.

You must weigh and count everything. Including drinks. I allow 100 calories for tea as this gets me through the day. I use a bigger cup than normal as it lasts longer. I then have 400 calories in the evening. I don’t eat bread, potatoes or any carbs on this day unless they are in a really low calorie ready meal. I always add vegetables to the ready meal. I eat at least About 400 grms of vegetables I use frozen. I alternate between chicken and fish normally.

Hopefully other people doing this diet might join in and put there details. Ask questions and if I can I will answer them. The Michael Moseley programme was inspiring. As is the book that he and Mimi spencer have written.

This forum has helped me a lot. To hear people’s stories and follow their journey.

Please join in

Ginette

Forgot to say. Measurements will go down. I know I have lost a couple of inches from my waist and belly button measurements (I read that this is where you should measure) I didn’t measure from the beginning.

I go to a health trainer which is NHS funded. I have been going since last May and had lost a stone before starting the fast diet. It lasts for 8 visits and then 2 x 3 month follow ups. After 3 months you can refer yourself again for a second time. I wanted to be monitored but not on a weekly basis. He will discuss diet and exercise, also measures waist and weights me every time. He is very supportive although doesn’t beleive in 5:2 as he thinks I will gain weight when I come off of it. He accepts that I am doing well on it and encourages eating better food, this happened to me automatically.

I live in Hampshire and it is free here if you would like monitoring see if it is in your area.

Ginette

Hi Annette

I weigh every week but only measure every few weeks. I can feel it in my clothes. I am getting a new Wii game and I know I need to put measurements in that when building my profile, it makes onscreen avatar the same size as you. How depressing. I think there is an option to change it. I don’t look in mirrors, so I really don’t want to be put off the game before I have started.

Good luck for your fasts this week. My first one tomorrow.

Ginette

Hi stillvisible

Nice to see you here. I put my 10 weeks loss here as it is something people can compare with. I am amazed that I have a loss every week apart fom one. It is nice to show other peopke the journey so keep a record and add them to the thread in 10 weeks.

As long as you follow guidelines and weigh and measure everything on fast days you will be fine. I also keep a bit of an eye on the non fast days. I have eaten fish and chips (only a few chips and small fish) from the chip shop for two weeks in a row. I was looking after someone who was ill and that what all she fancied.

I have also had chocolate and chocolate gateau and cake although only small portions of each. I have increased fruit but mostly vegetables. Today (non fast day) I had a delicious granary bread, ham, watercress and who tomato sandwich. I use low fat cheese spread instead of butter under half the calories. I also had half a melon (small one) with yogurt in the centre this was a treat. This evening I had mince beef, mashed potato mixed with cauliflower and brocolli and a small slice of ginger cake afterwards.

I really don’t feel deprived. This is the key. I tend to batch cook as this is much easier to get something quickly when I am hungry.

A sugar free jelly and yogurt is also lovely for dessert.

The trick is to take things slowly. The average loss in a lb a week. I did lose a little more in the first few weeks. When it slowed down for a few weeks I got the Wii out. It made a difference last week. Let’s see if it does this one. I am happy with 5 lb a month. As I have a lot to lose I don’t want to look gaunt or get saggy. The exercise will tone me up and help with the weight loss. On my next 10 weeks I will also add an exercise log. It is useful to me as I can see a pattern.

I am on the other thread as well also the mid fifties one. We hopefully give help and encouragement. We are all in this together. Have you got much to lose?

Ginette

For anyone interested I have posted update to new Wii game the biggest loser on the mid fifties thread.

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/mid-fifties-just-starting-and-hoping-to-lose-weight-yet-again/page/11/#post-83640

Ginette

Link to HIT exercise clip

Can you get fit fit only exercising for 4 minutes 3 times a week and burn more fat?

Only 4 minutes long so worth watching.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F4S3-Jk0OCY

Ginette

This is an interesting one:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/diets/540783/Bride-weight-loss-before-and-after

To anyone who has missed the original program with Michael Mosley here is a link to an article in the Telegraph.

There are links to many other related articles in the middle of this one.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9480451/The-52-diet-can-it-help-you-lose-weight-and-live-longer.html

Ok. This is one for people just starting. I wanted to put together a getting started guide. There are many others on the forum but this is mine.

I am for the long haul. My days are Monday and Wednesday. The first week is the hardest.

My suggestions.

Before you start measure yourself. In the top right hand corner is a tracker you can put in your current weight and your measurements. Sometimes we may not lose a lot of weight but the inches come off, a strange thing I know. I probably measure about every six weeks.

In the tracker you can work out your TDEE. This is the amount that you can eat up to on a non fast day. I set mine at mt target weight and never really get up to that. At first I did but bad habits change and are replaced by good.

For the first three weeks at least count calories, a bit of a chore I know. This will sometimes surprise you by either being way over or way under your guess. Once you know what you are eating in calories, you can plan better.

Plan meals. Keep an overall idea of what you will eat about two days in advance.

Plan fast days by weighing and measuring everything. All milk in tea and coffee. All food. Stick to meat and veg or fish and veg. Carbohydrates make you hungry. Some people have two meals on fast days some only one. I only have one nice meal in the evening but I have fruit and yoghurt lunchtime. Normally I only have half of the yoghurt on the fruit. I use muller light and they are quite big. It depends on if you like breakfast I don’t. You don’t need to eat breakfast it doesn’t make any difference to a day. Up to you how you do it. You have 500 calories so it will do three really small meals or one large and a small. I also use a smaller plate.

Drink lots of water on a fast day as this should stop headaches. You may feel cold, this happens. A soup is also a good idea at lunch time instead of fruit. You can make your own or buy it weight watcher tomato is 76 calories a day. Worth a try. This is for the whole can.

Some people like to weigh more than once a week. I was on and off those scales all the time. You don’t lose weight any quicker and could be swayed by ups and down. Emotions are brought into play and you will see that you gain and lose all through the week.

Your friends are here. If you need help post and we will answer. A lot of us belong to other threads. Fat bustin Brits is one and there are others. Start on this one and explore others. I am also on help all ladies of a certain age as a lot of us are.

I use an app called my fitness pal. This is useful for updating your weight. Logging food eaten and milk in drinks. This I only measured twice. I have 5/6 cups of tea on fast days and this gets me through it. I got a large mug to use for fast days and now use it every day.

On this app you can also scan in food. More about this if you decide to use it.

You may have a hard time at first. If you start a fast day and then go over don’t worry if it is by 10, or 15 calories. If it is by more turn in into a low calorie day and then do another fast day. It may take you a couple of weeks to get the hang of it.

I have spicy chicken on a fast day, I buy spicy chicken breasts from farm foods, these are delicious and make it interesting. I even sonetimes have a little instant cheese sauce on my veg. I count this as well.

Salads are low in calories but not very satisfying for me, I leave these for other days. I always use frozen on fast days. Calories are on the packet and then I weigh them and put them in the microbe overnight. The nest day this and the chicken is ready to cook. I don’t have to think of dinner then. Melon is great with yoghurt and you get a lot for few calories. Also strawberries.

Remember these are only suggestions and my own way. We each find our own way of doing it and coping.

After a little while I would say two or three weeks, your tastes change and the food you want does too. I always craved carbs the day after. This was my body missing them as I used to eat too many. This goes, hard to believe it but it does. 5:2 gets easier as you go and most of us look forward to fast days. I know very strange.

Others will I hope join to give you lots of advice. This is a lot to take in I know. Look up may 10 week by week weight loss, I will post it there as well.

Good luck. This was my first ever forum experience and I have made some lovely forum friends. We live a long way away from one another but we all come together here. We are from many different countries. I live in the south of England.

Ginette

Is .bg for Bulgaria?

Ginette

Hi Milena

I thought it might be but if someone genuinely wanted help I wanted to give it. I haven’t used the email address as this is only for people I consider I know well enough to know that they are genuine people.

I worry about some people on other threads having there adress on their profile. I think Facebook messenger is a safer place to give people these.

My next comment if I get an answer was that I preferred to keep in contact through the the forum. I did a quick look up of Bulgarian food in case the person was genuine.

Even the best of us can be fooled at times. I have been before so I am a little more cautious now.

Ginette

Too right Milena

Most of the people are genuine but you just get the odd one. I just thought that the English wasn’t fluent and that made me look, it is so unusual to see an email as well.

I’ve just noticed that the post has gone?? Did you report it?

Ginette

Bless you Milena and I for you.

I am on a b2b today as I normally fast on Friday but will be out all day. Food isn’t under my control. I have found someone to give my chicken with aniseed to and she loves it!!

So two people pleased. Me to pass it on and her to get it. I will be back to my normal spicy chicken next week – what a joy. Do you have Farm foods near you?

Ginette

Good luck on your first week. Definetly the hardest.

Link to the other thread.

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/my-10-week-weight-loss-week-by-week/#post-92327

Sue, if you are reading this then click on the link as well, it may help.

Ginette

Here is the link.

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/my-10-week-weight-loss-week-by-week/#post-93675

Ginette

Hi All

Just an update on next 10 weeks weight loss, I did do the fast beach diet during these weeks and that gave me a really good loss of 16lbs in 6 weeks.

Week 11 -1
Week 12 -1
Week 13 -0.5
Week 14 -1.5
Week 15 -5
Week 16 -1
Week 17 -2
Week 18 -2
Week 19 -3
Week 20 -3

This takes me up to 7th June, so I am now partly through the next 10 weeks. At the moment weight loss has slowed right down but I am still losing and as I keep telling myself that is the important thing.

How is everybody else doing?

Ginette

Hi Joan and Hemmy

Yes I can honestly say that at the beginning of 5:2, I never expected to lose as much weight as I did or be able to follow it for so long.

It has been just over six months since I started and I am still with it. In this tine I have lost just over three stone and I lost a stone in the 9 months before by cutting back. I am especially thrilled with the 5:2 because it doesn’t feel as if I am on a diet.

I have a target weight in mind on 11 stone. In fact if I lower this by 3lbs I shall be in the healthy range of BMI. I still have about 5 stone to lose to get here, so I think it will take me about another year or two to achieve this.

I am looking forward to getting to the next half stone target because this will take me to the half way mark and the next half stone will take me into a new BMI range. So there are always small achievable targets to use.

I would say be realistic with your targets and time frames and then you won’t be disappointed.

I reached a plateau a few weeks ago well not a complete plateau as I wanted to avoid that but a real slow down of weight loss. I know that this is inevitable after a while. I had become lazy with food choices and I was having too many treats. I did not want this to last, so gave myself a bit of a kick and I changed to 4:3 that is 3 days fasting, 4 days off.

The first week of this no change but the week after lost two pounds and the following three pounds. I have been surprised by a Chinese takeaway that I wasn’t expecting and I am also out for a meal this week so if I stay the same that will be a bonus. These things happen in life and it is good to remember this.

I am pleased to say that I have not put on in all the time I have been doing this. If I have had a meal out before I have have always added another fast day to that week to counteract any effects.

Joan

Bread I think you will eat less of. I found this happened naturally. I only eat then about three times a week. At the moment I might have one or possible two sandwiches a week. Before I could have toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch maybe a piece of two of toast later with a sausage or maybe egg and beans and then I sometimes had a piece of fruit and yoghurt. As you see a very unhealthy diet. I also had the odd chocolate bar or piece of cake, I am now shocked as I write this. My favourite dinners involved either a jacket potato, beans and cheese or pasta……all carbs again. Meat and fish I could take it or leave it. I always eat vegetables on Sunday with a roast dinner and I really love vegetables. I was working late and it all seemed like too much effort to prepare when I got home.

I know have vegetables nearly every day and the same from fruit although maybe only one piece a day. I do use frozen vegetables normally cauliflower, broccoli and carrots but occasionally I add spinach or sprouts and I cook up a large pot of mince with peppers, onions, mushrooms (whole as this way they don’t add water to the mince and I can still taste them) two tins of tomatoes and herbs and spices. I often use fajita seasoning, not an obvious one to use but absolutely delicious. I use ordinary mince or meat free. Then I serve with more vegetables. 🙂

So even with a lot of weight to shift (I imagine it is about the same as I have) it does go down.

With the 4:3 I find I can relax more at weekends and also on NFDs I am more careful during the week than the weekend though.

Keep in touch both of you as it will be interesting to see each other’s journeys.

Good luck to you both and any questions just post and I will try to answer.

I have recently been hearing about new things which can help us on our journey. All food related!! These are only in the UK so I am not sure where you are Joan I live in the south of England.

The first one is Morrisons’s it has been has been on many other sites leek and bacon stuffed pies, it is with lattice pastry and some cheese in the mix and they come out at 100 calories each. Look them up they are delicious.

The other was tesco frozen Chinese noodle stir fry. 154 calories for half a pack which is 250 grms.

Hi Lynda

That is an amazing loss and what a fantastic first week you had. In fact your ten weeks were all good even the fact that you only put on 2lbs on holiday. Seeing the 10 weeks I think is helpful as it shows a pattern.

Hi Abs

Nice to see you here. What are you aiming to lose? How long have you been doing it? I always hope it helps and I am trying to encourage people to put their 10 week losses on here.

I have just seen your post on an email. As I have Lynda’s I had a phone call on the middle of posting.

Have a good week all

Ginette