I have been doing 5:2 since February 6, 2017 and wanted to share my experience to date.

I am a 57 year old male and am on synthroid for Hashimotos disease. When I started, my weight was 230 lbs and my blood pressure was 145/95. I was relatively inactive due to some nagging injuries. Also, I was becoming sensitive to sugar/carbs in that a dish of ice cream could leave me with a nasty hangover if I ate it after 7:00 pm the night before.

Today, my weight is 219 lbs, my blood pressure is 125/75 without medication, and my activity level is up significantly. Besides the improved numbers, my appetite has changed quite a bit – I really don’t crave sugary foods now but look forward to my fasts. I really enjoy how good food tastes the morning after completing a fast!

My wife and several friends are giving this a go as well – it’s working for each of them to varying degrees.

Good luck to everyone else embarking on this approach to eating!

Hi Dolly,

Thx for your note – I feel really fortunate for how well the IF approach has been working for me.

Congratulations on starting and getting through your first day. The fasts do get easier. Remember to drink lots of water as it helps w/hunger pangs (I prefer tea). Also, I find I get chilly on fast days so I unapologetically layer up to stay comfortable. Reading and connecting on the forums is helpful too.

Last – think long term and be kind to yourself. This is not a fast fix so be patient. A missed fast or an overindulgence is not the end of the world – forgive yourself and look ahead to the next day.

Good luck!

Still tracking with doing fasts Monday and Thursday. Weight now 214 lbs (15 to go to reach goal), blood pressure solidly in the 115-120/65-70 range, and push ups edging above 20 per session (started w/less than 5). Have tried doing 36 hour fasts w/no food at all and while they weren’t too bad, I could not stop eating for 24 hours afterwards! When I started IF in February I was hopeful to get back to where 36″ waist jeans were comfortable again – now they are falling off w/out a belt. Appetite keeps shifting – craving veggies (roasted beets lately), pistachios, and my health smoothie concoction. Best of luck to everyone undertaking this change in lifestyle!

Tomorrow marks my 3 month anniversary for doing the 5:2 lifestyle. Weight now 210 (20 lbs lost) so 11 to go to reach my goal weight. Fasts went well but did have serious carb cravings after Thursday’s fast. Now doing 30 push-ups per day and getting some swimming in as well a couple of times per week.

Have been reading a lot of the forum posts and they really do help sorting out what is going on during this process of learning a new way of life.

Continued success to everyone undertaking this lifestyle!

Hi Redcoyoteblue,

Thanks for your note. I feel so fortunate to have found this approach as I seemed to be running out of options. Another poster said it very well in that IF is a practice like yoga and it takes time and effort to master, so don’t sweat mishaps – just learn from them and stay on your path. The benefits are so worth it!

Best of luck to you!

This week went well, but was a departure from my earlier pattern due to family obligations. I completed 2 fasts (Mon and Thurs) but did eat in the evenings rather than waiting until morning. The fasts were pretty easy and it did help to be rather busy both days. I did add brazil nuts to my list of things to eat as the selenium they contain is supposed to help thyroid function – we will see! At least they taste good……

Weight still tracking and am now at 204 (26 down, 5 to reach goal). I am off track badly with strength work and expect to resume this next week. Looking forward to the triathlon in 2 weeks and will need to be careful w/how the fasts intersect w/my work out plans.

Hope things go well for all the 5:2ers out there!

Wanted to do an end of year update for 2017.

I have maintained my weight at 200 since my last posting which is the best I have done at weight maintenance ever! I did have some twists in the road – the biggest being getting my thyroid meds lowered due to an over-reactive doctor and then spending 3 months getting back to where I need to be (with the aid of an Endocrinologist). My b.p. has been steady and other than a bout of flu, I have been feeling pretty good.

I have been pretty faithful with building some muscle – I did 36 push-ups this week and am working to reach 50. Also, I have been doing a core strength routine for runners that has slimmed my middle and I may even see some abs peeking out soon. I am signed up for a 13.1 mile winter trail race in 3 weeks and am shooting for a pace of 9:00 min/mile which would be a PR for me. Still need to work on flexibility and balance to improve my sit/stand score.

I have been doing 6:1 for most of the past 6 months (some 5:2 to lose the lbs added during my medication correction). The weekly break really suits me – I feel reset and healthier after my fasts.

Feeling very blessed as 12 months ago everything (weight, blood pressure, energy level) was tracking the wrong way and today they are in great shape. WooHoo!

Best of luck to everyone trying this lifestyle – it’s remarkable so many benefits are available by doing less!

Hi Caroline,

Congratulations on your first fast day. Hope it went well for you. My first fasts were horribly hard – headache, cold, and hungry! But they got easier and am glad I stayed with it. Be patient and don’t be hard on yourself as you go!

Best of luck to you

Hi Caroline,

You are ambitious! One comment I wanted to make is that I used running as a way to get me through the part of the day I was most prone to feel hungry. My weight loss effort was centered on the 5:2.and managing what I ate. For me, as I got into the rhythm of fasting my appetite changed quite a bit and moved away from craving sugar all the time. I did have a couple incidents where I pushed too hard on the exercise during my fasts and felt pretty woozy; I found my limit was about 5 miles. Luckily a few bites of food brought me back pretty quickly.

Best of luck to you!