Hi all,

Is it too late to join? I’m an American and 46 years old. Have lost 5 pounds on fast diet and started jan 2! Feeling good! Didn’t join groups for some time but think so inspiring. My ultimate goal is to lose 10 more pounds! I know it’s not a ton of weight but they are so hard to lose! I find cutting carbs and crazy diets impossible for long term. I seem to always be at a fighting weight and just want a permanent lifestyle.

In the last month I actually stopped pretty much eating breakfast. I always heard that was so bad but now like to conserve calories! 🙂

This is brilliant, so many new buddies! Welcome!

Erin, sorry to be a repetition, but 500cals for 42 days!!!!????? if that is not willpower, what is? I am sure you will have no problems with 5:2.

I admire Pobster30 for his honesty and willingness to give this diet a go.

No diet is easy, by definition they imply a restriction on what we would like to eat. Let’s admit, food companies are not favouring this and they keep tempting us with lower prices and offers on junk food. It is difficult to resist. However, the benefits of eating healthy and feeling good are so rewarding, that once you are “in the zone” (as I call it), temptations will not be such.

Great to hear that you have all had a good fasting yesterday. It would seem that fasting triggers posting (we had more than 20 posts yesterday), or is the the lack of an activity (i.e. eating) that needs to be replaced by something else? Possibly food replaces boredom…?

(sorry, I am a bit philosophical this morning (?))

Getskinny, I loved your idea of prawns for dinner, and only 200 cals! Good going! Also loved Esjaypee’s recipe of smoked haddock, spinach and poached egg at only 300cals. Great ideas! I am rubbish at cooking and I tend to go for easy preparations, hence the tendency to snack…

(PS I had planned fasting on Saturday because I thought that the party I had would involve buffet food, rather than a sit down dinner. I would not have planned fasting otherwise)

Hi all!
I love the way that everyone on here is so upbeat & as MMP says, many of us seem to be ‘in the zone’. Long may it last for everyone & we can read all the positives if we start to struggle a bit.
It’s also lovely that we have an international gang! America, Spain, UK. I actually live in Yorkshire, so I’m very lucky having plenty of walks right on my doorstep to choose from (couldn’t face running like some of you good people – ooh, no). X

Hi Lara99. I live in Elloughton in East Yorkshire, so about an hour away from York, Leeds & Yorkshire. I’m originally from London, so I enjoy the quieter pace of life up here (& apparently the food!) x

I’m feeling inspired again after reading all the posts after getting disheartened by a binge this afternoon (on a non-fast day). I did better than I expected on my fast day yesterday but ate about 3000 calories today. My TDEE is about 2700 so hoping that if I don’t have a repeat of today I won’t have done TOO much damage.

Just feeling a bit annoyed with myself that I’ve undone yesterday’s hard work! Planning another fast day for tomorrow so will hopefully have a bit more self-control!

Good morning all, I am so pleased with myself for having zero calories yesterday, I would not have believed that I could do it but it was easy. I think a lot of our eating is just habit, before starting this I don’t think I ever ate when I was hungry, I ate because it was a certain time of day, I didn’t know what hunger was. So Monday I had 350 calories, yesterday zero, I had better lose this week or I am chucking my toys out!

Milena, insomnia does seem to be a side effect of eating less, but I can live with that, no pain, no gain.

fitmom, where in Spain did you stay? We are on the Costa Blanca, just south of Alicante. Do you live on the coast? I love being walking distance from the beach, it’s a lot different from Manchester.

Applepie, good to know its a side effect, I would make a good night shift worker. At least working from home i do my own hours, so i can live with it, as long as i dont snack in the early hours. Think ill try a zero calorie day, it might just kick start me.

Lara99 – wow, yes what a small world and I can’t believe you live so close. And, guess where my hubby works – Hedon!

Everyone seems to be doing really well. I’m the same as you, esjaypee, as I’ve rather over eaten today having done so well on Monday’s fast day. How can I eat nothing all day except a piece of salmon on veg & then on a normal day not be able to resist ……. (I was going to say what it was, but don’t want to thwart anyone’s efforts). But let’s just say it was very naughty & I’m regretting it now.

Milena, I’m glad you mentioned the insomnia, I hadn’t associated it with the fasting, but that’s pretty much when it started. 5am is my time & so the iPad comes out for an hour or so.

Well, it’s a fast day for me tomorrow. Not feeling quite as confident after today. Good luck to everyone else who’s revving up for their next fast. x

Well, HelenW11, at least there’s a buddy around in the wee small hours. Snowing up here in Edinburgh, so the walk to the post office tomorrow should burn off a few extra calories!

Hi everyone – hope any fasters are doing ok. I’m struggling a bit more than last week, but managing not to cave in just yet. Only have to last until 6 o’clock! Oh, and it’s literally just started snowing!! Probably not as much as for our American chums 🙂

Today I’ve discovered my first negative to fasting…… I woke up with a very stiff neck & we can’t take ibuprofen on an empty stomach!! Aaaaagh!

Milena – ha ha, good point! Won’t feel so sorry for myself next time knowing that I’m not the only one.

Applepie – it was peanut butter!!!

Hx

MMP – under 190 calories is Fabulous! I think you should move it back to present tense.
Don’t blame you for wanting something hot, it’s freezing!!!!
X

Hi Gang

I posted a couple of days ago, 2 weeks in not lost an ounce.

After good fast Tuesday, off the wagon big-time Wednesday – felt like death all day yesterday, got worse as day went on, but weighed myself and l’d lost a kilo.

Got up today feeling great, got tax self assessments in before deadline, and ended up having a fast day too. And another kilo down!

Of course next week I shall be an angel and probably won’t lose anything, but at least I’ve broken my duck!!!!

All have a great weekend!!!!

I feel very fragile after our meal out last night. The Mongolian beef skewers were amazing, the Thai curry wasn’t, the tiramisu was nice, the wine lovely, the Baileys delicious, and the gin and tonic (only one) heaven! It was my first G&T since starting this on 5th Jan. I am just not used to all that food / drink anymore, I can’t take it. Which must be good news. I just hope the scales are kind to me tomorrow.

Hi all, just got an email from Rosemary Connelly, well probably not from her personally, however, she is now saying her diet follows the 5:2 diet principles. Of course she has changed it, 800 calories on fast days and ‘occasional’ treats.

It’s a bit like trying to rewrite ‘pride and prejudice’ why have second best – I’ll just stay where I am thank you, Rosemary!!! Interesting though!

Finding if I eat too much at once (it was only a ham and salad leaves brown bread sarnie, not a fast day) really sore tummy and the runs – hopefully a bit of weight lost there then!!!!!!

Well, first fast day of the week for me today. I have the lentil hotspot in the slow cooker. Some great ideas coming out of this forum.

I took part in Dry January so had no alcohol last month but had some lovely prosecco yesterday so didn’t do so well on the calorie front. May have to do an extra day this week.

Good luck this week everyone.

Lar x

I worked from home on Friday last week, which I’d planned to have as my second Fast Day of the week. I just find it impossible to do when I’m at home, so I ended up eating!! Will do Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week, then back to 5:2 the week after.

Just a hiccup, I’m back on the wagon!

Hi all, hope all had a good weekend. How was your first week, Getskinny?

Got another email from rosemary Connolly, she is charging £69.50!!!!!!! So we are saving money as well staying here.

Did – still doing – total fast today, just water and fruit tea – I hate fruit tea! – did well, though perhaps watching hairy biker Dave on his foodie tour of Egypt might not have been a good idea.

Doing it more to rest my dicky tummy. But just weighed myself, 3rd kilo away now! Wow – if I can do this, anybody can. I’m spending this evening looking for something nice to wearcwith the £70 I havnt given Rosemary.

I would love to join your group as it seems a number of you are just gettting started. My daughter and I have just started on 5:2, today is our first fast day. She has tried a number of ways to drop some weight caused by medication that she is no longer on, so when I found this option I challenged her to join me. We have freely had tea and instant coffee today and I had a cup of tomato/beef soup at lunch time (50 cals) and she had a nectarine and a small muesli bar. We have each had a large scrambled egg for dinner – surprisingly filling. It is summer fruit season here, so a couple of apricots before bed won’t mess with either of us.
I’m aiming to lose 10-12 kilos.

Hilary4 our posts crossed, sounds like you are making a good start. Are you in Australia? It is very cold here in Spain this week, enjoy your summer fruit x

Hi, wellI managed the whole day without food! Still bad insomnia, my tummy started rumbling at 4am. Its almost 11, my skinny men are having a bacon and egg ciabatta sandwich, which I have refused. So just having a cup of tea (milk and half a sugar) and going shopping for a tasty lunch and dinner. Prawns, fish and salad i think. Couldnt face anything heavy.

Applepie, not sure i could do no food straight after fast day, let me know how you get on. Good luck!

Hi Everyone,
It seems you are all doing so well and in many different ways, which just shows we understand our own needs so well. I’m keeping strictly to what the book says. Eating two meals of 500 calories on my fasting days with a long-as-I-can fast in between, and eating normal the rest of the time. I’m finding this is working well for me. I may increase this to 4:3 as I need to lose quite a bit of weight. I’m finding on the non-fast days that I am not craving as much as I used to and sweet things don’t call my name so loudly. I find I can go almost 12hrs between my meals on the fast days, and each time it is getting easier.

I’ve convinced my husband to join me for the health benefits, so he is doing 6:1. He has cholesterol and blood pressure problems so it will be good to see any benefits to these over time.

I’m also trying to do the HIT exercising as well but need to get more organised with my time and mind to get this up and running (no pun intended) properly. Wish me luck.

This and a change of job (if I get it) will hopefully bring about a slimmer, healthier and more exciting me.

All the best to all of you, power to our elbows!!!

Oh milena, I can sympathise with the bad insomnia – I usually sleep like a top, but last night I had to add a light blanket to my side of the bed, because I was feeling the cold. At 2.30am I ate a mini bran muffin and that made all the difference – I popped off to sleep quickly after that. Just under 400 calories for the fast day,

It is scone day at work today (long story) so I will have my usual milky coffee for breakfast and wait till 10am to enjoy one of the world’s best scones. I’ll take my wee digital scale with me so I can work out the calories accurately. I have a serve of leftover vegetable medley for lunch so I can balance things out.

All the best for those fasting today.

Wow, Sue – 14lb in a month! That is an achievement to be proud of! I’ll bet you didn’t ever put on that much in any month so give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.

We have chosen the same days – but this week it had to be Tuesday and Friday.

One thing I have found helps with portion control is plate size – smaller portions look a lot more satisfying served on smaller plates. I went shopping to find 1960s-sized dinner plates and small cereal/dessert bowls.
Here’s a link that will give you the idea visually: http://onemorecupcakeplease.tumblr.com/post/39658046147/sizing-up-your-plate

Morning all,

Happy to report I’ve lost 5lbs since starting this 2 weeks ago. I’m so pleased because I just couldn’t lose anything before, despite trying really hard, and this is just soooo much easier. I just find that no matter how hungry I get on fast days, I know I can eat normally the next day and psychologically that really works for me.

Sue, 14lbs is fantastic!! Especially doing it solo. It’s great that you’ve found this forum as everyone is so supportive and I know it helps me hugely.

Thanks for the link Hilary. I’ll be digging out some smaller plates today. She’s right when she says that we’re conditioned to use larger plates – time to break that habit I think..

Happy fasting everyone, I’m off to clear yet more snow x