Hi Penny

Good luck, it can be done, but can I suggest be kind to yourself, get used to the 5:2. Then tighten it to 4:3.

I have weeks where I do three fasts, been known to do 5 – but that was a one off, helped by a cold!

There will be days were your arm, heck anyone’s arm, will look tasty, even without seasoning, or even cooking. It takes a while to get to the point that 500 calories isn’t exactly starvation.

Read the how to on the TDEE, you might be one of the lucky ones who will lose loads in the first few weeks, but realistically it’s about a pound a week.

Also read buttonboots journey – a real star, who is quietly out doing us all.

I wish you well on your journey.

New here myself. Sounds as if you have throughtly researched the subject and are very motivated. I’ve read some of the threads here and it appears we will be surrounded by a knowledgeable support group. And so, we begin our journey to reclaiming our health. Good luck!

Hi karate and welcome:

Here is some information that might help: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Lovely start! 🌸

Best wishes to you too Marygp 🌸

Hi Penny,

The very good news is that when you have a lot of weight to shift you will almost certainly start to lose the pounds quite quickly.

Two things: if you do blow it on a fast day, don’t beat yourself up. It happens to everyone. Move the fast to another day. As you lose more weight, you may occasionally land on a plateau and find you don’t lose an ounce for days and weeks on end – I speak from experience. Don’t worry. As long as you don’t regain any of the lost weight, you are still winning.

After many attempts to lose and keep the weight off, this is the first way of eating that has worked for me. I think the fasting is the clincher. I agree with Milena. Two fast days a week is enough to start with and probably enough to continue for quite a long time. So go for it! We’ll all be rooting for you. 🙂

Maybe not a great week, Penny, but still a great result! Well done!

If you have done this I.e. Posted what you need to, then you will do it, just stick at it. We are all behind you, o.k. That will go smaller!

On my laptop now I’m 58 years old. 5′ 2″ and need to lose a lot of weight too. The other thread I’m on is the ‘My 10 week weight loss, week by week’ with Ginette, because a succession of little goals is the only way I think, otherwise it’s too overwhelming.

Think about what you’ve achieved already. You started during the festive season, have had family emergency to deal with and have still managed to lose weight. That deserves congratulations in my book.

I’m a very recent returnee after backsliding last summer when we had a succession of people come to stay. I keep reminding myself that I managed to give up smoking last spring after 40 years, so I really can control myself given the right support.

Take care of yourself and try to think glass half full rather than glass half empty.

Still looking good, Penny. Hang on in there. If you aren’t putting any weight back on, you’re still winning

Hi Penny, that’s a lot of exercise all at once. I am going to get onto my vibraplate machine next week.
I’ve just come in from a walk, about four miles.
We’re very lucky, we just step out of the door and good walks east or west along the Moray coast. Just been watching surfers. Beautiful day here. I’m going to a Burns’ Night tonight. First time for my husband, and I’ve not been to one since I was at school. Haggis, neeps and tatties is not really the best thing on a diet. I’ll just have to make sure I watch it tomorrow and do lots of dancing! I’m off to measure myself. Haven’t done it since I fell by the wayside last time and I think it’s really important to monitor loss of dimensions. Muscle weighs more than fat and with all this increased activity weight loss might be a bit disappointing. Take care.

5:2 is not fancy, is not expensive, and it is not fast (but you fast) but it works. The big payout on 5:2 is health benefits. The reasons Drs don’t recommend it is because it is not pharmacologically driven. The don’t make points with the drug company’s by written a script.

I recommend adhering strictly to 5:2 as laid out in the book for at least two months. fast 2 times a week for 36 hours. consume only 1/4 of your TDEE on those fast days. On your non-fast/feed days stay within/under your TDEE. This is the hard one for me even after a year.

After you’ve established the basic “pattern” as a habit you can start to tweak it.

Remember to recalculate your TDEE as you lose weight. Every time the scales drop recalculate. or you can set your TDEE for a goal weight and eat to that TDEE. TDEE is important.

You can do this! 5:2 is a pattern of eating that you can do for life and your life will get better as you go along. You will be amazed at yourself in a year!

Well done Penny. Slow and steady is the way to go. I’m trying to get over haggis twice in a week, so I’m not expecting much on Monday!

Managing the fast days OK though. Good luck with the exercise next week.

I’m going to try a smaller plate and eating more mindfully. I eat too quickly, so my brain hasn’t registered that I’ve had enough and I end up feeling stuffed.

Half a bottle of Cava is 250 calories. Looking forward to that with my salmon and vegetables for dinner this evening. I’m going to have a go at eating it with chopsticks, see if it will slow me down!

Hi Joan,
Dr Robert Lustig-‘fat chance, the hidden truth about sugar, obesity and disease.
Damon Gameau ‘that sugar book’. Both books have changed how i look at food, but Lustig is my guru and I have given up sugar in my tea(after 40 + years) and reduced sugar consumption overall….and feel much much better.

My pleasure Joan. The more people that look at the amount of sugar in their diet and reduce it, so much the better. Did you hear about the study that got rats hooked on cocaine, but when they offered them cocaine or sugar…they chose the sugar?!

Hi Annette.

No I haven’t seen that piece of research. Please send a link.

I have seen that picture of the rat that is so fat that it can’t stand up.

I gave up smoking last March after 40 years, so I know about addiction. I’m still addicted to coffee and I drink too much alcohol. Fast Days are good really, and I’m considering doing the water only.

I do believe that sugar is addictive and that for lots of Scots sugar’s been deadly. Cranachan is our national sweet because it features our traditional national products: oats, raspberries, honey, cream and whisky. Only natural sugars in that lot. What happened to us?

I didn’t know that Lyle of Tate and Lyle was a Scot. I learned this in Greenock last December just before getting on a short cruise to Dublin. Just had a wee look at their website. Going to look further. Talk soon.

Joan