Hello, Patchy – I agree with Maxwell. Don’t doubt yourself but just hang-on-in-there. My guess is that the spots are a very positive sign of your system clearing out gunk, as you give it a chance to rest and repair and become healthier.
My impression on the forum is that, generally, more men do seem to settle-in to the 5:2 approach more readily than many women, who have female things like a monthly hormonal cycle and water-retention to contend with, even after menopause. Also, – shoot me down in flames here, chaps – it is still women who, when in mixed-sex couples, tend to spend more time involved with food (planning it, buying it, preparing it, offering it to loved ones, clearing it away, etc). I think it would be no surprise if male and female attitudes to – and levels of focus on – eating food were markedly different and more complex for females as a result.