Hi Lyn and welcome:

Here are some tips for newbies: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Hi all I joined this site today but have been on the 5/2 for 3 and a half weeks.
Its my second attempt at doing it with the first one I did it for 5 weeks and lost a stone and as of last Saturdays weigh in I had lost 6 lb in 3 weeks this time round.
The weight loss is obviously a big reason for doing it but also the other benefits are a big incentive too, I know its to soon to know but I love the fact that the body switches from growth mode to repair mode.
The horizon program was brilliant and all of it made so much sense, you dont see many overweight 90 year olds in supermakers walking around but you do see a quite a few slim ones still living a very happy and reasonably active lives.
When I get hunger pangs on fast days I say to myself thats the magic happening with repair mode replacing growth mode, It helps me:-)

Cells going into ‘repair’ mode…I like that part too. I learned about that concept from the program but I’d like to learn more. I remember protein caused the cells to be in reproduction mode, but what kicked them into ‘repair’? I’ll research and get back to you.

I’m about to make dinner, eat my 200 calories and bring my first ‘fast day’ to an end. Then another fast day tomorrow.

I think the beginning of this venture is the time for connection and paying attention to all the details. Thanks for giving me a place for that.

Hi @john wis and @lyndoe,

I love the simplistic view. They could also be called ‘instinctual views’. There is a lot to be said for our intuitive impressions of ourselves and the world around us. I like to back my instinct up with science to keep me ‘honest’ or reassured that I’m on the right track, but, I think some people rely too heavily on fact and research and deny their own instinctual impressions. Our whole body has the ability to communicate the truth, especially about ourselves and any human behaviors.

That being said, here’s some scientific fact we can use to help us visualize what our cells are doing while we are ‘fasting’, it’s really just cutting calories, isn’t it? Someone posted this on another forum in the 5:2 website. I’m still a little unsure of cell repair mode vs cell division… And what we are doing to help our bodies as we age. Do you think we will heal faster from injuries or sprains or muscle strains and bruises? Wouldn’t that be great? That would keep me going on the tough ‘fasting’ days!

I just finished my 2 days of eating 400 calories, I will continue to learn while on this journey. Thanks for your thoughts, ideas, support, it helps to know others are out ‘there’ thinking and struggling with me: Lyndoe and john!

What I found:

When you “lose” body fat, the fat cell (also called an adipocyte) does not go anywhere or “move into the muscle cell to be burned. The fat cell itself, (unfortunately) stays right where it was – under the skin in your thighs, stomach, hips, arms, etc., and on top of the muscles – which is why you can’t see muscle “definition” when your body fat is high.

The fat is not burned right there in the fat cell,
it must be liberated from the fat cell.

Fat is stored inside the fat cell in the form of triaglycerol. The fat is not burned right there in the fat cell, it must be liberated from the fat cell through somewhat complex hormonal/enzymatic pathways. When stimulated to do so, the fat cell simply releases its contents (triaglycerol) into the bloodstream as free fatty acids (FFA’s), and they are transported through the blood to the tissues where the energy is needed.

A typical young male adult stores about 60,000 to 100,000 calories of energy in body fat cells. What triggers the release of all these stored fatty acids from the fat cell? Simple: When your body needs energy because you’re consuming fewer calories than you are burning (an energy deficit), then your body releases hormones and enzymes that signal your fat cells to release your fat reserves instead of keeping them in storage.

For stored fat to be liberated from the fat cell, hydrolysis (lipolysis or fat breakdown), splits the molecule of triaglycerol into glycerol and three fatty acids. An important enzyme called hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) is the catalyst for this reaction. The stored fat (energy) gets released into the bloodstream as FFA’s and they are shuttled off to the muscles where the energy is needed. As blood flow increases to the active muscles, more FFA’s are delivered to the muscles that need them.

An important enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), then helps the FFA’s get inside the mitochondria of the muscle cell, where the FFA’s can be burned for energy. If you’ve ever taken a biology class, then you’ve probably heard of the mitochondria. This is the “cellular powerhouse” where energy production takes place and this is where the FFA’s go to be burned for energy.

When the FFA’s are released from the fat cell, the fat cell shrinks and that’s why you look leaner when you lose body fat – because the fat cell is now smaller. A small or “empty” fat cell is what you’re after if you want the lean, defined look.

It was once believed that the number of fat cells could not increase after adulthood, only the size of the fat cells could increase (or decrease). We now know that fat cells can indeed increase both in size (hypertrophy) and in number (hyperplasia) and that they are more likely to increase in number at certain times and under certain circumstances, such as:

During late childhood and early puberty
During pregnancy
During adulthood when extreme amounts of weight are gained.
Some people are genetically predisposed to have more fat cells than others and women have more fat cells than men. (learn about your body type) An infant usually has about 5 – 6 billion fat cells. This number increases during early childhood and puberty, and a healthy adult with normal body composition has about 25 to 30 billion fat cells. A typical overweight adult has around 75 billion fat cells. But in the case of severe obesity, this number can be as high as 250 to 300 billion!

The average size (weight) of an adult fat cell is about 0.6 micrograms, but they can vary in size from 0.2 micograms to 0.9 micrograms. An overweight person’s fat cells can be up to three times larger than a person with ideal body composition.

Remember, body fat is basically just a reserve source of energy and fat cells are the like the storage tanks. Unlike a gas tank in your car which is fixed in size, however, fat cells can expand or shrink in size depending on how “filled” they are.

Picture a balloon that is not inflated: It’s tiny when not filled with air – maybe the size of your thumb. When you blow it up with air, it can expand 10 or 12 times it’s normal size, because it simply fills up. That’s what happens to fat cells: They start as nearly empty fat storage “tanks” (when you are lean), and when energy intake exceeds your needs, your fat cells “fill up” and “stretch out” like balloons filling up with jelly (not a pretty picture, is it?)

So you don’t actually “lose” fat cells, you “empty out” fat cells.

Take-home lessons:

Calories count! The signal that triggers your body to release adipose from fat cells is an energy deficit… you have to burn more than you eat. More info: burning fat without burning muscle article.
Cut calories conservatively. Starving yourself may cause quick weightloss at first, but never works long term because it actually decreases the activity of fat burning enzymes that release fat from the cells. to avoid this “starvation mode” use exercise to BURN THE FAT, not very low calorie crash diets.
Get control of your weight now. If you are gaining weight, and especially if your weight is climbing upwards out of control, make a decision to STOP RIGHT NOW. Your fat cells might be multiplying, making it more difficult to burn fat in the future. NOW is the time!
If you’ve already lost weight, you must be forever diligent. Your fat cells are not gone, they have merely “shrunk” or “emptied out.” Fitness is not a 12 week program, its a lifestyle. To stay lean you have to eat clean and stay active
Genetics are only a minor factor. You may not have control over how many fat cells you were born with, but you do control the major factors that determine how much fat you store: lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, mental attitude.
Genetics are not an excuse. The past is not an excuse. Your present condition is not an excuse. You can either make excuses or get results, but you can’t do both.

So keep educating yourself about the science, read these newsletters, take action every day and go out there and make it happen!

This is from this website. I found it simple and informitive so I shared.
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/what-happens-when-fat-is-burned.html

Hi john:

Nothing unusual or wrong. This might help: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/ See #2.

Good Luck!

Hi Everyone! I really enjoy reading about everyones experiences. Are you all feeling okay? Enjoying the weekend? I do not think any of us are fasting over the weekend days, ?

I had a big eating Friday night including margaritas, home-made pizzas, and red wine, and warm blueberry crisp w/ice cream for desert. And last night I had the rare opportunity to go out to dinner alone with my husband. We went to a restaurant that serves great food, a lot of ‘locally raised/grown/produced’, indulgent, full fat, but modest portions. I had a nice experience splitting two appetizers with my husband, sipping a cocktail and savoring a lovely main course. Afterward he wanted to get another cocktail or desert but I was so full. Usually i would have felt able to squeeze in something else. Even when we got home 2 hours later he wanted a piece of left-over pie and offered to share but I could not have any…..

Who knows if this will last but I’m hoping that it will. M.Mosley mentioned a shrinking appetite, I liked that feeling of not even being tempted to over indulge…Has anyone else experienced this?

Dear @lyndoe, It is so nice you have big celebrations with family for your granddaughters 3rd birthday. You all must live near to each other, that is something I admire.

I think your plan to measure/weigh once a month is a good one! I have weighed the morning after my 2 consecutive fast days and liked the results but alas, 3 mornings later, the numbers are higher.

I may have been experiencing a nice dip in appetite over the weekend but it was right back up last night! I was a little down and the emotional response to soothe with food and drink was at play. That is a tough one to make a change in. No major worries, I am always going a teeny bit off the good eating path but i get right back on too. We are not robots, right?

Fast day for you today? Enjoy. I’ll be doing Wed. and Th. again. I am not sure consecutive days is the best choice….Maybe Tues(tomorrow) and Thurs…Anywho, Nice chatting with you! You are doing great!!