I’m on my third week of the 5:2 strategy. I was slim until I had my two children – when I went up two dress sizes. Since then, I’ve been a member of a gym for 11 years – and have walked the dog for 4 of those years too – and as a result I’m fitter and down to a size 14. However, for all my hours of exercise, I havent really changed shape or weight very significantly.

This year, after a period of illness and then a holiday at a wonderful hotel with a great cook (full board), I seemed to have gone back to my post-pregnancy shape. I have slim arms and legs but carry all my weight round my middle – which has bad health implications as well.

A weigh-in and fat-measurement at the gym confirmed my fears – but I resolved to do something about it. I realised that my attitude to food was not great. Since being a full-time mum, and now working from home within range of temptation, I’ve tended to equate ‘feeling tired’ with ‘needing food.’ I’ve eaten for energy, or because I need a break from what Im doing, and not always because Im actually hungry – and this kind of habit has undone most of the hard work in the gym!

One of the gym trainers told me about the 5:2 diet. Although she doesnt normally recommend diets as such, she felt that I had just got used to eating too much and that fasting would put this right. I did some research, saw the Horizon programme and then gave it a go. Because the gym scales have proved erratic, I dont, unfortunately have a ‘Before’ weight to measure progress against, but I do have some other measurements and I have now invested in some scales!

After three weeks, I have begun to notice some change and weight loss – to get a tantalising glimpse of the shape I used to be! I like the 5:2 stragegy because it doesnt dominate your life and two days of restricted calories isnt too onerous, especially since I discovered that drinking sparkling mineral water with a slice of lime has really helped in those more hollow moments!

I do feel that my attitude to food has changed – and that the answer to feeling tired is not to buy a treat from the bakers. Keeping to 500 calories a day twice a week does educate you about the calorie/GI content of food and makes you very appreciative of the food you eat on both fast or feast days.

I fast on my gym days because these are my busiest days when I’m out and about more than normal. Also, it means that the only meal Ive skipped when going to the gym is breakfast, so it doesnt impact my training routine. I dont think it would work for me if I did the fast the day before going to the gym.

I havent been tempted to splurge at all on my feast days although I do notice that I’m quite keen to eat carbs the day after a fast. But I havent gone crazy and dont carbo-load!

So all in all Im feeling very optimistic and positive about this way of living. It makes sense to me and does help ‘reset’ your appetite and attitude to food. I’d certainly recommend it to others. But I’m puzzling over three things.. can anyone offer any insights?

1) My fast day diet includes protein as it keeps you feeling full for longer. But on the Horizon programme, there was a suggestion that in the West we eat too much protein which isnt good for our bodies. So how do you work out the right quantity on fast or feast days?

2)On feast days, I tend to eat less than I used to, because at least some of the discipline of the fast days spills over! However, some of the research on the Horizon programme seemed to suggest that people who ate normally on feast days – or even quite unhealthily (high fat etc) – did not fare any worse in losing weight than people who were more frugal on feast days. These people were doing alternative day fasting – so I dont know if the same pattern applies to those doing the 5;2 system?

When someone online complained they were not losing much weight on 5:2 they were told to check that they weren’t feasting too well on feast days! – but Ive also seen advice given that they might not be eating enough on feast days!! That seems contradictory. So what I’d love to know is this – will I lose weight quicker if I am a little careful on feast days as well as being very careful on fast days! Or isnt it worth the bother??

Last question! On the advice of other members of the forum, Ive tried out the MyFitnessPal site online (dont yet have a smartphone). Does anyone have any tips for getting the best out of this site? It isnt really geared up for the 5:2 system. Once you put your details in and how much weight you’d like to lose, it gives you a daily target which in my case is 1,310 calories, well below my TDEE of 1877. Perhaps I should have pretended I was just maintaining my weight rather than looking to slim down and then it would have given me a more normal daily target, which I’d just ignore two days a week on my fast days. What do other people do? I presume there isnt a similiar website geared up for the 5:2 system?

Would love any info or advice! Thanks to everyone who has given encouragement to others on this site. Much appreciated.

ps.. Sorry, just getting used to forums.. as much of a learning curve as the IF itself.

Thanks to Lindy too for your reply. I seem to be on targt with MyFitnessPal with everything except for protein – but I think that’s because it has set me a lower limit on everything because it thinks Im on a daily weight-loss programme rather than a two day a week one. But I could reset it!

MFP seems quite a useful guide, as you say, even if you just use it for fast days. I dont think I’ll ever be someone who will weigh each carrot so it is helpful to know approx many calories I’m eating – and how many calories Im adding by drinking tea with milk (have not yet managed to do without on fast days!) It certainly helps you make sensible choices. But I havent yet used MFP on a fast day so havent yet experienced the ‘starvation mode’ warning.

Yes, I’m sure it is better to call feast days ‘normal’ days – although ‘normal’ will vary a lot from person to person and Im guessing that some people realise that their old normal was a bit too self-indulgent! I’m finding, like you say many others on this forum have experienced, that my attitude to food is changing a bit. I now know I dont need to eat so much on normal days to feel fine and energetic, and Im aware that by adapting my intake very slightly (green leafy veg rather than a big helping of carbs for example)I’ll benefit a lot.

I’m sure you are right and that you are doing something positive for the future. If, as a country, we can cut the amount of heart problems, stroke, blood pressure issues, cancer etc we’ll have more money to spend on other areas of the NHS! The best of luck with your IF and reaching the goals you’ve set yourself. Enjoy the new wardrobe too when the time comes!