Hi Sarah, How did you do on your fast day yesterday? I’m fasting today and doing okay. I weigh myself most days! I’ve been fasting for just over a month and am happy to report I’ve shed 3 kg. which has allowed me to wear some clothes that previously hung idle in my wardrobe. I’m fasting for the underlying health benefits as much as for slimming.

Hi guys my name is shirley – I am starting my weight loss journey with 5:2 again – i did it for a short period of time two months and did yield results however i went of the band wagon – as i did not really follow it well.

this time i want to do it properly as i am getting married in december and am at my biggest ever – 69.7kg.. yikes!!! for a 5ft frame thats quiet a lot.

I have not even bought my dress and honestly don’t have the heart to buy one right now.

Anyway today is my first FD and i have recorded my weight and using fitness pal to monitor my food intake and all.. i am hoping to lose a kilo a week by being diligent and read incorporating exercise really helps – so doing something light today – power yoga class and gona do running an hour everyday as that provided me results before.. – yes feeling quiet desperate with the wedding 5 months away 🙁

Hi Ria,

Avoid sugar like the plague. No sugary drinks, no added sugar to anything, no chocolates, no biscuits, no ice cream, no cake etc. Avoid simple carbs like bread, pasta, pizza. Avoid potatoes. Avoid bananas. Eat fruit in moderation and go for your berry type fruits. Never dried fruits or fruit juice. If you want fruit make sure its whole fruits. Avoid smoothies. Avoid protein shakes like the plague, especially the WW ones and all those other diet name brand ones. They have sugar and the protein is whey protein.

Don’t be scared of fats like cheese, high fat low sugar yogurt, avocados. Get your carbs from veggies.

You burn a combination of fat, glucose and glycogen all the time. The ratios vary depending on the type of exercise. As a proportion of calorie burn you burn the most amount of fat when exercising at about 40-50% of your maximum effort. A brisk one hour walk is fine. Better than say 10 minutes of flat out effort in the gym. Exercise helps a little and should not be discounted as it makes you feel good by releasing dopamine, but the majority of weight loss comes from diet.

Drink lots of water on your fast days. Tea or coffee I find good as well. Also a good carbonated mineral water is beneficial.

5:2 works. I lost 44 pounds over the course of one year. Slow and steady wins the race. Have been doing maintenance 6:1 since March.

Hi skinny,

Not sure what you want to know? Im male weighed 202 pounds at the beginning of 2015. Now weigh 158 pounds. On average I lost about 0.7 pounds per week. I also decided to take up riding again after an absence of 30 years. I try and walk 2-3 kms each lunch time at work. I eat bread and pasta VERY sparingly. Sugary anything is a no go zone.

Thanks Skinny for asking. My first FD yesterday which went OK although by 10pm I was starving but didn’t give in. My biggest problem with this diet is going to be counting the calories and where to find a calorie counter.

Thanks Lael, that was helpful.

Hi everyone
I am new, starting my first fast and day one today. I have a wedding dress to get into, am pre menopausal and to date slimming world and calorie counting have left me with zero weight loss and demotivated…. So here I am and it’s good to be here…..
So the plan is to use my fitness pal, eat brekkie at 6/7 am and eve meal at 6/7 pm is this ok?
On fast days I won’t drink coffee or tea so herbal drinks it is…..
Any suggestions on foods as meals on the fast days?
Lael what protein shake do you have please? I have a low fat one in my cupboard 99 cals a scoop can I have this?
Sorry for the questions, would be nice to know everyone’s progress.
Nini

Hi everyone this will be my second time at trying this diet it just didn’t happen first time round but for medical reasons and the excess weight I really need this to work. I’m just worried that it won’t. Any motivating words of wisdom out there?

Welcome back. Have you resolved the medical issues that held you back last time?

Hi Nini, You asked about what protein shake mix I use. I use a couple of different types for different purposes. I use Quest protein shakes to make a meal by adding in chia seeds or fiber powder, etc. I use myfitnesspal to track all of the calories that go into the shake. The shake you said you have in your cupboard sounds fine too. I know Quest shakes contain sucralose, which isn’t ideal, though works for me for now. Maybe down the track I’ll be more pro-active and consume only home cooked/prepared foods on fasting days!