Hi everyone
This is the first time I’ve joined an online challenge like this. Not the first time I’ve tried to lose weight haha! I am 173cm and weighed 84.5kg a week ago. I’ve lost 1kg over the past week following the 5:2 diet, reducing carbs and avoiding alcohol 4 days a week. I exercise quite a bit in any case because I enjoy it. My aim is to continue with this approach and make it a permanent lifestyle change, and to lose weight in the process.

Thanks Tid1, like Goldensun, I had weighed myself in Friday which was 1.1kg loss then as I thought everyone else was weighing today I did it again. I was quite shocked to see this all back and plus 400g! (Basically 3 pounds fluctuation) I know in the weekend I didn’t drink that much water and didn’t eat terribly well but didn’t think that would happen. I think I’ll stick to Friday’s which is the morning after the 2nd fast as suggested.

Hi, I’m two weeks in and 4 pounds down- feeling good about this as I don’t really feel like I’m on a diet. I’ve been weighing in on various days and there are fluctuations, but I’m using the weigh in after two fast days as my real weight as I need motivation! When the scale is up I’m not happy and get fed up.

This week I’m going to try 3 fast days as I have my holidays coming up on the 18th of August – dreading showing off my flabby belly and cellulite bum! Good luck with the fasts everyone!

I love this forum! Reading everyone’s posts is really motivating. I’ve joined slimming clubs in the past but what I love about this way is that I can access support any time of day.

Thank you Tid1 for your suggestion.

So today, I ate 3 apples from 1.30pm and now I’m eating home-made vegetable soup, which I have to say is delicious. I’m really pleased that today wasn’t as difficult as my first fast day last week. I was tempted to buy a packet of crisps when I popped into the supermarket but I managed to talk myself out of it by telling myself I only had to get through today. I drank some water and before I knew it I’d forgotten that I was a little hungry.

Tomorrow is my official fast day but I will see how I feel. The intention is to fast but if it feels too much I will move it to Wednesday.

I really feel that I will actually reach my goal weight and size this year. I’ve recently fallen in love with TK Maxx but some of the clothes I like don’t fit well but that will change this year 🙂

Hello All
I signed up the week before last. I did one day the first week and then 2 days last week and had a fast day today. Really finding it easier than I thought I would though not sure I kept to exactly 500 calories. Still haven’t bought my scales but will do so in next couple of days. But I feel slimmer and less bloated. Have really enjoyed reading the blogs and found them inspirational/ encouraging. For once I think this is a diet I can sustain.
Let’s stick with this ladies as it seems to deliver results. Have a good week all!

Hi everyone

The week has gone by in a blur of not being too well, feeling better today and had a walk with the dog after lunch so I’m on the mend! I’m back at work tomorrow so will try and get my routine restored. Hopefully the scale will be down as I’ve not eaten much this week at all.
Good to hear from you all, stay strong and keep on track!!

Hi All

I still haven’t bought the scales for a very specific reason. I have a 17 year old daughter who is currently very self conscious about her weight. May sound silly but I don’t want to make a big deal about buying scales and having them around as I don’t want to create body issues for her. She is fine weight wise, eats really healthily and exercises. Long may it last. Unfortunately school friends of hers have suffered from anorexia and it freaks me out how that illness can escalate from simple anxieties about body.

So I am leaving the scales buying till when she is back at school and I can slip them in to the house. Meanwhile the two fast days is becoming routine and I am finding it quite easy to sustain. I definitely feel lighter and just generally feel better. Sometimes I even look forward to a fast day.

Feeling happy that I appear to have found a way of eating I can stick to. Finding reading everything on the forum hugely encouraging.

Have a good week all.

Hello everybody

From last week I switched from doing 4:3 to 5:2 because I felt I was eating too much on my non-fast days. I think 5:2 will be easier to stick to over a long period of time. I may throw the odd 4:3 in every so often if I feel I need to.

At Monday’s weigh in I was 2 lbs down from last week. I was pleased with that as I hadn’t lost anything the week before. That brings my total to 9 lbs over 6 weeks.

I find the fast days quite easy to stick to but I’m not sure I’m keeping within my TDEE on the non-fast days. I’m trying to eat more mindfully but find it a quite difficult to avoid the temptation of an ice cream and glass or two of wine. I’m a bit reluctant to calorie count on my non-fast days but I might need to if I find I stop losing weight.

Ilovecake – I’d be happy to lose an average of 1 lb a week too. I have a similar amount to lose as you do. That would get me to a weight I haven’t experience since I was 15. 33 weeks doesn’t seem very long compared to 26 years of being overweight.

Treenser – Best of luck getting back on track. I’m sure everyone struggles from time to time. The important thing is not giving up. I agree this seems much more sustainable over a long period of time than other weight loss plans.

Hello fellow fasters!!!
Today is the last day of my second week and it has been quite horrible, i overrate Monday-Thursday (yeah no fasting Wednesday as promised) and on Thursday evening I got food poisoning -yep, still on holliday- and ended up vomiting/ diarrhea onto Friday.. So I guess diet wise I’m “fasting” Friday-Saturday- Sunday..
So much for fasting, right?! Not the kind of 4:3 one would wish for.
Anyway, my stomach feels much better now, and I’m really looking forward to the thrid week of this diet.
I’d like to add something to the conversations started by Babot, being someone who usually weighs herself everyday, now that I’m on holliday i can’t weigh myself so instead all I’m focusing on is what I eat. And I think this is a much healthier attitude, it kind of relaxes me staying away from the scales for a few days.
As a teenager I also had friends who were struck by anorexia and them being a bad example helped stay away from such issues..
Also llovecake it really is hard to stay away from food when it’s the center of the day. To me its the hardest part of any diet. For me what works sometimes is thinking in a kind of a “selfish” way, I try to think that “my project is top priority than your wedding/ picnic etc” and sometimes I turn the roles around, like “if the bride-to-be went to that picnic and was on 5:2 would she eat?”.. Thats what I do and half the time it works.. You know- as a mind game 🙂
For me weighing in will have to wait till Wednesday, when I’ll be back home.
I’m looking forward to reading about everyones progress, its very motivating, little or big.. It feels like being in good company and posting my own feels like a small part time “goal” 🙂
Stay positive everybody!!
Have a nice day!!

Hi everybody!!
I weighed in on Thursday, when we came home from our Holidays, and I was 156 lbs. that’s a total of 4 lbs lost in two weeks and three days.
So this is my progress:
Starting: 72.7 kg- 160 lbs
13/08: 70.7 kg- 155 lbs
Goal: 59 kg- 130 lbs
Next weigh in: Monday 17/08.

I have been aiming for 4:3 but I guess I’ve been doing something in between 5:2- 4:3.
What makes me feel good is that I have managed to keep it low on the sweets and chocolate. That’s a big issue for me..

Have a great day everybody!!

Hi…long time, no see.

Babot…why not try a tape measure instead of scales? That what Dr Mosely recommends anyway.

I have lost .66 of a pound. That’s in 3 weeks (only 10 to go). I am not worried as I know this is not a fast way to lose weight so as long as I am going down rather than up, I am fine. My husband lost 2.5lbs in the same time frame. Mind you, according to his BMI, he is still overweight whereas I have hit the top of the normal range. He is really looking good. And his bloods are looking great…his Doctor is really pleased.

I still don’t tend to eat on fast days. At most, I have a cup of homemade veg soup or a boiled egg. But I drink loads of water.

I don’t count cals on non fast days…I hate counting cals. We just try to eat quality food and no junk and not many carbs. I don’t want to become obsessed…that is why I chose 5:2. For simplicity and health…and it is simple. After 6 months, it’s becoming second nature.

Love you guys…this is a great support group.

Many hugs.

Hi All

Expat you are right, I should get out the tape measure and keep thinking I will but I don’t. To be honest I am trying to be very low key about the fact that I am doing the 5:2 as my family just tease me with comments like “how long will this diet last” etc. which often is just what sends me off the rails, as it discourages me. But I am determined to stick to this and find reading everyone’s stories a help. Really looking forward to everyone being back at school and routine setting in. I don’t find the fast days that hard but yesterday I had to just go to bed really early as I feared that if I stayed in the proximity of the kitchen I would simply eat! I know I need to be stricter about sticking to the 500 calorie. Am sure I go over but I know I am close to that amount and feel the Monday/Thursday routine is becoming quite ingrained. I agree Expat I hate counting calories but on non fast days I try to eat fewer carbs. Certainly have noticed my sugar cravings going down. Have a good week all.

Hey everyone, I’m down 6lbs on last week, so the holiday 8lbs that input on is coming off nicely!
I’ve lost 42lbs in total, would like to get down to single digits 9lb 9ozs. Only 5 lb to go.
Good luck everyone :-))

Tid 1…42 pounds is awesome!! Wow Wow Wow. You are really inspiring. How long have you been 5:2-ing? I am so pleased for you.

Hi everyone

On Monday’s weigh in I was 3 lbs down after not losing anything the week before. This was partly due to me throwing in an extra fast day on Sunday though. I’m 12 lbs down from when I started 8 weeks ago. I’m going to Italy for a week on Saturday so I’m fasting today and Sunday. I probably won’t fast while I’m away but I’ll try to skip the odd lunch to try to keep the calories down.

Last week I saw someone had posted about ‘that sugar film’ under a different topic on here. I bought and watched the DVD and read the accompanying book ‘that sugar film’. I also read ‘sweet poison’ by David Gillespie. Of course we all know that refined sugar isn’t doing us any good and eating lots of sweet treats makes us put on weight. Even so I’d always believed that ‘a calorie is a calorie’ so the books and film were a real eye opener for me. Apparently our bodies aren’t equipped to deal with the vast amount of fructose most of us eat these days. The small amounts we get naturally in fruit are okay as they come with lots of fibre. However table sugar which is 50% fructose and 50% glucose is causing no end of trouble. Whilst the glucose part is used for energy, the fructose turns straight to fat and it’s the kind of nasty fat that clings to our arteries and liver leading to heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes. In the film Damon Gamau gained 8.5kg (19 lbs) in 2 months by adding 40 teaspoons to his diet each day. This is apparently what the average Australian eats. He kept his daily calorie intake the same as they were before and only ate food perceived as healthy such as fruit juice, muesli and cereal bars. He also gained 10 cms (4 inches) to his waist. Frightening!

So I will be saying arrivederci to sugar on my return from Italy. I can’t promise I’ll be able to pass up the odd gelato while I’m over there.

Dreadnought – good luck with giving up the diet coke. I agree with what Expat said. I’ve always avoided artificial sweeteners because of research that suggests they can be harmful. I haven’t drunk coke since I was 12 when I gave it up and then found I couldn’t stand the taste when I tried it again a few months later. I find sparkling mineral water with lots of ice and fresh lime really refreshing particularly on a fast day.

Best of luck everyone. We may have some setbacks and it may take a while but I’m sure we’ll get there in the end if we keep going.

*…but been busy.

Hello Everyone

I’ve returned from my meditation retreat and although I didn’t have the means to weigh myself, I did take my tape measure just to keep me on track. I managed to cut down on my calories whilst away and today I weighed and measured myself. I’m really happy as I lost 4 1/2 lbs in total whilst away and 3 inches in total off my bust waist and hips. I’m feeling much more comfortable in my clothes.

This diet is becoming a way of life and I hope it stays this way. I haven’t had chocolate for almost 3 weeks but when I arrived home yesterday, my son had saved me some yummy home-made chocolate cake he had baked for his girlfriend’s birthday. I couldn’t resist! Today, I went to the cinema with him and had sweets and chocolate too :-).

Back to Tuesday and Thursday as my fasting days. Feeling better in my clothes and enjoying buying clothes too is a great incentive.

Tid1 – I’d like to get down to single digits too – nearly there.

Welcome Dreadnought – hope you get as much inspiration and encouragement as I do from this forum and site.

PickyPixie – Congratulations on your weight loss of 12 lbs in 8 weeks. How do you feel?

Ilovecake – your comment of being thankful for your fat made me smile. :-).

I too have read about diet drinks encouraging weight gain rather than helping weight loss. I drink still or sparkling water with either fresh lemon or lime juice. In the past I have added sparkling water to fruit juice to dilute the fructose levels, which I feel is better than cordial or fizzy drinks.

Good Luck to everyone and looking forward to reading more posts.

Hi everyone, I hope u don’t mind me joining in. I too started the 5:2 on 23.7.15 and came across this thread, and I have been following it for some inspiration.
I have 3 children, born within 3 years of each other, they are 4,2 & 1. Before I became pregnant I had lost 2 1/2 stone and was very lucky to only gain 4 lbs overall. I was keen to do this diet after watching the TV programme just before my 2nd pregnancy.
The eating plan really suits my lifestyle at present, as I tend to feed the kids and worry about me and my husband later!! The first 2 weeks were difficult as I found I regained any weight lost by the following fast day and I was still in the mindset of eating 3 times daily. Then I decided just to eat once in the evening and since then the weight has fallen off. Last week we were on hols and I still managed to register a 1/2 lb loss when I came home on monday. I’ve now lost 13 lbs and 12 inches in total. Tomorrow is my weigh in for this week, I’m hoping that I will reach 14 lb in total.
I hope u don’t mind me posting and i’d like to join the challenge. I hope my story gives some inspiration to anyone thinking of trying this way of life, it definitely becomes easier after the first couple of weeks.