I’m three weeks in to the 5:2 diet plan. I saw Dr. Mosley on Rachel Ray and thought I’d give it a try. I started out at 5’2″ and 166 pounds. Even after working out 6 days a week (Zumba 3 days, jogging and lifting the other 3), the scale hadn’t moved in a year! I was growing frustrated and decided that it had to be a calorie thing. I am a vegetarian and have been for 13 years, but I like food and eat a lot. The other part is I noticed since I started my current job that I began to pack on pounds as it is mostly a desk job and a lot of driving time. I was determined to give this a try and see if I could move that scale to the left! SUCCESS! After three weeks, I have actually lost about 3 pounds. I am sticking to about 1200 calories on my non-fast days to lose additional weight. I haven’t found it to be too difficult, however I wonder if it is something I can maintain as a lifestyle change and not just a fad. Right now, I do two days in a row and not sure if I will continue with that. I chose Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I have eaten 500-600 calories on my fast days. I am also curious, if your body adjusts to this overtime and you stop losing the weight? I would like to be at 130, and I believe this can be a realistic weight for me.

This isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, actually. I can be flexible in choosing of my days, as long as I choose 2 per week. I also find that having three meals a day versus 1 or 2 really helps. So, I do not skip a meal, just keep it real simple: plain oatmeal (maybe with blueberries), a veggie burger and lentil soup for supper. I drink water w/lemon all day long and go to bed a little hungry but I am surviving just fine. I really think I can do this! It is great motivation to actually lose the weight. 3 pounds in 3 weeks is not bad at all. This also shows how important calories are in the scheme of things because clearly intense exercise alone does not necessarily help you lose the weight. It certainly didn’t work for me. Now, I maintain my exercise but really watch those calories. I also use Lose It app to help me track my weekly calories. This makes a huge difference. I am really paying attention to those calories but also still enjoying food at the same time.