Time to Commit

This topic contains 15 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by N4M11S 8 years, 8 months ago.

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Dell o the Dale

4:14 pm
14 Feb 16
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Hi,

Having spent the last year putting on 20lbs I’ve finally reached the point of ‘now or never’. I drink too much wine, watch too much TV and really like cheese. And crisps.

I watched Michael’s Horizon program again recently and realised that to live the life I want, in the way I want, I need to make changes now.

I’ve got 44lbs to lose and have set my first goal at 9lbs loss in 6 weeks.
I’m going to fast on Mondays and Thursdays and eat 1700 calories on the other days – plus a 500 calorie allowance for the week (for social occasions etc.)
Will adopt an 80/20 approach to healthy food.
Planning to do 7000 steps a day and add 500 a week to my target.

First fast day tomorrow and feeling nervous…

Fingers crossed 🙂

bigbooty

1:17 am
15 Feb 16
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Good luck with it. Took me exactly one year to lose 40lbs. 9lbs in six weeks is do-able but tough. Being realistic I don’t think rate of weight loss would be sustainable in the long term unless you have incredible will power. Is 1700 cals on your non fast days your TDEE amount or are you also restricting your cals on those days? Might make it tough if that’s a restricted amount as well. Try and make it so that the diet is actually a lifestyle change rather than a diet and it will be sustainable. Set it up so that its something you are going to be able to do for the rest of your life.

Personally I think cheese is ok. Ive actually upped my fat intake and reduced by carb intake and its worked for me. Id get rid of the crisps and anything with sugar in it. So no biscuits, sugar based soft drinks, cakes, chocolate etc. Also limit the amount of breads you eat. I swapped high sugar low fat yogurts for high fat low sugar yogurts. The high fat satiates you very quickly whereas the high sugar yogurts, your hungry again within 30 minutes.

Good luck, its do-able if you give it a genuine try.

Dell o the Dale

10:03 am
15 Feb 16
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Thanks bigbooty

My TDEE is around 1900 calories but I’m mindful that last time I tried 5:2 I became an eating machine when not fasting and put weight on! It’s easier to restrict in the week for me so I have some calories saved for the weekend so I’m at my TDEE less 3500.

I’m expecting an amount of water weight loss initially as that’s tended to happen for me in the past (cutting out alcohol). Realistic about it varying from week to week though. Hoping to get some weight loss by getting to 10,000 steps a day.

I’m trying not to ban anything as it only makes me crave it more, really interested in what you are saying about fat.

Thanks again for your advice, really inspired by your success

Lainie 12

10:27 am
15 Feb 16
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Hi,
I have 56lbs to lose, I’ve been on every diet imaginable, lose 14lbs quite effortless, then it all goes back on in a much shorter time? I have always been a healthy eater however, starting the 5:2 diet was a real eye opener for me, the science behind it is quite amazing and all made sense to me. I decided to start my journey last week 8th. My fast days are Monday and Tuesday and I didn’t find the lack of food to bad, but I felt very tired and had a headache for 2 days. The non fast days I am trying to cut out most of the carbs, just trying different ways that may or may not suit me. Because of my previous experiences with diets anything is worth a try.
I weighed myself this morning, absolutely over the moon, I lost 5lbs wow I can’t believe it.
I’m going to set myself achievable goals and not expect too much, every little helps
Good luck on your journey.

bigbooty

8:42 pm
15 Feb 16
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Good luck with it Dell. Personally after watching lots of videos on sugar (youtube Robert Lustig or Peter Attia or Gary Taubes)I think sugar is the bad guy and fat is OK. Just try getting rid of one bad sugar food that you currently eat. Is it soft drinks? Or maybe breakfast cereals? Those cereals can contain up to 35% sugar!! I only eat rolled oats <1% sugar content with high fat yogurt and some blueberries for a bit of flavour. As a family we decided not to buy biscuits, soft drink, chocolate and ice cream. After a few weeks we didn’t even miss them anymore, including the 3 kids!!

Lainie,

The headaches are partially due to dehydration but also its your brain screaming for glucose. I used to suffer from headaches as well. It gets better and mine started to go away after about 4 weeks. Your liver will get better at burning fat as your energy source rather than relying on glucose. It gets better. Just hang in there.

Dell o the Dale

7:01 am
16 Feb 16
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Decided to see how I felt and try and save all my calories until dinner. Probably didn’t drink enough water but was fortunate to get away without a headache (this time), but it wasn’t as bad as I feared. Am going to try and hold off breakfast till mid morning and focus on the health perspective – although my tummy is rumbling away as I type…

Lanie – seeing those scales must have felt fantastic. How did your fast day go today?

Bigbooty – it’s crazy when you see how much sugar is hidden in processed food and drinks, no wonder people struggle with weight these days. Thankfully I’ve never been much of a knowing sugar addict except for a very occasional craving for milk chocolate. I do like a square of Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt after dinner but that’s because I’m hooked on salt – crisps, peanuts. Really need to think about how to manage it.

Thanks for the support x

Dell o the Dale

6:12 am
19 Feb 16
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Yesterday was my second fast day. I ate at 4.30pm and other than thirst (drink more idiot), only felt hungry when I knew I was just about to eat. My daughter has been ill this week and so I’ve missed my steps on a couple of days, Really happy with How non fast days have gone and have even managed a couple of treats. I am logging on my fitness pal everyday because it stops me overeating,

Have put breakfast back till late morning on non fast days, when I previously had a snack, after reading about 16:8 on the forums here. Will be interesting to see how that progresses.

Weighed in this morning and have lost an incredible 5lbs! Wow. Even if it’s mainly water, it’s mainly water I’m not carrying about every day 🙂

Week 1 of 6
Goal. 9lbs
Lost. 5lbs
Target 4lbs

Next fast day on Monday. Need to be careful I don’t celebrate too much this weekend!

Dell o the Dale

6:53 am
26 Feb 16
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Found my second week much harder. Don’t think I ate enough calories last week and as a result maybe went a bit the other way this week (did stay under my weekly target though) Still managed my 2 fast days and again found not eating till late afternoon worked well. Strange how eating makes you hungry.

Was pleased to have stayed where I was, scales down half a pound this morning.

So I need to lose a pound each week for the the next 4 weeks to hit my first goal. Very achievable and yet part of me wants to binge and it’s something I’m going to have to work on this week or I’ll fail. 🙁

bigbooty

10:03 am
26 Feb 16
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Way to go DoD. I have limited the amount of bread I now eat to only the occasion roll or a couple of slices maybe twice a week. If you are eating bread on your fast days try not to eat any. Bread will trigger your hunger. 30 minutes after eating bread you will be hungry again. Substitute it for either fat or protein. I find that a big bowl of mixed salad with say 100g of tuna and 25-50g of cheese chopped up into squares fills me right up for hours.

Dell o the Dale

6:59 am
4 Mar 16
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Been really tough this week, celebrations and overeating at the weekend and a schedule that meant I had to do my 2 fast days together. That second day was really hard, but proud of myself for sticking with it.

Third weigh in this morning and delighted to have lost another 2 pounds (wow). That’s 7 pounds gone so far.

I’ve enjoyed starting to improve my health and change my attitude to food. Been cooking from scratch using Jack Monroe’s books and saving loads too! This week I’m limiting my red wine days to 2 and will keep the fast days apart. I did lots of walking last week, that may have helped.

Been looking at the BSD site having read some of the posts here, not sure if I’m ready for that for a while but the results are intriguing.

Dell o the Dale

6:23 am
11 Mar 16
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Have over-eaten massively on my non fast days this week. I can only describe it as mindless eating. Made me feel like a child driving a car – veering from one side to another, out of control.

Short term necessary fix was to do an extra fast day. Jumped on the scales this morning and another 2lbs down – that’s 9lbs in 4 weeks and I should feel happy, but instead I’m worried about overeating again.

There are some threads on here which made me at least realise it’s not just me, but I can’t sustain yo yo dieting on a weekly basis without giving up. I want to do 5:2 for the health benefits so need to find a solution.

One lady (sorry lost the entry and can’t find your name)posted about nutritional quality in calories and it really got me thinking. Maybe if I load up in the morning with nutritionally dense foods on non fast days + a multivitamin + loads of water, my brain will feel satiated. Will also try and eat mindfully (per BSD) if eating something for pleasure to at least slow my hand to mouth speed…

Any tips or advice great fully received!

simcoeluv

7:08 pm
11 Mar 16
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Hi Dell:

This may surprise you, but I think you are doing great and should keep going forward with 5:2 without worry and without beating yourself up (you are not an idiot). Give yourself some time! It takes a couple of months for both your body and mind to adjust to this radical change in eating behavior.

You have lost weight. You understand that if you over eat you can compensate by adding another diet day (eating less). This understanding is critical for both weight loss and maintenance. You have started to think about why, what and how much you eat. As a result you will make decisions that positively impact your weight loss and overall health. As you go forward and learn more, you will make even more positive decisions.

My advice is to continue with laser like focus on your diet days. The two diet days are the only difference between 5:2 and any other diet. They cause the body to adjust and do things no other diet can. They cause your mind to focus on your behaviors around food that you have not previously considered.

Make sure you don’t overeat on your diet days. Do whatever you can to actually eat less than ‘allowed’ on diet days. Work toward eating nothing on your diet days – water fasting. Water fasting on diet days will greatly simplify things. It will increase the calorie restriction that is the basis for the hoped for ‘other health benefits’. It will teach you even more about food and your relationship to it. It will allow you to make positive changes that today you do not consider possible, or even know exist.

Keep up the good work, and Good Luck!

PS There is no such thing as eating too little food on a weight loss diet. Eating ‘more’ just slows or stops weight loss. The less you eat, the more you lose.

Dell o the Dale

5:04 am
25 Mar 16
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Last week was dreadful, over ate every day and too many glasses of wine. OH birthday and his new job to celebrate but just did what I’ve always done – over indulged and then felt bad. Didn’t weigh myself last Friday morning, couldn’t face it..

Bought the Blood Sugar Diet book and read it. Fasted on Tuesday to Thursday this week and cut back on carbs to see if that would help with my cravings and weight loss. I think it did. Will try the mindfulness app this week to see if that helps. Blimey.

Got on the scales this morning with a sense of dread but was half a pound below my last weigh in. This was the last weigh in of my first 6 week phase with a goal of losing 9lb. Achieved it by losing 9.5lbs and that half seemed the best result so far. Only lost half inch round my waist but my ‘fat’ jeans now fit which they didn’t before.

Setting myself another 9lb goal for the next 6 weeks, will stick with fasting for at least 2 days a week and Mediterranean diet, only Easter and half term to contend with!

N4M11S

11:13 am
25 Mar 16
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Hi all,

Great reading your posts and i’m feeling fired up for round 3(!) of 5:2. I tired before and managed to loose 13.9 pounds but gave up as my weight and measurements were at a standstill and was starting to go a bit crazy, feeling worried about eating on non fast days. I’ve not put all of the weight back on, only half, but still battling with trying to loose weight so i decided 2016 would be the year to sort this once and for all.

At the start of this year i decided to sign up to the Edinburgh Half Marathon and training was going well… until i got a hip injury which is costing me precious time in my training plan. I think realistically I started the training with the goal in the back of my mind that it would help me to loose the weight i wanted but in reality, it’s painfully slow and is requiring a massive amount of energy to keep me motivated, it’s also not shown me anywhere near the same weight loss results as fasting- 2 pounds down in 12 weeks 🙁 . What i do know is that fasting is the only thing i have ever done which has helped me to see significant weight loss and with that in mind, I’m going to try again.

I’d love to hear your stories and past experiences with fasting, it’s encouraging to hear that i’m not the only one out there struggling.

Dell o the Dale

5:46 am
1 Apr 16
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Knew Easter weekend would be a challenge. Stayed under TDEE on 2 days and didn’t go as crazy on the others. 3 fast days this week (800 on the middle one) and restricted carbs on those days while generally trying to eat ‘Mediterranean’ style.

Weighed myself this morning and another 3.25lbs down. Nearly 13lbs lost in 7 weeks despite all the ups and downs. Very happy with the result – now need to do it all again this week!

Thanks to N4M11S for the support at just the right moment 😀

N4M11S

1:33 pm
1 Apr 16
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Hi all, hi Dell,

Well done on your weight loss this week, such a great result! Nearly a stone in 7 weeks- way to go!! 😀

I jumped on the scales this morning, i’ve lost 3.4 pounds this week- 159.2 down to 155.8. Chuffed with that 🙂 Will have to try and keep me eating in check this weekend as that’s when i can get a bit lax. I’ll try to do some exercise too to balance it all out.

Had some bad news today- my Osteo told me have to deffo stop running and that i probably won’t be able to be ready for my race, feeling really sad about it but determined to keep myself moving. I’ll just have to find some alternative exercise i can do for the mean time. At last the fasting is working!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! 🙂