Today is my first day on this site and reading through some forums!
Thank you simcoeluv for posting WARNINGS for Newbies and other links!
Have yet to complete my profile, was not prepared to be entering goal measurements, having no idea what they are currently! Motivated to get in tune with my body again!
It was a little taste of success just to weigh myself today and enter it online to find out BMI … one step at a time.
My fasting today came about organically, as a response to indulging through the holidays. Finding this site and reading posts has motivated me to stick with it for the rest of today! Will need to find out what makes up 500 cals! I am a real newbie 🙂
Created user name with a mind to succeed! Looking forward to the forums for support to do so.
Going for tea now 🙂
Alisa

Just wanted to share success and hopefully inspire others. I live in Sydney, Australia. A visit to the doctor in mid-2013 showed I had high blood pressure at 145/90, and blood tests showed cholesterol at 7.2 mmol/L (recommended is below 5.6) with HDL at 1.8 and LDL (the bad stuff) at a whopping 4.1mmol/L (recommended is below 2.5). Triglycerides (the fat floating about in my blood) were at 2.8 mmol/L (recommended is below 1.5). I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Doc wanted to put me on medication for BP and cholesterol. I asked if I could try to get levels down with diet and exercise. He said yes. I went to Europe for a month in August 2013 and came back, as one of my co-workers nicely pointed out, “with a belly”. I could barely do up my suit trousers.
I watched Michael’s doco shortly afterwards, and decided to start the 5:2 on 1 January 2014. At that time I was 47 years old, weighed 87 kilos and had a waist measurement of 89 cm. I am 180 cm tall. I had always thought I was reasonably fit. These echoes of Michael’s own words are why the program and the concept really resonated with me. I work an average of 55 hours each week, starting between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. each work day. I made the decision to get up every weekday morning at 4:45 to get back to the gym, which I had been neglecting, and did (do) 3 sessions of 20 minutes HIIT on the bike each week, and 3 sessions of weights. I also fit in a Pilates class each week, and incorporate Pilates exercise into my stretching routine after my HIIT sessions.
As of today I am 72 kilos, my waist is 76 cm. I have dropped 2 jacket sizes. My blood pressure is 130/80 and my cholesterol is at 5.5, with HDL at 1.9 and LDL at 3.2. Triglycerides are at 0.9. My doc is stunned by the change and is now spruiking the 5:2 to others with me as his role model!
5:2 changed my life and is now a habit. It’s not a diet, it’s how I live my life. The way I see it is that life is all about choices. No-one makes you fat, and no-one can make you fit. You choose what you want your life to be. MM and 5:2 were catalysts for change and made my choices very easy. I have never felt that I am going without. I plan my fast days which are usually Monday and Thursday, unless I have work commitments, and then I work around those or make sensible eating choices if I need to at functions. There are weeks when my weight up – no biggie. It happens. If I miss a day now and then, I don’t beat myself up about it. I still enjoy a drink after work, mindful that it’s then my choice whether I get up the next morning to get to the gym. I still enjoy red wine, and chocolate, and a good slab of Buche d’Affinois brie, but I also adore having a crisp Asian-style coleslaw with spicy nuoc pham dressing and a few thin slices of seared beef fillet on a fast day.
There is one small down-side: I am now in the process of throwing out and replacing almost every item of clothing I own, and that’s really hurting the hip-pocket as suits, jackets, blazers, polo shirts, t-shirts, business shorts, belts, pants, shorts and even underwear go to goodwill! At least I get to keep my socks, ties and handkerchiefs!

Well it’s been 3 months since I started the 5/2 way of eating. I’ve lost 7kg (1 stone) and I feel so much happier with my new shape and definitely feel healthier.I am now down to 63 kg ( 9.13) . It has been so easy so I will now do 6/1 to maintain this weight.
I am eating healthily on the non fast days. I no longer want to snack in between meals and don’t feel that eating out is an issue any longer. If I do indulge I know that a fast day will rectify that.

Annvelo that’s amazing well done! Hoping I can lose the same amount in a similar length of time!

Thanks for this. Started the 5:2 diet today and this has helped to manage my expectations – slow and steady wins the race.

Well said! I would merely add that we are all different too and getting to know oneself is essential. As a weight loss programme it is around a 12 month programme – but most of us put the extra weight on over a longer period before we seriously started paying attention…
Finally I would add – don’t sweat the small stuff – don’t fret about variations but manage your averages and stay friends with yourself!

Yes Simecoeluv 17 pounds in 2 and a half weeks I have not yet finished week 3. I had read up on this diet and realised it was a slow process but I have never dieted before knowing even with will power I wouldn’t last more than a month I enjoy what I eat. I didn’t expect results like what I’ve been getting so fast. I know usually water weight comes first but it seems a lot as you said to just be water weight. I even expected to be hungry on my fasting days but so far I’ve not really been bothered with food, a lot of my eating before and the reason I’ve put weight on is eating out of boredness.

Bigbooty.. Your TDEE is: 7516 kJ / 1796 calories

That was when I started but I haven’t lowered it I’m still eating 1800 calories every day except monday and wednesday which are my fasting days and I consume 500 calories on those days.

VR, one other piece of information that would be helpful is how much you are aiming to lose? 17 pounds may be a huge amount or maybe not.

Hi Molly,

Its me again. Most diets fail because its based on a destination. Once people get to their destination they go, “so what do I do now?” Treat this as a journey rather than a destination and you will be OK. Develop a pattern of eating that you can sustain and do for the rest of your life. Ive been doing it for 9 months and the last 2 have seen me switch to 6:1 as I no longer want to lose any more weight. 202 down to 158 pounds, Im a 5’10” tall male. I weigh what I did in my early 20s (many years ago) and what I weighed before I got married.

Simcoeluv

I have now read many posts from you across the site and just wanted to let you know how helpful I have been finding them. I really liked the trouser story and others! As a newbie who has just completed two weeks and lost (only) 3lbs your posts, along with those of some others, have stopped me feeling that loss is not enough. I can mentally remove the ‘only’ from that sentence now.

Sarah57

hi y’all !

i am in a really weird position. i am standing on my head. not. 🙂

i lost 8 pounds – of something- in the first 5 days. i ate no more than 500 calories for 2 or 3 days of each week, or even ADF, for the next 5 weeks and am still at the same weight! how can that POSSIBLY be! with all my effort. and i was at a pretty steady weight before. it makes no sense to be taking in so many fewer calories and still 5 pounds from when i started. i don’t cheat. at all. as one is advised in the book, i have not changed my exercise regime nor my eating habits on normal days. so ‘control’ is covered to make it simpler to compare.

i don’t know whats going on. and actually, it’s rather doing my head in. i am doing this as it was advertised , as a weight loss diet. i am doing it to lose weight .

why x

Thank you Simcoeluv, I am starting tomorrow and found your warnings very helpful.

Simcoeluv, I found your post very helpful when I started 5:2. Thank you. I wish this forum had a thanks button, as I’ve said a number of times.

I’m now a regular on the maintainence thread, where I’ve been grateful for advice.

One thing I’d say for this thread is to totally disagree with getting a ‘fat friend’. My fat friends have a plethora of excuses for their weight and indulgence. On the other hand, the two friends of whom I’ve taken notice, eat Smaller portions and choose wisely when we eat out.

Twenty years ago I did the F Plan and went from 10,8 to my target 8.10 in a year, but could not stop losing. I ended up just under 8, looking scrawny.

Now I’ve learned to heed my much reduced appetite and been at target of two months.

Not you, simcoeluv. It was an early response on the thread.

Trying to lose weight are shakes or veggie juices better as i walk about 10 kilometers

Hi simcoeluv, thanks for your good advice and explainations. I’m doing this for 3 weeks now and it’s going really well. It’s easy to fit in everday’s life.

Hi all –

Just looking for some advice! I did 5:2 about a year ago with some success – but didn’t properly stick to it, but I am back again! How did you deal with the urge to ‘binge’ on your day before (or perhaps after) your fast? This was something I really struggled with last time! I would go a bit overboard the day before my fasts, which I think ultimately effected my weight loss. Any advice?

I personally don’t agree w/ all the warnings…. I mean if you’re doing the 5:2 without actually changing your diet then yes it will take some time. But I’m doing the 5:2 with a whole diet change: low carb, no grains, lots of protein, exercise and I’ve been losing 5 pounds a week. This is your health! It’s not always easy to love your body but its worth it, go for it! 🙂

Aw hi! Thanks for the welcoming 🙂 I’ve been on it for almost a month, this diet is really sustainable I’m just eating super clean and the 5:2 helps a ton!