This diet is a real fairground ride. Mood swings and mainly improvement. Lots of energy, although hard getting to sleep some nights. 2ryevita and a glass of water helps. I save the calories out of my 500. I bought an activity monitor and a BMI scale. Both of these have supercharged my self competition. Walking up from an average of 5k to 11k steps per day, and mood better for the exercise. The bad news is that this is causing old foot pain problems, and I have never had any decent help for this from the NHS. Bummer, I feel blocked. Don’t know where to start looking again for help.

Hi gang…another newbie checking in. I’m an American woman living in Virginia, 56 years old and (borderline) diabetic as of July 2011. Since then I managed to drop around 20 lbs with calorie restriction and exercise, but I’m soooo tired of starving. I’m a regular walker, do Tai Chi, water fitness, and get some exercise with my Wii but I couldn’t get anymore off and I have another 35 that need to go! (I want to get off hypertension and diabetes meds!) A friend told me about 5/2 so I did some research, got the book and off I went. I’ve just finished week #2 and am happy to report that I lost 4 lbs thus far. I must admit I find it fairly easy after all the yo-yo starvation/deprivation of the past and although I’m certain I’m over-eating a bit on non-fast days…Pizza, tonight…
I’m pretty sure that once the novelty wears off (of allowing myself foods I’ve not eaten in years), I’ll settle into a more sensible pattern. All in all, I feel good and am very optimistic! My goal is to be a healthy happy ol’ girl. Good luck everyone. Keep fighting the good fight. 🙂

Hello to Michael, and all, I am new to the forum. I want to thank you for the book. It confirmed my natural instinctual sense of what and how to eat, and allows me to go with that, instead of being influenced by the misleading diet and health information being pushed on us. I have to say that the one thing I am not in agreement with is the emphasis on low fat food. I think fat is a good thing. I prefer a paleo approach to eating, and I do not want to eliminate fat in my diet. So let’s see how this goes.
I am fasting on 2 consecutive days (Wed., Thurs) each week. I find fasting while having 500 calories pretty easy. I don’t feel physical hunger, but just the urge to eat for pleasure, which I can definitely avoid 2 days a week.
I am 66. I am 5’8″ and weigh 183 lbs., so definitely overweight, but very healthy otherwise. On the first week of fast I lost 4 lbs, and this is my second week. I feel this is very natural and easy, and definitely something i can maintain over time. I also like that it can be modified as needed. Thanks again.

Michael
I am a 70 year old woman who suffers from osteoporosis of the spine, bronchiectasis in both lungs and, of more relevance, very marked diverticular of left sigmoid colon. The Consultant I saw told me my diet seemed fine but stressed not to become constipated. Can you foresee any problems on the Fast Diet which I have just commenced 2 weeks ago? Do you have any tips regarding this, please?

Hello, my name is Nicole. I’m 37 and live in Germany. Since about 15 years I’m doing diets of all kinds. I guess I’ve tried them all, just to find out they are not fitting to me. Have I mentioned that I hate to exercise…lol? I’ve stumbled on a link to Michael Mosley’s BBC documentary, when I was looking in the internet for fasting articles. After watching it, I’ve felt that this could really be it, a habit I could stay on for the rest of my life and hey, the benefits are great, aren’t they? Because I wanted to lose weight a little faster, I’ve chosen the 4:3 fast diet (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). I’ve also combined it with 3x cardio H.I.T. (The Fatburner in the book) and 5x strength H.I.T. a week. Both are less than 15 minutes, but as effective as a 1 hour workout. Today I have finished week 6 and have lost 12lb so far and I will keep this regime in my daily life until I have normal weight. This is amazing for me, because to really test this diet to the extreme I’ve had burgers, pizza, pasta, pastries, icecream and coke (besides salad and veggies) on my feast days. Meanwhile I’m even not that crazy about this bad food anymore. May be because now it doesn’t matter on my feast days. It is such a relieve not to have a bad consciousness anymore when drinking a coke or having a burger with French fries. I’ve shared my experiences with my friends and colleagues, but somehow it is still unbelieveable for them. But one is trying the 5:2 diet without H.I.T., but she will see a difference, too.
If you ever plan to promote the German version of your books in Germany, I would be happy to be a kind of testimony, if you need one.
Thank you so much Dr. Mosley for doing this documentary and spreading the word. It will be a lifesaver for many people.
All the Best to you from Germany,
Nicole

Hello Jojo,
I’ve also started in January with this diet at 221lb. I believe only the fact that I do the 4:3 and not the 5:2 diet combined with H.I.T. is the reason I lose 2lb a week. You should get Dr.Mosley’s book “Fast Exercise”. It shows many different kinds of high intensity training which only needs under 15 minutes a day instead of being in the gym for hours. It has the same effect, because I went to the gym for hours before and was as dissapointed as you are now. I also recomment not to check your weight everyday, but the morning after your fast days. It is more accurate and not that frustrating. I do not care about calories or what I eat on my feast days, because it made no difference so far on my scales if I eat healthy or the not so healthy stuff. But everyone’s body reacts different. Do what you feel fits to you.

Nicole

Hi jojo
I really think you shoulsn’t be disappointed with 7lbs since January, an average of a pound a week is excellent and seems to be about average for long term fasters.

I started in january 2013 – I’m 63 and was 90.8kg, BMI 34.18
Now after 55 weeks am 70.2kg, BMI 26.42 and aiming for 66kg

The really important thing is:
Cholesterol from 7.2 (January), 5.9 (April), 5.4 (December)
Tryglicerides from 3.2 (January), 0.8 (April), 0.6 (December)

I have exercised since starting last January – I was swimming 3km 5 mornings a week until July when my shoulder “went” and now do an hour cardio (crosstrainer and bike) 5 mornings. But it is the fasting that loses the weight, I think the exercise is vital to stop getting floppy, my legs and arms are now amazing!

I have never tried 4:3 – just not my lifestyle
I fast from after dinner Sunday until lunch Tuesday – water only, a total of 40 hours. It sometimes gets a bit hard Monday night when my husband has his dinner & wine, but I now know it’s desire, not hunger! Then Wednesday and Thursday I don’t eat from after dinner until dinner the next night (so 2x 24 hours but not skipping dinners).

Keep at it and be happy with a lb a week
The HELP! All ladies of a ‘certain age’-please respond thread is very good
Vicki

Dear hermaj
Its really great to connect again, can I remind you of the first time we communicated.

You said (on 29 June):
What I find a little strange is that I have clearly lost width – clothes now fit comfortably and sit much better, some are actually too big – but have only lost 3 kilos (just under half a stone) in all that time and am still borderline obese.
There have been other rewarding spin-offs – much more energy with a noticeable quickening of pace and length of stride when I walk, BP down to 115 over 64 and cholesterol levels normal. And people keep telling me how well I look.

And I said (on 29 June):
just go with it, weight doesn’t matter, it sounds as though your results are fantastic, everything is looser, blood results are improved, people think you look great! One problem I have noticed over the 6 months I’ve been doing this is the growing obsession with calories and COUNTING! If your clothes are falling off (as mine are) just keep going and enjoy it.

All your measures (chol, blood,bp) are good, maybe you are at your “proper” weight (or at least at one your body is happy with. But even if that is the case, there is no reason to stop 5;2 (or any varient) if it makes you feel good. I sadly agree about the middle bit, I still have several rolls and I think unless I am prepared to have surgery (which I’m not, and Tony would probably shoot me if I was) they will stay there!

Keep at it, and ignore the doctors and their threats!
Vicki
ps: I hope you are not drowning, the reports shown here are horrendous (it’s pouring down at the moment in Hobart but by tomorrow it will be sunny, whereas southern UK sounds just neverending)

Hi vicki,

Of course I remember you. And I replied that it was nice to have some support from Down Under.

Once again, thanks for your positive post. I wish I could get away with saying that weight doesn’t matter. Sadly, there’s the same stigma here – and possibly in your neck of the woods, too – attached to being overweight/obese as there used to be to smoking. Now most of us are ex-smokers (me included for the last 12 years) or have never smoked, the health Nazis, including doctors, needing someone to bully, have turned their fire on those of us with weight issues.

There’s no getting away from it, I still have a BMI of 32 (obese!). In the same way I don’t come across as nearly 74, thanks to a very bad attitude, a brain firing on all cylinders as I continue to work and am doing a part-time post-grad degree, and the great, virtually unlined skin that is one of the bonuses of carrying extra weight, I don’t look as heavy as I am, thanks to good posture and careful choice of clothes, i.e. covering up the wobbly bits, accentuating the good bits – yes, there are a few!.

I know from experience that I can look pretty damned good at about 6 kilos/14lbs overweight, which for many years was my “proper” weight, but even then my BMI is 28.

Back in August I did my medication review face to face rather than by phone and the doc was highly impressed with my BP at 103/64 and cholesterol reading of 4.8, plus the 5 kilo weight loss BUT announced that I would have to continue with the meds, probably for life, unless I lost A LOT MORE WEIGHT!! Since then I’ve lost 1, possibly 1.5, kilos (a little over 3lbs), despite sticking to under 500 cals on fast days and taking reasonable care on non-fast days. Fortunately, I either actively dislike or can easily live without the sugary, fatty stuff that can be a temptation to many. A fat lot of good it does me – pardon the pun.

Up to age 40, I could lose weight relatively easily. It was also easy when I smoked – reduced calories equalled reduced weight – and when I did give up I didn’t replace the ciggies with sweeties as some people do. As a non-smoker, calorie reduction has had little or no effect.

When living on the continent in my mid-40s, I worked very hard to lose weight, by strict dieting, circuit training, swimming and lots of walking as I went to the homes of my English as a Foreign Language pupils. I also attended a so-called slimming studio where we did pilates in individual heated tents, the idea being to sweat the weight off. There I got a very public telling off for losing only 1.5 kilos – just under 3.5 pounds – in 6 weeks. I was accused of cheating and lying about what I ate.

5:2 is the nearest thing I’ve had to success, but the lack of progress is very disheartening. I have considered 4:3 or alternate day fasting but I know I’d never keep it up and would then beat myself up for lack of self-control.

So you see, it ain’t easy. One bonus of doing 5:2 is the support we get and the fun we have interacting with the lovely bunch of people – like you – on the forum.

BTW here in North London we’ve escaped the worst of the weather, unlike all those poor souls closer to the south and south-west coasts. It’s been tipping down and blowing a gale, although yesterday was calm, mild and sunny and today is at least dry so far.

My OH and me have been doing the 5:2 eating plan for 6 weeks. We have both lost 6 lbs. I missed watching the Horizon programme on TV and wonder if it will be televised again, or how can I go about watching it?
I feel as though I’m missing out although I have bought your book which has become our eating bible. It’s a great way of life and look forward to not only dropping pounds but being much healthier going into later years.
Many thanks Michael and Mimi for your insight and hard work!

Found this welcome from Michael and thought it deserved to be bumped to the top.

I was inspired by Michael’s show to try fasting, and enjoyed it so much I jumped straight into alternate day fasting (ADF). My wife is doing 5/2. I’ve dropped a kilo a week for two months and my wife has dropped almost half that. So pretty much what might be expected, I guess.

My extra motivation for dropping weight and getting fit and healthy is that I had what the cardiac specialist described as a stroke, except the embolisms luckily travelled down my arm instead of into my brain, so what a blessing. The damage there is manageable.

What HAS surprised me is my fitness levels increased markedly WITHOUT doing exercise. Now that I’ve started exercising, I notice the breathlessness I used to have doing similar exertion has disappeared. And my diastolic blood pressure (which I monitor closely now) has already dropped noticeably. I’ll be interested in what the bloodwork ultimately reveals.

It is inspiring reading your story Flora52