5:2 Fasting Diet

Amenhotep : Sorry that you have shingles, hope you recover soon.
I have adopted the alternate day version, fat and thin days and this seems to work better for me. Changing the regime may work better for you. It evens out the calories over the week. I have also noticed that on 'fat' days my taste has changed and I no longer want crisps or chocolate.
The weight loss is slow, but every little makes a difference. I like the freedom to eat anything, no forbidden food! I am looking it as an eating style which I shall maintain. Good luck, hope the weight soon goes. X

I've read a lot of good reports about this and it makes sense to me so I've ordered the MM's book and I'll give it a go... fingers crossed!
I did the 'Atkins diet' - zilch carbos, 14 years ago and that was amazing.
Annoyingly, and with an, in retrospect unlikely, link, I was diagnosed with MS during this time - the brain is made of fat (lipids) so it should have helped!
The 5/2 diet seems to be a realistic balance between bonkers Buddhist fasting and a kitchen reeking of fatty frying smells - sorry about the lazy alliteration... we'll see
We are going on a cruise in six weeks' time and I'd like to wear a lot of my body-con clothes - I'll report back along the way there!

Another 'fast' day. Decent breakfast: yoghurt, canned pear (in juice) with a little oat cereal. Lunch, 12 cals-worth of bouillon and a Benecol drink, 36 cals. I am trying to halve my dosage of statins by supplementing with Benecol. The yoghurts are full of sugar, so not for fast days. Evening meal will be low fat cottage cheese and salad. I walked through M&S this morning. The aroma of bread baking was pervasive which is intended to make one's mouth water. I managed to control myself.

annodomini, I've just popped into the Tesco across the road and the place reeked of sugar! They were stacking the shelves so goodness knows what it was... getting ready for end of school time? ...even though they're on hols
I just bought some blueberries (anthrocyanins and other good-sounding stuff ) and some full-fat milk! I make my own yoghurt and full-fat milk makes all the difference.
The yoghurt is for my five up-coming non-fat days
Sapph

I had a blip last week- did not lose any weight but thinking back I may have overdone the normal days. Chocolate left over from Easter!
I find I can miss breakfast with no problem- I had lunch today at 1ish- a can of Wonton soup which was gorgeous- filling & well worth the 100 cals.
I tried those cracker breads- not bad - a bit like crispy cardboard but they do give a variation n texture

I have made a big pan of Dhal with spinach that will do me for dinner today (about 6pm usually which is an hour earlier than I would normally eat dinner)& the next fast day too -maybe more when I weigh it out.
For the first time I am going to have to fast 2 days in a row due to having to go out on Thursday & Friday. Not sure how it will go but I'm sure I'll manage.
Really sending you Good Luck Annodomini!!

Thanks GrandmaH the soup sounds inviting, but I don't think it would be suitable for a veggie. I have been making carrot and coriander without using oil. Today I'm going to make a pot of spicy butternut squash soup which is tasty but low calorie.

This is my second 'fasting' day. I really do need to have breakfast, so had 2 Ryvitas with half a mashed banana and a cup of black tea. Went to visit elderly sister-in-law, who 'took the huff' (*anno*, you will recognise the expression!) because I was having a fasting day when I was visiting her, as she was preparing a black pudding roll for me (my one weakness ). I ate the roll, all the while being so annoyed that she was annoyed! Tonight dinner will be a large salad with 100gm chicken.
Having read of others' successes with this diet, I want it to work....but as for looking forward to fasting day, as some have reported - I can't see that happening for me .

Yes, I know all about taking the huff, Marelli. My mother used to do it frequently! By the way, it isn't a good idea to watch cookery programmes on a fasting day.

, anno!

* Marelli* I did the Fasting Diet for a bit last year and it definitely worked for a while, and I went back to it, but during the miserable weather I found I just wanted to eat and of course, the weight piled back on. However I am starting again tomorrow and am determined to make it work. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind for these things to work.So good luck, and who knows we might become these people who look forward to fasting day,I'm a long way off from that at the moment

Fasting day tomorrow for me: grapefruit to start, ryvita with half banana for lunch and 1/2 tin Morrisons 3 bean soup for dinner. Then bed I think

Grannyeggs, I think I keep thinking of this diet as only a way to lose weight, when it's also supposed to become a way of life leading to a healthier life in the future. I've stuck rigidly to it on both fasting days, and must admit today wasn't as bad as the first one!

Wonton soup was veggie, Annodomini- a clear soup with little parcels of chinese veg floating in it -I wasn't clever enough to make it though so it came in a tin from Sainsburys. With that & the dhal I had a veggie day yesterday- to be honest I often do when I'm on a fast day. I was veggie for 25 years so it comes quite naturally to me even if I do eat meat & fish now. When DH is away I usually go back to veggie food as i really like it. I used to teach veggie cookery so I have lots of favourite recipes although a lot involve cheese so no good for fasting.

I will be on my second day tomorrow., I started on Monday.

Boiled egg and 1 slice toast and marmite. Dinner was some Quorn (good protein very low in calories) with a simple veg "stirfry" adapted from the Fast diet book it was really tasty .
I had plenty of non calorie hot drinks which helped. Stomach was rumbling badly about 3pm but it was easier than I thought.

My best advice is to avoid going near retail food outlets. I went to to our local shopping centre where there are many of them. I found the smell of food put a great deal of temptation my way.

Day 2 done and dusted.

I have found weighing out the food a very interesting exercise. I am begining to realise just how inflated my usual food portion size has become.
I made Feta Nicoise from the "Fast Diet" book, closely measuring the recipe amounts with slightly less feta and 10mls of Tamari on the salad thats only 8cals.

It was plenty and much tastier than I imagined it might be.

I've now done three 'fast' days without any difficulty. Luckily today was not one of them - I went out to lunch with friends in an Italian restaurant which we like very much. I had rigatoni with smoked salmon - please note I opted for the smaller portion - and my favourite, tiramisu. So now I am hanging fire on what to eat as an evening meal - probably something on very light crispbreads. I was going to swim this afternoon but would probably have sunk, so tomorrow it is.

Strange isn't it? Yesterday was my fast day and I was absolutely starving all day; today, I can eat what I want but I'm not that hungry and had a very late brunch of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and I too am trying to decide what to eat this evening - but I will own up to a quite large glass of while I am on GN

Today is my third fasting day. It's definitely getting easier, I think (hope). Have had plenty of fluids today and didn't eat anything until lunchtime, when I just had a low-calorie soup. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow (Indian buffet ).

I like to mash up a can of tuna with some philly light and a spoonful of mayo which makes a good spread on toast or crispbreads. Just had that for a light supper. It's also a good topping for a jacket potato.

Very pleased with the results so far. Have lost 7 lbs in 6 weeks. I'm finding that the fast days get easier. Going on holiday next Friday though, so I expect to put a few pounds back on.

Went to docs yesterday for blood test and had PUT on weight! I can't believe it!
All the fasting etc just is not working, wonder if I am eating enough on 'feast days' would that make a difference? Does anyone know?

I think if you eat too little every day the body hangs on to its fat , which is not supposed to happen with intermittent fasting. Try eating well on non-fast days and see what happens. I look forward to hearing if it works!

Thanks shysal trouble is now I am used to eating less i find I don't want so much, I' m sure my stomach has shrunk! Have an eating day tomorrow so will have a proper Sunday lunch. Will let you know how things go.

I have been doing this diet for a few weeks now and have lost 5lbs and think its great . I became a grandma of twin boys in December and am hoping this diet will keep me healthy to enjoy my boys as long as possible.

It is not too difficult as you know that you can eat the next day, I do drink lots of water and herb teas and try to keep busy on fast days .

I have now begun to eat more healthy food on non fast days as the weeks have gone on .

I enjoy walking and try too make sure I walk about 30 mins each day.
I can see me keeping to this permanently . Good luck to all on this diet !

I think I am going to have to start this diet, it sounds good. I presume I need to get the books, which ones are most useful? or what do I have to do?