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Dieting & exercise

5:2 Fasting Diet

(381 Posts)
GrandmaH Tue 29-Jan-13 15:41:08

Has anyone else tried this or is trying it now?
I started today & it looks too easy to be true.
I missed all the hype last summer & only heard about it in Rado Times last week so i would love to hear from anyone who has tried it.
First day of fasting & to be honest I feel quite normal but then I often forget lunch anyway if I'm busy.
I cannot believe how much weight I have managed to put on in a year following some family problems- typical comfort eater! Now I need to get myself in hand quickly.

shysal Tue 12-Mar-13 13:50:13

GrandmaH, that is fantastic! Well done. smile

BAnanas Wed 13-Mar-13 13:20:17

I had a fasting day yesterday, went to the gym today and weighed myself after swimming and it seems that I have lost over a kg since I weighed myself this Monday! I can only conclude that these scales are rubbish because on Monday I weighed well over a kg more than what I was last Friday another fasting day. I think overall my weight is reducing slowly, albeit in a one step forward one step back sort of way. The regime seems a bit harder since this really cold weather has begun.

Flowerofthewest Wed 13-Mar-13 22:58:33

Hi I have been doing the 2 Day Diet by Dr Michelle Harvie and Prof Tony Howell. I find it hard on the 2 fasting days as they suggest back to back and no carbs at all for those two days. I am not familiar with the 5:2 Diet but have sent for the book. I have lost 4lb over the past 2 weeks but find it extremely hard and am miserable for the 2 fasting days. I eat a lot of protein those days and do not feel it does me much good. I need to lose weight and get healthier and reduce my risk of breast cancer. This book was written with this in mind. Is the 5:2 Diet by Mosely of the same mind as regards health.

Flowerofthewest Wed 13-Mar-13 22:59:41

are these home made soups or bought, I have send for a 5:2 diet book but for the 2 Day diet

Flowerofthewest Wed 13-Mar-13 23:07:46

I really hate vegetables unless in soups or casseroles just not on the side of the plate, don't like salad either I love tinned tomatoes so that helps. Any advice for a fussy non vege person

nanapug Thu 14-Mar-13 11:34:12

Ok, having fallen off the wagon well and truly I am starting again today. Needs must. Am going away for a long weekend with friends in a couple of weeks and tried clothes on in preparation and nothing went over my fat arse!! Really fed up and realised I needed to try this again. There is no denying that too much food in the gob equals a fat bum. Why can't I get it? I am so weak, and stupid. I would so love to be slim. My cousin, who is always slim says "Its simple, you just eat slightly less" Yeah right, don't you think I would if I could? People who don't have a problem don't seem to get it. Hey ho, here I go again, wish me luck xx

Flowerofthewest Thu 14-Mar-13 15:23:10

Just had book delivered from Amazon, will tuck in on sofa now and have a read

Flowerofthewest Sat 16-Mar-13 11:32:29

am doing first fasting day of the 5:2 so far grapefruit and mug of tea, am counting on my Nutracheck counter online

shysal Sat 16-Mar-13 14:58:52

Hope it goes well flower. I find counting the calories accurately prevents cheating! Keep us posted with your progress. sunshine

nanapug Sat 16-Mar-13 15:38:00

Yes shy I agree. I have a little book that I write what I eat in and total my calories. It also helps to look back and see what calories things that I commonly eat are. I love my lists ;)

Flowerofthewest Sat 16-Mar-13 23:28:28

had 66 cals left this evening, starving so had ryvita - 44 , teaspoon jam 20 and mint tea 4 I use Nutracheck to record my cals. Its fanastic have been with them for a while

Amenhotep Sun 17-Mar-13 15:42:58

am so sympathetic! We have been staying with firends for a week and been served pudings each day, seeme so rude to refuse so tried to eat small portions, failed miserably and have put on 2lbs. What a disappointment, have started again although Sundays are v. difficult. Will try in earnest tomorrow. Good luck with your efforts, let us know how you get on, will do the same.

GrandmaH Mon 18-Mar-13 12:03:33

What is Nutracheck?? I stopped adding up cals & I think that was a mistake as it is too easy to under estimate what I've eaten. I'll do it from now on again though. Just one egg & 4 cups of tea with splash of milk so far but I bet those splashes add up!

barbadosgan Mon 18-Mar-13 21:01:14

I have been doing the 5.2 since January. I am not sure that I have lost weight as I don't have any scales but I really like how it makes me feel and my clothes still seem to fit!
We have lots of visitors at this time of year so have lots of eating out to deal with. I find I can easily go from dinner out one night to dinner the next with only fruit for breakfast and a salad lunch. But it is more difficult to go from lunch through to lunch as it is antisocial not to have a glass of something in the evening and that usually makes you feel like eating too.

Flowerofthewest Mon 18-Mar-13 23:02:39

Nutracheck is an online fitness and calorie counter. The idea is you enter your chosen food, this comes up in cals and fat content. it takes away each time you enter food eaten from 1400 cals normally each day. It also takes off your 5 a day and water consumed plus alcohol units. Exercise can be entered and you are encouraged to enter this with lists of different type of exercise from housework to running, sports, gym classes etc. There are forums and loads of encouragement. You can find it google and have a free trial for, I think, 5 days. It is only around £15 for 3 months and money taken out each month. You can stop whenever you want and money is not taken the following month.

I find the diary very easy to fill in and its second nature to me now. Give it a try

Flowerofthewest Mon 18-Mar-13 23:05:57

Fasting day today, woke up late so I missed breakfast, don't normally, but thought I would wait til lunch. Had 2 Ryvita with hard boiled egg and 30% salad cream - 10ml - banana - 4 cups of tea throughout the day and 8 glasses of water - one champagne truffle (my daughter swapped it for carrot cake) wasted cals really as was about 60. grapefruit, 200 ml NuMe Tomato and three bean soup. Its wonderful, don't normally like soups but this is amazing and very filling.

At the moment I am lusting for a piece of toast but will resist.blush

GrandmaH Wed 20-Mar-13 10:48:26

I'll have a look at Nutracheck site.
Hit a snag this week as feeling rotten- got bug DH had last week & all you want is comfort food when you feel low. I have put fast day off from today to tomorrow as I may feel more like it then. All I want is Beechams cold & flu remedy & BISCUITS today- maybe a fish finger sandwich later which is my comfort food of choice. I did make some nice bread yesterday so that sounds like dinner today!
I bought some of that vegetable spaghetti so will give that a go if I feel better tomorrow- it looks horrible but I suppose with a nice sauce (which I made yesterday ready for today) it should be OK. It was nearly £5 for 2 portions which sounds expensive but £2.50 for a mail meal is OK & sauce didn't cost much to make. I see they do noodles too. If I like it then I'll try those for a stir fry with a bit more substance.

Flowerofthewest Thu 21-Mar-13 10:25:22

Fasting Day today: no breakfast, must save most of my cals for this evening as I have a toddler sleeping over!

Flowerofthewest Thu 21-Mar-13 23:06:50

almost bedtime, fasting went well, lots of water consumed. Hard boiled egg on Rye Crispbread with tspn Salad cream. Chicken for supper and half banana. 25 g bag of snack a jack. tea. Seems a little and it is but I do feel well on these days. Its a challenge. Oh and 1/4 pot low fat yoghurt. Baby asleep so relaxing evening. Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow and anniversary lunch in pub.

shysal Fri 22-Mar-13 08:21:58

I keep a few M&S meals - for - one in my freezer for lazy days. I found a different one last night, a beef hotpot, which contained 215 calories. I thought it was a substantial portion as I was eating it, then discovered that it was to feed two! Fortunately I had only had roasted veg. for lunch, so reached 505 cals.

Flowerofthewest Fri 22-Mar-13 20:45:30

I have done similar before, good idea though!

Flowerofthewest Fri 22-Mar-13 22:01:22

Out for anniversary lunch with DDH, stuffed, will redeem myself over 2 days in the week.

J52 Fri 29-Mar-13 15:04:42

Been on the alternate day since August 2012. Start of retirement lost at least 2 st and dropped 2 dress sizes. Easiest diet out! If you have a special occasion then just adjust the next day. Christmas and birthdays caused no problems. The eating days do not result in overeating. The appetite and stomach shrink! But it all depends on getting your head around the low calorie day 600 per day. It is hard at first, activity helps and varied low meals. It is all worth it to be back in the 20 year olds body!! Good luck.

shysal Sat 30-Mar-13 19:05:07

You started alternate day fasting at the same time as I did J52, after the Horizon TV programme. Are you still losing weight? I lost 2.5 stone but have stayed the same since Christmas, although I wouldn't mind dropping a few more pounds. I still eat 500 calories on fast days, but eat well on the others. Perhaps I need to be a bit more careful all the time. I am happy to stick to this regime for life for the health benefits if nothing else.

J52 Mon 01-Apr-13 11:45:47

Hi shysal, I did plateau after Christmas. But I have stuck with it, mostly because I have changed my eating habits in general. Seemed to have started losing again by 1. Having all fruit days, still around 500 cals 2. Playing table tennis on the Wii
3. Being very careful about what I eat on the other days. Progress is slow, but as long as it is in a downward trend.
DH has joined this with me and been very supportive, despite not being overweight and being very active anyway. It has been beneficial to his blood pressure and closeteral.

Good luck, I'm with you on the lifetime thought! J