5:2 Diet (part II)

Gloomendoom

tomterm8 wrote: »

You shouldn't do fast days back to back; the body can only store a limited amount of protein and if you deplete it you can't repair muscles and so lose fitness.

I fast Mondays and Tuesdays. The protein depletion is not a problem as I make sure my food intake on those days is protein rich.

Zero calorie, true fasting can cause muscle loss though.

tomterm8

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I fast Mondays and Tuesdays. The protein depletion is not a problem as I make sure my food intake on those days is protein rich.

Zero calorie, true fasting can cause muscle loss though.

It isn't going to cause problems if you're doing it only for a day.Bodies store enough protein for about 48 hours.

gwhizz75

Hi everyone, ok if I join?

Today is my first fast day of the 5:2, it's still early but am not feeling particularly hungry just yet. I am planning on having some homemade soup for lunch and then making a root veg/lentil casserole for tea tonight (this one) and having a smallish portion.

I don't have loads of weight to lose but I put on a few pounds over christmas and whereas usually it would have worked it's way off by now, it's refusing to budge! I'm going on holiday in just over 7 weeks so I'm hoping I can lose 6-7 pounds by then if I'm very strict on my fast days.

I've not been doing much exercise lately after having an operation last month but I definitely need to get back to being more active. Before my op, I had a couple of months of running 4k every other day and I didn't lose any weight doing that! My weight seems to be so much more affected by what I eat than what I do so I hope that means the 5:2 will work well for me

Well done to all the people who have been getting great results from this diet/lifestyle. If I don't find the fast days too bad, I'll definitely consider doing the 6:1 longer term for the health benefits (shame we can't really track those ourselves).

amibovvered

I watched the original Horizon programme and thought, hmm, very interesting, but I couldn't do that!

Fast forward to November 2013 when I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and handed a bunch of diet sheets and booklets. I did half-heartedly cut down a bit, then came Christmas . . .

March 2014 and I have a follow-up blood test in May to see if my blood sugar levels have gone down. Panic! Follow my occasional practice of clicking on 'new posts' on the MSE forum and up pops the thread for 5:2 diet part ii.

So, I started the diet, read through the new and old threads and a few other websites including the 'official' 5:2 diet one, and have currently lost about 18lbs. Now, as I understand it, and many posts on the thread seem to bear this out, although we call it a fast day it's actually more like 36 hours - eg last meal 8pm Monday, 5/600 calories throughout Tuesday, normal breakfast 8am Wednesday.

I have my last meal of supper (cannot bear to go to bed hungry!) about midnight of the last 'feast' day, go to bed then eat an average of 500 calories (highest was 510, lowest 415) during the 'fast' day comprising about 300 cals around 7pm, around 150 for my midnight supper, with 50 cals for cups of tea during the day, go to bed then generally skip breakfast (unless I'm really starving, not often) and eat again about midday then normally thereafter.

However, I am now thoroughly confused - last week I saw a copy of the official fast diet book by Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer in a local charity shop - excellent condition for 50p! I've read though it, and on page 102 (No 7 of a dozen ways to make the fast diet work for you) Mimi Spencer suggests rather than fasting a whole day try 2pm to 2pm. So, lunch on day one, then eat sparingly (presumably the 500 calories) until a late lunch the following day. Or (she further suggests) fast from supper to supper which (again) means that no day is All Fast and No Fun.

That would mean that I could actually have my normal supper every night without having to save any calories for it - am I reading that right? It would certainly be a lot easier but I can't help thinking it is wrong - I wonder if it is corrected in a later edition of the book or something? Any thoughts?

OCS_Fan

I'm starting this soon with my partner but we've already started eating more healthily this week following a week's holiday. He had a bit of a shock on Monday when he checked his blood pressure - very high so we are not going to start until he has had test results back and checked with his GP next week.

I have watched the Horizon programme and joined the official web forum. I'm buying the book from EBay as a support tool but would welcome as much advice and support from this thread if any are still following :j?? I'm a size 16 on top and a 12/14 on the bottom. I've always struggled with my weight as food is my only vice, reward, comfort! I'm 5 ft 4 and 12 stone 7 with a BMI of 30:eek:I really do need to stop making excuses and do something as I approach the menopause. My downfall is snacking in the evenings, usually craving something sweet and I do very little exercise. I am very determined to do this though as I believe in the science behind it.

Fingers crossed we can do it together . Keep posting your weight losses as it really spurs me on as does stories of looking and feeling healthier.

Angry_Bear

Hi and welcome
I'm still at it, but I always forget to post anything here until someone else adds something in.

I've hit a bit of a plateau at the moment and can't get below my current weight. However, I'm not too fussed as I've been working out a lot and I can still see my shape changing.

I've gone from "morbidly obese" to a mere 4 lbs away from "normal" and a couple of weeks ago I bought my first size 12 jeans since I was about 16

Evening (and boredom) snacking has always been my problem too, but I've found that 5:2 has made me much less likely to snakc just as a side effect. I think it's because getting used to the 2 days with no extras really makes you see how little you really need them and on feast days it's much easier to turn them down.

Good luck!

OCS_Fan

Angry_Bear wrote: »

Hi and welcome
I'm still at it, but I always forget to post anything here until someone else adds something in.

I've hit a bit of a plateau at the moment and can't get below my current weight. However, I'm not too fussed as I've been working out a lot and I can still see my shape changing.

I've gone from "morbidly obese" to a mere 4 lbs away from "normal" and a couple of weeks ago I bought my first size 12 jeans since I was about 16

Evening (and boredom) snacking has always been my problem too, but I've found that 5:2 has made me much less likely to snakc just as a side effect. I think it's because getting used to the 2 days with no
extras really makes you see how little you really need them and on feast days it's much easier to turn them down.

Good luck!

Thanks for your reply Angry Bear. I have read your previous posts and I think that you have done fabulously well:j. It must be a great feeling to get into a pair of size 12 jeans! I carry my weight on the top halve of my body; in particular my midriff. I hate sitting down at the mirror getting ready in the mornings and seeing spare tyre after spare tyre. I have a pretty full on job in term time and work long days. All I want to do when I get home is collapse on the settee, watch TV and eat!

11 years ago when I was in my mid- thirties, my marriage fell apart. One of the positive consequences was losing loads of weight. I looked and eventually felt great. I had a pair of size 10 black trousers at the time that I thought I looked the bees knees in - I still have them. I would love to squeeze into them again. For my height, I should be about 9 stone but I would be very happy to get down to 10-10 1/2 stone. I am hoping to lose 2 1/2 stone, may be more - but slowly and healthily.

Verbatim

I thought the thread had stopped, having not seen any new posts for months, so I'm really pleased to have found it's still going as mark 2!
I've been doing the 5:2 since the original programme was shown so 2 years now but with breaks for Xmas and holidays and a large break the first year from Xmas to May.
I have gone from pre diabetic to not and have finally lost quite a bit of weight, around 2 stone in all. I find the weight loss is over the summer and I tend to plateau the rest of the year. My blood pressure is better too and I'll continue for the long term health benefits.
I fast on Mondays and Tuesdays usually. My husband fasts with me which makes it much easier. I still have just over half a stone to lose to be a "healthy weight" but would like to lose more than that. I have decreased portion size on my feast days and reduced the number of days I drink wine. We eat out a fair bit which we very much enjoy so want to continue but I try not to have the bread and never order a pud. So I think I've found the formula that works, albeit really slowly, for me. Realistically I won't be at my target weight, (if I had one!) for a couple of years.

Verbatim

Angry Bear you have done brilliantly! What an amazing difference in your before and after photos. I have a pair of Laura Ashley trousers whichI haven't been able to wear for years. At my heaviest I couldn't get them over my legs but this week for the first time they do up!

The hardest part is finding low calorie meals for dinner. I am so fed up with the same old 4 or 5 meals! If any one has some ideas please post!
We do baked cod, fish casserole, veg curry and hb egg, baked prawns wih lemon , garlic and ginger, and chicken baked with lemon zest and juice. For breakfast I have 20 gms porridge oats cooked with water in winter and 20 gms of muesli with milk and a few strawberries and blueberries in summer and. my husband always has a boiled egg. We have soup in winter and salad with 3 slices of smoked venison (33 cals) for lunch.
Sorry if that's too much info but I really like to hear what other people have as it gives me ideas that we could try.

Angry_Bear

Thanks!

I have a high boredom tolerance on foods and don't really mind eating the same things.
On fasting days I have soup at between 200 and 250 calories as my "main" at around 4-ish. There are a couple of shop-bought ones that are okay but I also make Sweetcorn chowder, butternut squash and chilli soup and curried lentil soup. I rotate them so I don't get too bored.

Later in the evening I have salad with a light vinegarette-based dressing. I vary the ingredients and the dressing for a change but it's usually something like: lettuce, cherry toms, grated carrot, spring onion, cucumber and a drizzle of balsamic.

I also have a couple of cups of coffee with skimmed milk

It doesn't sound like I'm varied enough to give you ideas but maybe some of the soups would go down well for a change in winter. Add some poppadoms, tortillas or bread to make them a good choice for non-fast days too. And they all batch cook and freeze so :money: