5:2 Diet (part II)

so_very_confused

I was doing so well on this last year, found it so easy moved to 4/3. Changed shifts at work from nights to days struggled with it, too many colleagues buying food at lunch....ok no will power! So back on nights with a sigh of relief but I just can't get into it. Tried different combinations of food and end up starving picking up bacon butty on way home.
Not sure if there is any advice anyone can give may just need to persevere, just needed to vent my frustration. Thank you for listening/reading.:)

Gloomendoom

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I'm finding it all a bit difficult if I'm being honest. When I was on 5:2 last year, I found it easier as I was losing weight.

Now this is my fourth week of fasting and I am sticking the fast days, but I don't seem to be losing anything which is making me lose heart with it.

I'm still going to try and stay with it though because it has other benefits such as saving money on food(!) and makes me drink less as I simply can't fit alcohol calories in on a fast day!

I think that after a while it becomes a lot less effective as a method of weight loss or maintenance as, over the long term, your body seems to get used to the 5:2 or 4:3 cycle.

That has been my experience, anyway.

Mojisola

Not just good for weight control -
http://www.cosmicscientist.com/ted-talk-neuroscientist-shows-what-fasting-does-to-your-brain/

Angry_Bear

Mojisola wrote: »

Not just good for weight control -
http://www.cosmicscientist.com/ted-talk-neuroscientist-shows-what-fasting-does-to-your-brain/

Interesting. My weight has held steady at a level I'm (relatively) happy with for over a year now, but I have no plans to stop fasting. I always feel a bit "perkier" and just generally a bit better after a fast day for some reason. I always assumed I was just imagining it, but who cares if you feel good and it's not doing you any harm :rotfl:.

piglet74

Hi all

I'm thinking about trying the 5:2, can anyone suggest links for dishes etc for fast days

I did slimming world a few years ago with great success, lost 6.5 stones in a year, and though it does sound a lot, it averages out around 1.5 lbs per week

Fast forward to now, I have half of it back on and I am feeling totally £hit about myself!!
I worked so hard to loss it, and swore I would keep it off. So I really need help! And I need to do something before its too late and I'm right back to square one!

I intend to eat a lot of what I did when I followed the SW plan, and basically eat less and move more

I have tried SW again, but its just not working for me this time around, I find some weeks I am really good, put on half pound, or a pound, and I totally go off the rails then.

So, any advice on 5:2, tips, etc?

Thank you so much

Angry_Bear

piglet74 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm thinking about trying the 5:2, can anyone suggest links for dishes etc for fast days

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/forum/food/recipes-and-meal-plans/ Although, once you have a vague idea of how you'd like to split your day it's easy to google for "dishesh under XXX calories".
In saying that, most people I've spoken to who intermittent fast long-term like to have a "stock" set of easy meals they return to on fasting days so they just don't have to think about food at all on those days.

So, any advice on 5:2, tips, etc?

Water - way more water than you expect. Eating "normally" we get a lot of our water from food content. I'm still sure that people who report headaches on their first few fast days really just need to drink more water.

Quite a lot of people find their first few fast days tricky, but once you settle into a rhythym it's surprinsingly easy.

piglet74

Do you think the fasting days are harder than expected?

Is it trying to stay under 500 calories that's the hardest thing?

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated

Angry_Bear

piglet74 wrote: »

Do you think the fasting days are harder than expected?

Not in the slightest, although they did take some getting used to at first.

Is it trying to stay under 500 calories that's the hardest thing?

Not for me, I usually eat 300-400 cals on a fast day (300 in food and about 100 in coffee ). The hardest thing for me is remembering to drink enough and keeping "distracted". I'm a boredom eater, but as long as I'm busy fasting days just fly by and I don't even really notice.

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated

No problem

piglet74

Is NAS juice ok? Sugar free jelly? Fat free yoghurts? Etc..

I mean on the 5 days,

I have an idea for my first 2 day, Wednesday, porridge, soup, ham, and a slimming world cereal bar with a cuppa

Oh, is sweeteners ok , as opposed to sugar?

piglet74

Meant to add, is there a link of dos and donts, etc.

I don't have a book, and I don't want to be a torture either,

Thanks