5:2 Diet (part II)

nouveaunutrition

I think the reason that the waist shrinks more than the numbers on the scales is largely down to losing fat and if you're lucky gaining muscle....

piglet74

I had thought about taking slim fast shakes on fast days.. But I decided against it, as it would have meant going out to buy them as opposed to using up stuff i have here, eg bread, ham etc.

My fast day is almost over, I'm in bed and finished eating for today, and I have to say, I found today a doddle! I hope that does not come back to bite me in the big a$$! I did have a lot to drink, and was at the loo a lot of times, but I didn't get it hard at all.

Hopefully my 2nd fast day, Friday,goes as well as today did.

piglet74

This is my second fast day, I still have the cold, and an awful cough. At the moment I am just sipping hot water with a tiny splash of blackcurrant juice, no added sugar, in it.

Planning on having special k porridge at 10am, and wholemeal toast with a tiny scrape of jam on it later, 240 calories total for both,

Not really sure what else to have as yet.

System

I posted on here a long time ago but never managed to get going on the 5:2 at the time.

So I began in September and results were coming for the first 6 weeks but I wasn't managing the other 5 days well as my appetite shrunk and I ended up sometimes not eating enough the day before a fast day. I was also eating takeaway once a week which didn't really impact the weight loss but wasn't really healthy either.

After the first 6 weeks I dropped out for a month and then back again for a month and had lost 1.5 stones. Stopped mid December to end of Jan. Came back but this time (luckily not having put weight on) with more disciplined approach. I find fast days easy. My approach to these became that the easiest method was nothing throughout the day and then a 600 calorie dinner and this is easy to make as chicken/fish and vegetables easily keep me below 600 calories.

I manage my other 5 days much better now. I eat healthy throughout but do make sure to have a filling and well rounded dinner the day before a fast day. I also make sure I vary my meals and include stuff like actifry chips, brown rice, brown pasta etc.

For me the best aspect of 5:2 has been the way the fast days have made me understand hunger. I never overeat anymore and on the other 5 days I rarely feel hungry or full up as I can now manage my meals to take hunger out of the equation. I think the most positive aspect of this plan is that it offers a genuine exit strategy for those people that achieve their weight by going through the fast process an understanding how their body deals with hunger and how it fuels itself.

My personal aims were - male 5'9 began at 17 stone in September and aimed for 12 stones. I am now at 14 stone and am considering 13 stones as a stopping/maintaining point as I think 12 stones would be too low for me. My personal exit strategy is to drop to 1 day (as I actually enjoy fast days) and introduce 3 x 30 minutes of moderate exercise.

piglet74

As i am not starving hungry now, I'm not having porridge.

Just a drink, back out to work at 11am so not long to go!

pollypenny

My weight has been creeping up and a recent trip to Ireland resulted in a 4lbs gain.

DD did well on the 5:2, so I'm giving it a go. I read Michael Mosley's book yesterday, turning down key pages.

I started with a fast day today. Porridge for breakfast at 11 am and two cups of coffee, with a splash of s/s milk. I've drunk lots of water.

Any source of vegetarian recipes would be much appreciated. The app is not very helpful.

I'm not a picker and I don't like biscuits, cakes or croissants etc; it's wine and portion sizes are my downfall.

System

Sorry not sure how to filter by vegetarian but BBC have a 5:2 section with plenty of veggie meals that are low calorie:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/52

pollypenny

Ah, great, trust the good old Beeb!

It's nearly 5 and I'm still not hungry. Michael Mosley is right to say we often eat out of habit, so breakfast at 8.30 is not at all necessary.

piglet74

This is my third fast day and its going well. So far today I just had soup and a yoghurt, so total is 250 calories so far

I'm not hungry, but keeping some calories for later on tonight, when I will probably have wholemeal toast with a scrape of jam.

System

Pollypenny, that is one of the best aspects of 5:2. It will help you understand how your body feels hunger, deals with it and fuels itself. It is a learning process and worth sticking with as the longer you do 5:2 the more comfortable you will become with the lifestyle.