5:2 Diet (part II)

System

I managed to navigate through summer and a couple of holidays (including Belgium and its lovely beer!) without gaining.

I returned to 'normal' last week and have started of on 4:3 which I am continuing this week. Will look to do the same again next week and then possibly alternate between 4:3 & 5:2 up to Christmas. Fat has begun dropping off again and I think I will be where I need to be by Christmas if I can continue with the same discipline. Weight isn't changing too much anymore as I keep to seem fluctuating between 77-79kg which is top end for my height. I think that is because there is now less fat too lose and I think I would end up at around 70-72kg if I could achieve what I think I need to get to.

Good luck on your fast days to everyone else!

pollyanna24

I'm still not feeling the diet (gosh I'm awful), but I did do my two fasts last week and I did lose 1lb 10oz which I was majorally surprised about. It is helping me try and stay on track this week.

That's 4 1/2 lbs in 4weeks which to some might sound a bit lame, but slow and steady and all that. I have 11 1/2 lbs left to reach my target which if I lose a lb a week, I will do by the NYE wedding I have to go to.

Fast day today and my menu consists of:-

B - Coffee

D - Chicken Lasagne - 313
A medley of peppers, mushrooms, spinach and cherry tomatoes which will be about 85

Options for pudding - 38

fireblade28

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I'm still not feeling the diet (gosh I'm awful), but I did do my two fasts last week and I did lose 1lb 10oz which I was majorally surprised about. It is helping me try and stay on track this week.

That's 4 1/2 lbs in 4weeks which to some might sound a bit lame, but slow and steady and all that. I have 11 1/2 lbs left to reach my target which if I lose a lb a week, I will do by the NYE wedding I have to go to.

Fast day today and my menu consists of:-

B - Coffee

D - Chicken Lasagne - 313
A medley of peppers, mushrooms, spinach and cherry tomatoes which will be about 85

Options for pudding - 38

No thats fine! You reasonably cannot expect to lose more than 1-2lbs per week if you are not heavily overweight

When I cut that is what I aim for 1-2. Some weeks I only make 0.5. So be it. Doing it slowly is a lot more likely to result in permanent change. I have read enough studies that show this is the case. If you crash diet and lose a lot then A)Most of it probably isn't fat (Muscle and water) which causes you to eventually get stuck and you will gain it back quickly

pollyanna24

fireblade28 wrote: »

No thats fine! You reasonably cannot expect to lose more than 1-2lbs per week if you are not heavily overweight

When I cut that is what I aim for 1-2. Some weeks I only make 0.5. So be it. Doing it slowly is a lot more likely to result in permanent change. I have read enough studies that show this is the case. If you crash diet and lose a lot then A)Most of it probably isn't fat (Muscle and water) which causes you to eventually get stuck and you will gain it back quickly

You're right. I know you are. I don't have an awful lot to lose. Just my weight seems to be creeping up slowly and everytime I start a diet, there seems to be few more lbs that I have to lose. Oops.

In my 20s, I never went above 9st 7lb, but when I hit it, that's when I used to think, oh boy, need to lose a few lbs.

Now that has turned into 10st now I'm in my 30s.

What next, 10st 7lb in my 40s and so on and so forth?!

fireblade28

pollyanna24 wrote: »

You're right. I know you are. I don't have an awful lot to lose. Just my weight seems to be creeping up slowly and everytime I start a diet, there seems to be few more lbs that I have to lose. Oops.

In my 20s, I never went above 9st 7lb, but when I hit it, that's when I used to think, oh boy, need to lose a few lbs.

Now that has turned into 10st now I'm in my 30s.

What next, 10st 7lb in my 40s and so on and so forth?!

You are doing great.

I know this is a thread about 5:2 but I don't really like the word diet because that implies that you can do something and then stop. I definitely think that what has happened is very common. Has happened to me as well. It can sneak up on you over time eating that bit more and moving a little less. The good news is that metabolism does slow down as you age but not as much as you might think. If I remember it's around 10% slower by age 60 or so.

Do you do much exercise? I really recommend exercise particularity weight training even for ladies because it adds muscle which increases our resting metabolism so we burn more fat just sitting (more muscle=faster metabolism=having to do less dieting=also looks good!) Plus exercise helps you age slower so it's worth doing all around!

Keep it up!

pollypenny

Absolutely agree, Fireblade. 5:2 is not a diet, but a new way of thinking about the ay we eat and process food in our bodies. We've all been eating too much for too long.

I lost an average of just a pound a week, with sometimes nothing lost, but then 1.5lbs th following week.

I'm concentrating on maintaining now. Not going overboard, as I don't have the same appetite any more.

The key for us has been that we've found the recipes in Mimi's book to be delicious.

pollyanna24

I like the fasts, just sometimes find them hard as I do without eating all day until 6pm when I have a ready meal with a heap of vegetables.

I like the idea of detoxing my water and just drinking water as it makes me feel I am not just filling my body with parp.

I'm hoping that this time when I get down to my target of 9st (hopefully by Xmas), that I won't lose motivation. As if the scales aren't going down anymore, I kinda think, What's the point? Terrible way to think I know. It's not like it can keep going down to 0!

I just find maintaining harder than losing.

fireblade28

pollypenny wrote: »

Absolutely agree, Fireblade. 5:2 is not a diet, but a new way of thinking about the ay we eat and process food in our bodies. We've all been eating too much for too long.

I lost an average of just a pound a week, with sometimes nothing lost, but then 1.5lbs th following week.

I'm concentrating on maintaining now. Not going overboard, as I don't have the same appetite any more.

The key for us has been that we've found the recipes in Mimi's book to be delicious.

Im not trying to be an !!!! but the book is called the 5:2 diet so people are gonna think it is a diet that they do for a while and then stop.

It is just missing meals to reduce number of calories. Its nothing new. Just good marketing from whoever wrote it.

fireblade28

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I like the fasts, just sometimes find them hard as I do without eating all day until 6pm when I have a ready meal with a heap of vegetables.

I like the idea of detoxing my water and just drinking water as it makes me feel I am not just filling my body with parp.

I'm hoping that this time when I get down to my target of 9st (hopefully by Xmas), that I won't lose motivation. As if the scales aren't going down anymore, I kinda think, What's the point? Terrible way to think I know. It's not like it can keep going down to 0!

I just find maintaining harder than losing.

Scales are terrible measures as you know. Use the mirror or take pictures every week.

If you want to suppress appetite I find coffee works well.

You could always just eat something in the morning and then eat less in the evening if you are struggling. It really won't make any difference.

pollypenny

fireblade28 wrote: »

Im not trying to be an !!!! but the book is called the 5:2 diet so people are gonna think it is a diet that they do for a while and then stop.

It is just missing meals to reduce number of calories. Its nothing new. Just good marketing from whoever wrote it.

Indeed, that's what sold it. However, reading the rational behind Michael Mosley's ideas and the research, it's clear that intermittent fasting is a good way to live. The weight loss is down to insulin management as well as simple reduction in calories.