The Inspirational 5:2 Thread

[eatriskier]

ROLL UP ROLL UP… OVER HERE FOR YOUR INSPIRATIONAL WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH BENEFIT STORIES

It has been suggested by the wonderful betsybell that a thread be started with some inspiring stories for us all.

I feel that there should be some disclaimers - we are all different, we gain weight in different ways and will lose differently. Similarly with health issues. Some stories here mine to start with may be extreme.

Umm, that's about it I think...

[TalkinPeace]

Mazzle
Inspirational pictures. WELL DONE.
And even more so that you've put it all into context

[Breadandwine]

Wow, Maz! Just, 'Wow'!

[BetsyBell]

Wonderful Mazzle just wonderful, a real success story as you've changed your whole lifestyle and attitude to yourself in such a positive way

[ChristinaHendricksGin]

Mazzle You look phenomenal, you've done so well! Super inspiring, as I'm currently where you were a year ago, and have issues with emotional eating.

Thanks for sharing your story.

[MazzleDazzle]

Thank you guys!

I would never have succeeded if it hadn't been for the 5:2 thread. It's been a wonderful source of support, advice, tips, recipes and laughs! .

[Dogmatix34]

Thought I would add my experience as I found this thread so helpful when struggling with hunger.
Started Jan 2nd 2014 Weight 10 St 10. It was seeing before / after photos on here that convinced me.
Stopped doing 5:2 in May 9 St 6
Using everything I learnt doing the diet ie. Don't be afraid of hunger, portion size can be almost halved, I shouldnt be eating the same amount as my 6 foot husband, don't eat after 8 at night or in between meals etc. I have maintained and even lost more
Jan 2nd 2015 8 stone 12

I can't believe it really as my NY resolution has been to lose weight for so many years and this year I have had to think of something else.
I don't come on the 5:2 thread so much anymore as these habits have (hopefully) become ingrained but I found it SO helpful when I started, especially Bigchoc's brilliant advice. Anyone thinking of giving it a go, I say go for it!!

[shinamae]

Hi,I will be 62 in 3 weeks and this year have decided to do the Fast diet,I have "dabbled" in it previously but this year I am really going at it!!...I have decided to do 4days of 18:6,these are the days I work 1,til 7 in a small but busy care home,my eating window is 4pm to 10pm.I find it quite easy to do my 18 hours on just 4 mugs of very weak tea as I never feel hungry in the morning and can go to 4pm (I then have my break at work)when I then have 5water biscuits,2 triangles of laughing cow light and a few baby tomato's.When I get home after a 40 minute walk I will then have a Nutriblast and maybe beans on toast a couple of hours later.Also on my fast days I do have an hour excercise early morning split between cross trainer and vibration plate.Early days but I will update post if I can find this thread again!!!!

[MazzleDazzle]

Well done Dogma. Your weight loss is awesome! Like you, I found this thread a huge help with hunger pangs. It's why I'm on here now in fact!

Shina you sound so focussed! Hope to read about your success later in the year.

After maintaining my loss for 6 months, I'm knuckling down to lose the last 7lb! I'll keep you updated!

[BigChocFrenzy]

Well done on achieving your goals, Dogma and on learning such important new habits.

It's brilliant that you are maintaining and even continuing a lose a bit more.

[TalkinPeace]

Just thought I'd make the point that eatriskier is still on MN and still successfully maintaining as lean and mean - but under a new name

As is Bsshbossh
As is betseybell
as is postmanpatscat
AmericasTorturedBrow looks amazing in her FB pictures as does catsrus
anglaise is still lean and mean
laska42 is still fasting

and then there are those of us who are still posting on the threads

5:2 works - its is the simplest way to stay lean and healthy into middle age yet invented.
Cool huh

[efeslight]

Fantastic stories, stats and photos, thanks to everyone for the inspiration, and of course I am so pleased for you all. Am 73 kilos and am going to start my fasting journey now...thanks also for the links to the advice/beginners threads...

[queeneileen]

I'm new to this group but have been doing the 5:2 since August 2013.

Height: 5ft 3in
Weight: 12st 7lb

I'm now 11st 2lb and have another 18lb to go but it's going! I couldn't be happier.

I don't feel like I'm depriving myself at all and I can still drink at weekends or go out for meals.

[Breadandwine]

Just bumping this thread - but I couldn't be happier.

What a great message! Well done, eileen!

[BsshBosh]

Hit my goal (healthy BMI) in April 2013 then continued to lose and hit revised goal (BMI 20) in January 2014 and have maintained around BMI 19 ever since.

5:2 completely transformed my appetite. It seems to take no effort to eat according to hunger only these days. When I was BMI 36, prior to 5:2, I had no hunger switch - just ploughed on eating whether I was hungry or not. In fact, when I think about it, I don't think I ever was physically hungry in those days.

Stick at it everyone!

[BsshBosh]

Sorry, should have mentioned that I posted here again seeing TIP's post above :)

[Breadandwine]

Hi Bssh

Good to hear from you - nice to know this WOL is still working its magic!

I'm still fasting once a week - and I will for evermore, I reckon!

[queeneileen]

Puh! I put August 2013, I meant 2014!!

And thank you breadandwine, I'm down to 10st 10lb. Can't quite believe it and am utterly convinced my clothes have gotten bigger rather than me getting smaller......

[TalkinPeace]

Anglaise completed the Rome Marathon at the weekend
AmericasTorturedBrow still looks unbelievably toned
5:2 works long after the weight is gone

[MyWonderfulMimi]

I'm in my 3rd year of 5:2 and have just completed my first year of maintaining and it's still going well, although I am 2lbs up on my all time low. I do have the odd period when I get off track, but as soon as I put my mind to it I can lose a couple of pounds in no time.

I recently had a health check with my GP and was told the likelyhood of me having a heart attack in the next 10 years is well under 10%. Very good news considering my family history of heart problems.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Congrats on your one-year maintenance milestone Mimi and that's good news from your doc.

[MazzleDazzle]

Well done Mimi!

Well done eileen!

Wonderful results for you both.

[MeButSmaller]

I'm adding my experience to this as I found this thread (and the main thread - on which I've only ever lurked) really helpful at the start of my 5:2 journey.

I've always considered myself naturally petite. Pre DC I was quite sporty, and could eat what I liked. My 'natural' weight hovered around 8 stone.

I've had 3 children. With each I gained quite a lot of weight, and after DCs1 & 2 I lost most, but not all, of it. Each time I got pregnant I weighed a little more than the last time. I've tried a few different diets - WeightWatchers, Cambridge, just eating healthily - and although they worked, I also found them really soul destroying, so only stuck with them for long enough to get my BMI into the 'normal'' range, then accepted that as as good as it was going to get, and gave up.

I was pretty upset, in February of this year, to step on the scales and weigh in at 11 stone. I'm short, and looked really heavy at that weight. With a baby and 2 young children I don't have much time to exercise, and I couldn't face starting down the WeighWatchers type of route again, preparing separate meals for me and the rest of the family.

So I decided to try 5:2, having watched the Horizon programme a few years ago, and having known a few people who had tried the diet.

It's been brilliant. A little more than 4 months later, and I now weight 8 stone 13. That's less than I was originally aiming for, but I find the diet so easy that I'm now going to keep going and try to get to my pre-DC weight.

Fast days were initially hard (I'm breastfeeding so have additional calories to take account of this, but it took a couple of weeks to work out a pattern of eating and amount on fast days that worked for me). But now I hardly know that I'm doing one. I love that I can eat with the family for most of the week, that we can still occasionally go out for coffee and cake, that the children haven't even noticed that I'm dieting.

I'm happier with my weight than I have been in 5 years. I'm just so glad that I found the 5:2 diet .

[BigChocFrenzy]

Congratulations, smaller Good to hear how happy you are on 5:2

Several other folk on these threads have found they reach their original target and then realise they can improve on it. Pre-DC weight is doable for many.

[TalkinPeace]

I'll not post a pic of DH, but just to let you know - he has decided to lose some more weight entirely for health reasons, is using 16:8 combined with 5:2 and has shifted a stone in a matter of weeks.

Not bad for a 50 year old brick outhouse who inhales chocolate all weekend.
What's not to love about 5:2

[Chocolateteabag]

Adding my results so far:

1 Jan 2015
76kg at 5ft 9 (173cm)
Pear shaped 12 on top, 14 bottom

Ds2 just turned a year old and I had got from 82kg on the day of his birth to this point. Not massively overweight for my height but definitely blobby.

20 June 2015 (summer hols in majorca)
68kg - 8-10 on top, 10-12 bottom

Have maintained 68 since then with some 6:1 weeks mostly. I am going back to 5:2 once I have ds1 in school in sept and things are a bit less manic
I think 64kg would be a good weight to get to but in this for the long term!

With not "that much" to lose comparatively other diets just seem so restrictive. This took about a month for the scales to properly shift and has been v slow and steady but reading and lurking on the main thread has been invaluable