Please inspire me with your 5:2 success stories... Desperate to lose baby weight

[Sendintheshiraz]

Ok. I am facing up to it. I've got 1.5 stone of baby weight to shift plus 0.5 as I was overweight when I got pg. DC2 is nearly 5 months, I have just stopped breastfeeding and was secretly hoping that was making me cling into the weight but alas no I have still not shifted an ounce. But I wanted to stop bf anyway so that's ok... I digress...

I am eating as healthy as poss during the week, walk at least 20 mins every day and have just gone back to Zumba once a week. We eat out prob once/twice a week and I do like a few glasses of wine at the weekend (no lectures on units please). Other than that we eat home cooked meals all week (eg spag bol woth lean mince, stir fries, fish potatoes & veg etc) I don't eat puddings/sweet things generally, and have made a conscious effort to not eat fatty things eg cheese which I love. STILL nada.

So my next step is the 5:2 diet.

PLEASE inspire me with your success stories, what you eat on fast days, and what you eat on non fast days...

I am thinking that home made soups would be good for fast days?

And it's 500 cals for a fast day, right?

I really am desperate now to do something about this weight, I have a couple of health probs which I won't bore you with that would really ease if I shifted it - oh and a holiday booked in May that necessitates swimwear :-/

Determined not to go down WW/slimming world route as I can never stick to it and hate eating things chock full of aspartame....

Thank you in advance!

Hi there- I have been doing 5:2 since mid Dec, when I accepted that bfing and walking were doing nothing to shed the 2 stone I was carrying around from pregnancy (which includes like you a spare half stone from before pregnancy). I've been doing it ever since and have now lost 22 lbs. I fit easily into my pre preg clothes and am very happy with the results. I'm still bfing (DC2 is 5 months) and have had no problems with supply.

I still walk a lot ( avg about 5 miles a day), incl jogging and twice weekly buggy fit classes. This has helped a lot as exercising on fasting days really cuts my appetite.

I can't say its easy because every fast day I do have a few moments where I am desperate to eat and life seems very dreary but they are over pretty quickly. I have absolutely never managed to stick with any diet before so am delighted at my perseverance with this one- but then most days it's not a diet.

The 500 cals per fast day is only a guide, it depends on how many calories you require to maintain your weight. Look at the main thread for more info on calculating your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), you should eat 25% of that on FD.

I eat soup most FD but I buy it so I know how many calories are in it. I then usually have fish or chicken (plain, no skin) for dinner plus piles of vegetables. No carbs or sugar, lots of tea, water and diet drinks as a treat. I actually find it a relief to have an excuse not to cook a real meal twice a week. The rest of the week I can enjoy cooking for the family and eating what they do, unlike on most diets.

I hope this helps, good luck!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/1908144-The-Inspirational-5-2-Thread

I've lost 20 lbs since Christmas, I've getting into clothes I haven't worn for years.

The fast days are hard but its bearable knowing that Its only for one day. I use an app to track calories everyday except Saturday, when I eat whatever I want.

DH has lost 2 stone since January.
Fast days he eats.
Veggie soups
Raw veg
Fish or turkey and veg
Porridge
Almonds
Tea and water

I started the 5:2 in September 2013, I've lost 14 kg.

Thanks all

Loving the success stories, sounds like this really is doable....

I have worked out my tdee, it's 2407 and so 25% would mean I could eat 600 cals on a fast day - is this too good to be true, should I just stick with 500?

Am going to stock up on a load of veg and salad today, wish me luck!!!

I have the same TDEE as you, so I do 600 FDs.
Don't worry if it takes you a while to get down to that. Some folk manage immediately, but it took me several months, so I had 800-900 FDs, which is still a huge deficit at our TDEE and I still lost.

FDs:
. Plan and calorie count all your meals the day before, or even earlier.
.Drink loads of water. Start each day with a pint of it.
. Drink lots of tea, coffee, bovril etc if you like them
. if you have milk for hot drinks, then in advance, measure out the amount for the day and put it in a sealed pot.
. Don't forget to include any calories for sugar and milk.
. NO snacks or grazing - save calories for meals
. NO junk food like choc, bikkies, cake etc

Concentrate on protein and veg, minimising starches, especially bread.
Many also avoid fruit or juice, as it can raise insulin and hunger.

Recommended: stews, stir-fries, curries, grilled meat/fish, LOTS of veg.

Most of us skip breakfast and have a very small lunch, like soup, to save most calories for supper. When starting, you might need to have a slice of ham or salmon for breakfast.

Most folk who exercise also manage to do so on FDs, so see how you go.

You'll be very welcome on the MainThread42
we're a very friendly bunch.

Thanks choc , that's all really helpful, and I will be popping over to the main thread for sure.

Today is my first FD and so far so good I think, will post over in the main thread now as could defo do with the motivation

As I work Mondays and Tuesdays I fast on these days as it is easier. Is it ok to do consecutive days?