Started Fast 800 today

[DareDevil223]

I've got lots to lose, I'm feeling lousy, so heavy, achy and sluggish and I can't bear to see myself in the mirror so I'm making a dramatic change. Losing a pound a week is not going to cut it.

I eat far too many carbs so I think this Mediterranean style of eating and the the drastic cut in calories will do me good. I've read the book, I've stocked up on the right foods and cleared out the crap. I haven't eaten yet but I'll have my first meal soon.

I know that it will be hard going at times but the promise of rapid weight loss is worth a bit of pain.

Wish me luck. I'll update on my progress as I go.

@Ghostbusters, that's very helpful, thank you!

@VoleVet You're welcome hun x

The diet is going well for me so far. I've lost 8kg (17 lb) in 5 weeks. I can't believe I've been "trying" to lose weight for a year, and now I've done it in just a few weeks. By trying I mean waking up thinking "hmm I should diet today" but then not doing it. I'm realising living like that is almost more stressful than just doing it.

The strictness is really helping. It's good to know carbs are basically just off the menu. Instead of like before thinking well one slice of bread won't hurt... Hmm that was nice I'll have another. Don't eat to much of this rice... Whoops I ate it all. Etc.

You can have great tasting food on this diet. Duck, pak choi, mushrooms and courgettes with garlic, ginger and chilli

Well done ButteredGhost you are doing so well x

Thanks DareDevil223 and thanks for posting that duck pic/recipe as I am def going to try it.

I think the biggest challenge going forward will be keeping dinner interesting and thinking of new things. A lot of the book recipes are good but some arent my style. But there's plenty of online resources I suppose.

That duck looks good. (My autocorrect turned duck into dick which would have been awkward!)

Due to the lurgy I'm drowning in I'm coming in slightly under cals today 730 but haven't really been hungry. I do feel like I've been preparing food all day though. Hoping I sleep most of this bug off!

Well done @buttered
@dare that does look lush!

I have just invested in a Kenwood electric spiralizer. Tried it to make courgetti. It's brilliant!

@PhoenixMama

I hope you feel better soon xx

Morning all! Still feeling rotten here and I've gained a pound. Worried I'm doing something wrong? I drank tons of water on Friday & went up! So frustrating Today is day 7 & I'm going to definitely come in over 800 due to a baby shower but I've checked the menu & the are a couple of decent healthy options.

Checking in. A woeful 8lb down in 2.5 weeks it there abouts. I must admit to not cutting out carbs though I am restricting them. I'm just into the next stone under mark iykwim so that is good and I squeezed into some old jeans I've not worn in a while. I know if I really put my heart into it I can lose more but I'm not too disheartened. My dp has noticed so that's nice 😊

I started yesterday and it was very tough not eating in between meals. I haven't experienced the sensation of feeling hungry in such a long time. My head keeps telling me to reward myself with something sweet as I've been 'good' for a couple of hours. The norm for years has been to graze all day, then eating large meals until very full, yet, always hoping that I 'll be better tomorrow; such a vicious cycle. A hard cycle to break.

It is very encouraging seeing everybody's losses on here, hoping I too can do this and re-educate and discipline myself.

Weighed today 76.4kg so lost 2kg this week. In two weeks I’ve lost 5.5kg. I just can’t believe that, it’s amazing. I haven’t even been that hungry

Hi jacksback
After promising myself I would get into it last week after wobbling the previous week I didn’t . I have put 5 back on so pretty much where I started .
Soooo pulling my very big girl knickers up I am back for a second shot . I was very bunged up ( tmi ) last time so will eat way more veg this time to keep things moving !
I have a birthday party to go to in 4 weeks and will see friends I haven’t seen for a while so it would be nice to not feel so blobby
Well done everyone , I have been reading but not posting ( whilst eating rubbish )

Morning all. Week 5 done (I can hardly believe that I've been able to get this far but here I am). 4lbs off this week taking me to a total of 23lbs. I am starting to see the difference but no one else has really noticed yet apart from saying that I look well. I have another 6 or so stone to lose though so that probably explains it

For those just starting, it seems almost impossible when you start but it really does become easier. I am determined to do my 8 weeks and then I'll switch to the 5:2 version and rejoin the gym so I can get weight training again (nothing makes more difference to my body than strength training).

Have a great week everyone.

Hi all! Still sick here. Closed the kitchen at around 1000cals which considering the day involved at baby shower, an impromptu kids park party (involving cake & prosecco) and a pub visit!

Still no more losses though so I'm down 10lbs in week , which I really can't complain about but I'm definitely someone who needs to see constant change or I'll give up so hoping to see some change soon.

Hello all!

Has anyone noticed a change in their periods since doing this diet ?! I am usually every 28 days, in fact I can set my clock by the time I am going to come on usually ... came on 4 days early this month which was a bit of a shock to the system ! Would be interesting to see how everyone else has got on! X

In terms of eating I've been good considering I was premenstrual all of last week, no major cravings for chocolate which makes me wonder if the pre-period sugar cravings are real or just something I assume and indulge in in the week before my period is due! We've had a couple of meals out and family get together type of things where I've eaten carbs etc but nothing too massively far from the 800 calorie mark a day. Looking forward to weighing in after my period. When is it safest to do so, is towards end of period ok or is weighing while on your period an outright no?

MsKhan it's quite normal for your cycle to go a bit haywire at first, it's to do with the oestrogen levels which are held in fat (apparently, I'm not particularly scientific) so if you've had a rapid weight loss then it can affect it. It will settle back down. I don't think it matters when you weigh yourself, I find I retain a lot of water at totm so usually have a gain, which then goes afterwards.

@daredevil You are so inspiring, reading everyone's updates makes such a difference!

Finally broke my mini-plateau and down another 2lbs which makes 12lbs total in 8 days. Really hoping by the end of the week I'll have lost a stone. I'm at 203 now and can't wait to see under 200 for the first time in 5 years! Excited!

Hi everyone, please can I join? Been reading this thread and been inspired to give it a go. Been dieting since Jan and only lost a stone so been feeling a bit defeated. Started yesterday. Had the expected headache but not been too bad.

Do you tell people that you are doing it? My OH has been supportive but I mentioned it to a friend today and they were really negative and telling me how unhealthy it is

Worlds I told people i was going sugar free and low carb but did not tell people I was eating 800 calories. People really do get a bit overinvested in other people's diets, (especially ones that cut out essential food groups like cake and bread ) and especially when they see it working. You'll get two groups of interest- one that is wholly supportive and wants to try it too, and the other who claim it to be ridiculously unhealthy and a crash diet, (or who'll say they are also doing low carb but still eating bread and an occasional Naked bar). It does help to have a few smiley face answers ready!

My mil told me that if I didn't eat pasta or potatoes, my body would start digesting my muscles including my heart. Yes maybe, for extreme eating disorders this is a possibility but At this point I was still a good stone overweight.... people get very unsettled when the token fatty gets all
Skinny, I have found!

I think I will just keep it to myself. I have at least 7 stone to lose so surely its healthier than carrying around all this extra weight

I have told no one (apart from you lot!). I don't want people trying to tell me it isn't healthy-I feel much healthier already than I did 23lbs ago. I also don't want people commenting on what I do or don't eat or getting snarky as I emerge butterfly like from my fat chrysalis

Another little hurdle to overcome is that feeling that if you don't eat cake, or bread, or whatever, in social situations that other people feel they shouldn't either, even though they want to. That can be the trickiest bit I found, because after a few good weeks you really won't want it. But go to coffee with a friend and you find that they want cake, but not on their own; that can be really challenging and it's often where things can slip. We feel this social obligation to share our 'bad behaviour', whether that's wine or chips or cake. The irony is, I think the friends often don't want to want it either? I felt a lot of pressure put upon me to either have the food, or to be miserable without it, and neither really were true. After 2 years now, everyone knows I don't eat it so it's not so bad, but in the early days it was a real challenge.

May I join you? I've joined a couple of weight loss threads on here in the past and have even done slimming world for a couple of months but the only thing that ever stuck for me was 5:2 about three years ago. I found it easy, lost what I needed to which wasn't much in those days, but then an international move back to the UK, working from home and my love of all things carb (which are so easily available here; cakes, sandwiches, nice bread, scones, mashed potatoes, chips, pasties, pies, crisps etc) has seen me tip the scales like never before.
I'm pre-diabetic and have an extensive family history of T2 so really need to be careful but I'm struggling to motivate myself as I feel like I love food more than I want to be slim/healthy.
I'm hoping that a short sharp shock of the fast 800 will give me enough weight loss to motivate me and I can then continue to lose/maintain on 5:2.
I have bought the MM book but am still scratching around for more meal ideas so will be watching for any posted and post any of mine that are a success if that's ok?