5:2 Thread 95 : Lockdowns are lifting, as are we

[ListeningQuietly]

Welcome to the continuing thread for those following 5:2 or other forms of IF (Intermittent Fasting) such as 4:3, ADF, or daily 16:8 smile

Last thread was here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/4128689-5-2-Thread-94-Its-a-New-Year-a-New-Day-and-were-feeling-GOOD

Basically it is 2 very low cal days ("fasts") per week - which need not be consecutive - and eat "normally" to maintain on the other 5 days.

For those who have dieted or maybe overeaten for years, eating "normally"
means roughly the number of calories your body needs to maintain - NOT reduce - its weight (see TDEE calculator below).

IMPORTANT
If you have had past diagnosed Eating Disorders or serious MH problems you should NOT do 5:2 or any other kind of fasting

JARGON alert

16:8 is a different type of fasting, which can be combined with 5:2.
Daily zero-cal fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window. To lose weight, this needs a weekly calorie deficit as well

b2b (optional) back-to-back / consecutive fast days, each with an increased allowance of 650 calories instead of 500

BMI (Body Mass Index) healthy range is 18.5 - 24.9 for Caucasians. Upper limit may be 22 for some of Asian origin.

FD = single Fast Day: aim for 500 calories (600 for men or 25% TDEE whichever is higher) or 1000 cals for BF
No alcohol or junk on FDs
Even if you exercise strenuously, do NOT increase FD cals to allow for exercise

MFP = My Fitness Pal, a useful App or website to track food & drink calories

miniFD = MiniFD, 850-1000 calories, no alcohol or junk

NFD = Non-Fast Day, averages around TDEE

NSV / LSV = Non Scale Victory / LifeStyle (change) Victory, e.g. compliment, smaller waist, clothes size

SV = Scale Victory

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the average number of calories you burn in a day, is calculated from your current weight, height, age, activity level.
Aim to average about this for NFDs.

WOE / WOL = Way Of Eating / Way Of Life. We say this instead of "diet", to emphasise that we must make a permanent change in how we eat, to maintain our new healthy weight long term.

There is LOTS more information in the header of Thread 93
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/4057993-5-2-Thread-number-93-Drive-in-the-fasting-lane-to-goal

Jump in and say hello

Thanks

Checking in

Thanks for the new thread!

Between working from home, an online PT session and going for a long walk with my eldest, I didn’t have time to eat. Since I’d already made it to 4pm, I called it a FD. Had courgette soup for dinner.

The danger is now though, that I’ll let I’ll let of the break tomorrow, so I really need to stay focussed over the weekend and not eat back the deficit.

Weigh day tomorrow.

Thanks for the new thread - checking in and letting the kitchen door slam shut behind me. Finishing today on 503 cals - baked potato with cheese, beans and a mountain of salad leaves around 3pm and now an options hot choc to see me into the evening.

Well done to the other Thursday Fasters and congrats on your "bonus" FD Maz - you could make it a B2B tomorrow to see you into the weekend? Catching up with the old thread and congrats to Benji on the scale victory! My weigh day is tomorrow, eek.

Thanks for the new thread! Checking in to say hi!

Kitchen closed on 495 today.

Pushing on for B2B tomorrow

Thanks for the new thread. @ListeningQuietly I like your advice, I will do a week of sedentary happy weight tdee and see how it goes.

Well done to all the fasters today 💪

Thanks @ListeningQuietly! A good NFD today, yesterday's tape worm appears to have been suppressed... for now...! Although my youngest DSD made bread for her home ec homework and it was soooooo good!!

@harriethoyle it’s so hard when they make lovely things. You don’t want to offend. Both my girls did GCSEs in food and nutrition and they were really good, still are. My youngest is 17 and makes fab bread and it’s sooooo hard to resist. Luckily it’s not around for long!

I have just finished my 2nd fast day and I am amazed that I have managed it! It is a challenge in the afternoon but I have found the two evenings fine, easy even. Had a large chicken salad for dinner. I would like to go longer in the day without eating a carrot or something but I have felt a bit nauseous in the middle of the day and something small really helps. I just want to not overdo it on the other days now.

And DP made bread today - he did apologise when he realised! The smell was excruciating!

Freshly made bread is my kryptonite @Benjispruce2 @Cakecrumbsinmybra

Cakecrumbs
Fresh bread is indeed torture
and well done on the fast day
whole raw carrots are a great snack

Thank you for the new thread. FD here too, think it was around 450. Hoping to sleep through being hungry now and looking forward to my oats tomorrow

Checking in after a FD which went quite well. Going to make a big pan of soup tomorrow to keep me going for a while

Well done everyone!

I never have baked potatoes, but every time they are mentioned on here they sound so appealing.

Flower I feel like I’m wasting away! Right now a b2b seems impossible. I often surprise myself un the morning by not being hungry at all though.

Today’s FD closing on 622 which was higher than I wanted but I went all faint during physical therapy and he made me eat a banana. So annoying. Need to figure out how to make Thursdays work as a FD because it’s convenient for you DH to sort the DC out while I do PT in the evening.

Will do a sub-800 day tomorrow to make up for it (def not able to do b2b yet!)

Better to be safe @KobaniDaughters.
More good numbers after second FD. First time seeing 9st 8 on the scales! So another 1lb drop.
Hope good news for others too.

Morning all, thanks for new thread @ listening. Fast day yesterday went ok though I did not feel very motivated. I have managed to do two fast days without my hard boiled egg crutch so must be getting easier.
Weighed this morning and half a kilo off which surprised me since was a bit less vigilant on my nfds than i would have liked. I am now at the top end of healthy bmi range so that feels like an achievement. Problem i have now is that any further losses come from the wrong places, i am big of norkage and never lose off my boobs so end up looking like a stick with two balloons attached to the top . Will see how i go.
Hope everyone doing ok and thanks for all the help.

Well done Benji! You are smashing it.

Another 2lb off for me.

Well done @Benjispruce2 and @MazDazzle! shakes pompoms

Well done @Benjispruce2 @MazDazzle @Humphriescushion

I am 0.6 kgs lighter than yesterday ! Much happier. Will stick to my tdee and hope for more improvement. I'm about to jump on my cross trainer for a HIIT session 💪🔥 I'm on fire today 😁

Maz
A big jacket potato (cook 3/4 in the microwave and then finish off in the oven)
with baked beans and a thin sprinkling of strong cheese
or tuna and pepper
or a tin of ratatouille
on top
is an INCREDIBLY filling, warming meal
and full of vitamins and micronutrients

on an NFD you add lashings of butter and more cheese

Interestingly baked potato was my dinner last night! With light cream cheese, mushrooms and herbs. Yum!

Well done to @MazDazzle @Benjispruce2 @Humphriescushion and @Lilice !!

Looking like another maintain for me but it's the time of the month and I'm happy to maintain for now. Losses are a bonus if they come. That said plan to throw in a low calorie day next week as well as the 2 fasts.

Day two of B2B, weetabix this morning, prawn salad for lunch and fish wrap for tea.

Have a great Friday all.

When does everyone WI? After a FD?

I did this am after yesterday’s and am back down to last week’s weight (was up 3.5lbs again on Monday) so just wondering when you regularly weigh as I know I can fluctuate a fair amount in the week.

I’m aiming for 2-3lbs down and then sustaining that for the next month when I have hip surgery, assuming I’ll put those lbs back on but hopefully no more than that when I’m in recovery

I weigh the morning of my first fast day and the morning after the last.
I track both as two separate lines on a line graph I made in Excel because I am nerd.

I take the post second fast weight as my true weight though, obviously