5:2 thread 96: Slinking into summer, one FD at a time!

[harriethoyle]

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 for the new thread @harriethoyle! 2nd FD for me today

Thanks @harriethoyle, day 1 of b2b today 👍

Thank for the new thread harriethoyle.

Good luck to all on FDs.

Thanks for the new thread.

2nd fd this week, 3 coffees in really having to will myself not to eat. So annoyed at myself as yesterday I just ate and ate so probably completely negating Monday’s fast.
Got a friends bday meal tomorrow eve and everyone who is attending are at least 3 stone smaller than me, so I need this in the bag to feel confident tomorrow. Not that it will make much difference weight wise so soon but just knowing I’m doing something about it will give me a boost.
Wish me luck!

Good luck @Iwishiwereamillionaire! You've got this...

I feel like the very hungry caterpillar today... I just want to EAT! But am trying to stay strong. I can foresee trash telly and a bath tonight to stop me diving into the fridge face first.

Thanks harriethoyle!
I’ve put secret eaters on (prime) as it’s quite motivating and eye opening

I think I'm in the glowy, new relationship phase.... I wanted a diet coke today, realised we didn't have any and.... wait for it.... did not have a full fat coke instead. I felt like I didn't want to negate the hard work of yesterday! . I assume this virtuous, everything goes swimmingly phase will fade and soon I'll be mainlining crisps, coke and chocolate on non-fast days?! I will be weighing myself tomorrow so I really hope there's a shift just to give me the confidence it works. I have so much weight to lose I've put it in buckets. First bucket is 7.5kg (just over a stone) which would be LIFE changing. I'd still be overweight, but it would be much better (I know, from getting down to that weight previously). Then another stone will take me into normal-but-not-in-any-way-thin. A final stone would be best but I can't even dream of that quite frankly.

Thanks @harriethoyle for the fab new thread and well done to all the fasters today.
Making up for last week's small gain - strong loss from me after my b2b taking me within 1.9lbs of my final target weight.
Hopefully I will there next week

Man I am RAVENOUS tonight! 1 hour til I leave for running club...

First fast day today. Didn't find it as bad as I thought. Had a pretty full on day though and I think being distracted helps. Would love to hear people progress so far, have many been doing it a long time?
@TiredButDancing I also have a lot to lose. The idea of buckets is a good one rather than looking at the whole mountain at once!

What was it today for fasters? Finishing at 600cal..not great for me but will try to do better tomorrow...

@Lostfirstnature

First fast day today. Didn't find it as bad as I thought. Had a pretty full on day though and I think being distracted helps. Would love to hear people progress so far, have many been doing it a long time? *@TiredButDancing* I also have a lot to lose. The idea of buckets is a good one rather than looking at the whole mountain at once!

I know a woman who has gone down at least one dress size, maybe 2. she's being doing a combination of 5:2 and, when she can afford it, one of those versions where you have meal replacement juices instead. I'm not sure what size she was previously, and I definitely don't know how much weight she's lost, but there's a noticeable difference. She's gone from looking obese to just v overweight. She has inspired me.

Kitchen closed on 744 and that feels like a victory after today's hunger 😂 takes me to just under 1400 for my b2b.

@Lostfirstnature welcome! I've been consistent with this WOL since last January and I've lost 20.6lb since then, the majority in the first 10 months. Gone from a size 14 to a 10/12... Hovering around my goal weight at the moment, give or take usual fluctuations!

Fabulous @absolutelyknackeredcow!

Place marking, back later

Wow @harriethoyle that's amazing - well done!

I was pleased to see I am down 1kg this week. Admittedly, it was getting back to my absolute worst weight ever that incentivised me to start this so I hope it's not just bloating! I'm not sure I can do a fast now for a while. We're away next week but had planned for Friday and possibly Sunday (weekends being hard). But a friend whose mum died 2 weeks ago texted to sy she's back from seeing her dad and do I want to meet up tomorrow. No way I can say no to that, clearly. But still, I feel good. I might try fasting for the first part of the day to at least lower my overall daily calorie intake.

Try a couple of minis if you can't get full fast days in @TiredButDancing - or skip breakfast so you're doing an intermittent fast...

Finished at 570. Better than yesterday but tough one. I am finding it hard to drink tea in this weather, so not sure how to keep myself distracted and full..I'm not a cucumber, salad person 😬.. Winter would be easier with hot tea and miso soup.

I'm at the higher end of normal BMI although my waist measurement would say otherwise.

Have dipped in and out of the 5:2 threads for a few years now, trying to maintain in between but when weight creeps back up by a couple of kilos I come back for accountability before it gets worse.

One thing I found once i was nicely into normal BMI is just how hard I found 500FDs, so after support on here I upped them to 800FD which felt much more comfortable and doable. The ideal is to find a WOL that is sustainable even if weight loss/waist loss is slower.

TiredButDancing - From experience my 'virtuous' period is only around 3 weeks after which I need to start to appreciate the NSVs however small!

Hello everyone and congratulations on all the victories both on and off the scale.
I've been lurking very quietly but inspired-ly and am pleased to report that I've reached my first milestone (like others, I have multiple goals) weight-wise, and I can definitely feel the difference in the way my clothes fit.
Unfortunately (very TMI warning) I've made a bit of a mistake and taken a couple of laxatives to counteract the effect of some opioid painkillers I've been on. I'm not really hungry but my stomach was rumbling away all night and I feel ravenous! Has anyone found a good way to deal with this?

Doing a b2b today - anyone joining

I'll join too please. I started 16:8 again yesterday and found it easy. Today is a different story and I'm just hanging on in there until 12pm. 2 black coffees and water for me.

I tried 16:8 previously and saw some positive results. I've recently had a baby (6 weeks) and am breastfeeding. As a result of no sleep and not being able to put the baby down for longer than 10mins, I'm burnt out and have been devouring a packet of biscuits a night! My belly has swollen up again and I've put 1kg back on which is frustrating as I was steadily losing the baby weight.

First goal is 6.5kg to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight but I want to go beyond this as I was never happy. Will see how I get on.

@LifeBeginsNow Welcome - go easy on yourself but you are very welcome
I'm a vanity faster although have lost my baby weight in the past through 5/2

Joining! My first fast day for a good while as I am trying to lose half a stone (or more!) for my wedding in September. Hoping to get back on track as I only have 8 weeks to go 😱

Kitchen closed on 430
How did everyone else do