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!

@BaconAndAvocado i'm terrible at drinking enough water and was woken yesterday morning by excruciating calf cramp which is a sure sign of dehydration. So I whopped loads of squash yesterday...

Will avoid the usual Friday excesses because I'm going to my husband's tonight and the flight isn't til 8.40 😭 so by the time I get in it'll be nearer 10 and I'll just want to go to bed rather than have a gin!

harriethoyle ouch, sounds painful. I like drinking water but forget how much I should be drinking each day!
Enjoy seeing your DH 🙂

Feeling a bit glum as I've put ON a pound this week. I've been strict with my cals ....might be (peri)menopausal, time of the month etc.

Plus I've been very lazy over the past couple of weeks and not exercising.

I've been having a glass of water before eating anything on FDs. I do it because it helps me to feel more full with whatever I'm eating, but positive side effect is increased hydration.

@BaconAndAvocado I haven't been checking my weight obsessively week by week prior to starting 5:2 but I have definitely found significant fluctuations in bloating/inches based on time of the month that is definitely exacerbated by being a bit older. My clothes feel completely different in the week before my period to other times.

Thanks Tired
I’m not having periods as such but still feel different at certain time of the month.

I’ll keep keeping on 😊

I lime your tip about having a glass of water before a meal too.

Hi all,

I've been on and off this thread with other names.

Since I've had my second in early 2019 I just keep losing and putting on the same lbs. I suffer from fibromyalgia and hypermobility and found my symptoms were debelitating in the 10 days before my period so I started the pill last month and so far feel better but not great. Really hoping I can nail it this time.. I've put on about 5lbs according to the scales since starting the pill but I think a lot of it is water retention.

I think my biggest issue is feeling dizzy and lightheaded and reaching for food. It never helps but feels like it does. And emotional eating.

So current weight - 10st 5lbs.
First goal 10st.
Second goal 9st 5lbs
Third goal under 9st.

I'm only 5"2 so my comfortable weight is 8.5 stone really but I've not
Been that for 10 years. I was 9st 4lbs after my first.

Any tips welcome!

I've started fasting again this week as I know in the past it's helped me shift weight well. I find when I'm working, it's easy - I just don't eat anything during the day (except black coffee and herbal tea) and have all my calories for dinner.

But - I'm on leave next week and don't want to mess up. Any tips for not eating everything in the fridge just because I'm at home, as usual?

Back from holiday and not going to check scale anytime soon 😂..hope to restart FD tomorrow 🤞

Wise choice @Witchone1! Anyone with me tomorrow? B2b Monday and Tuesday this week I think.

I'm planning to do b2b Wednesday and Thursday this week with hopefully better results than last week!
Had a very odd day so far today.
I've eaten:
Half a mackerel fillet
2 mini milky ways
A slice of peanut butter toast
3 rich teas
Bowl of special K
Satsuma

No idea what dinner's going to be as the fridge is empty and I'm not feeling up to a supermarket shop.

Good luck everyone 😊

Also have empty cupboards @BaconAndAvocado - have foraged half a portion of biryani from the freezer and defrosted a vegetable curry side! Not the most virtuous..!

Theoretically, I'm doing a FD tomorrow. I'm not feeling the love and am out of my preferred spinach soup option. I have ingredients to make more but, looking at my diary, the chances of me actually finding 20 minutes to make it, seem slim. Sigh. Will see how it goes.

@TiredButDancing same... the HH cupboards are bare! I might have to have two ready meals which is pretty awful really 🙈 on the plus side, I'll be able to get to the shops tomorrow night so all is not totally lost...

Looks like I have some Monday fasters - aiming for a b2b but did a work out this am and am now starving

absolutelyknackeredcow
I've never done a workout or run on a FD, thought it might finish me off!

But what a virtuous day that would be 😂

Back again after a busy week. I've lost more again today but I think I'll record the actual weight on here to kick me into action. I'm 76kg today. My first target is 72kg which is what I recorded as before pregnancy but I wasn't happy then so I will do more.

I'm happy I've had another loss as I've eaten poorly. Still mainly fasting 18:6 but indulging in pizza, McD and nearly a whole box of milk tray on one day (they weren't even very nice).

I'm an emotional eater and we are having a very difficult week. I think the baby has colic and just cries constantly and wakes up as soon as I put him down anywhere. My husband has covid and is poorly with it so cant help and cant even hold the baby for a min. Lastly, I've got mum guilt for my other son who is supposed to be having fun on his holidays but I barely have a minute to cook him some food.

Enough with the excuses! Must eat better this week!

That sounds tough @LifeBeginsNow - don't be too hard on yourself!

@absolutelyknackeredcow well done on the FD workout... I'm meeting a friend for c25k later!

@LifeBeginsNow I think any weight loss programme when you have a small baby is insanely ambitious so if you're making progress, you are a HERO in my book.

Needless to say, FD has NOT happened today. I haven't had a full night's sleep in over a week and was woken at 6 am this morning by DH having a strop (we have a new mattress and suddenly he's hot but it can't possibly be that, no, it is apparently MY fault. Sigh) and am exhausted. I haven't even attempted to start it but WILL make an effort not to shove everything and anything in my mouth which is what Iv'e been doing over the weekend.

FD tomorrow. Good luck to the rest of you!!

Ah thank you both. I was a bit naive and thought baby 2 would be as good as baby 1. I cant believe the difference!

@LifeBeginsNow

Ah thank you both. I was a bit naive and thought baby 2 would be as good as baby 1. I cant believe the difference!

Aaah, yes. In my experience, people with a small age gap between children almost always had an easy first baby! Also, I have lots of friends who have rather shamefacedly admitted after the second that they thought their first baby was so easy because they were just really good parents. (they tell me this, usually after a few drinks, in a fairly apologetic way with the underlying message that they're sorry for judging me when Ds was a nightmare! )

How's everyone getting on? Kitchen closed here at exactly 700 calories. Tiny bit high for a b2b but I guess front loading is no bad thing. I've calculated tomorrow as 559 so as long as no snaccidents I'll be fine going up for a bath in a bit having done c25k run earlier. Feeling quite virtuous!

@harriethoyle

How's everyone getting on? Kitchen closed here at exactly 700 calories. Tiny bit high for a b2b but I guess front loading is no bad thing. I've calculated tomorrow as 559 so as long as no snaccidents I'll be fine going up for a bath in a bit having done c25k run earlier. Feeling quite virtuous!

Kitchen closed on 565 - hoping to be able to b2b tomorrow but will have to see. I've been starving all day which is quite unlike me

I'm hungry too @absolutelyknackeredcow I think it might have been the run...

I have holiday hangover and eating nonstop since coming back. Couldn't fast yesterday as I stuffed myself in the morning itself 😔...1st day of b2b today after 3 weeks break. Think it will take a month to undo all the damages.

On a b2b day 2 and starving. I only did one fast day last week and feeling it. How are you @harriethoyle

I remain impressed with those of you doing B2B. I was in bed at 10pm last night and woke up feeling much more able to do a fasting day. Proving, again, that insufficient sleep is one of the biggest barriers to weight loss.

I'm still feeling a bit tired. I've had low iron and haven' been as good at taking my supplements recently and it's amazing how quickly it seems to hit me. I tend not to take it on FD as well because of the calories but will do so today as I've been really slack - I think I've only taken it once in the last week. Amazing how with schools out, my normal routine is just gone.