5:2 thread 101: Fasting as quick as HH is whizzing down the ski slopes! (Not very fast, with many bumps and wine stops along the way!)

[harriethoyle]

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

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.

Jump in and say hello!

Morning all, signing in for a FD. In the office and have a lot of meetings so should be well distracted for most of it.

I havent dared weigh myself after the weekend, going to wait till Friday, haha.

Hope dentist goes ok @harriethoyle, I hate it!

Dentist X 2 and hygienist x 2 done! God, hygienists are sadists 🤣 and it still hurt even though I was frozen!

Kitchen closing btw on 615, making 1177 for the b2b. Can't guarantee I won't have a snaccident before bed though!

How did you get on @berryhand ?

Well done @harriethoyle, that sounds bloody painful! Kitchen closing on 598 here, going to do a b2b tomorrow as DP out late.

My own fault @berryhand - I hate the dentist and hadn't been for over a decade... so there was some catching up to do! I got off quite lightly really. Two replacement fillings and one new one... not horrendous for 10 years of neglect.

Urgh, hate the hygienist! Last time I went she said "oh, most people would have needed pain relief for that!" I was like "thanks, I'd have had some if I'd known it was an option!" I've never been offered pain relief!

1251 calories today, which I'm ok with as it's only just over TDEE, and it's all fresh homemade stuff.

I've taken some rooibos teabags into work, because I'll drink that without milk. The calories from tea and coffee soon add up, even with semi skimmed milk!

I've not been for years either so am full of admiration and guilt

Going to have to go to bed soon as I am bloody starving and the cupboard is calling me. Struggling a bit this week!

I went to a dentist specialising in nervous patients who was a personal recommendation @berryhand . I highly recommend.

I insisted on being fully numbed @Nepenthe I made absolutely no pretence of bravery! 🤣

morning all

apologies for going awol!

Monday was a successful FD / B2B and yesterday was crazy busy in the office!

Meals planned today which are currently nicely under TDEE so room if I want a biscuit with a cuppa.

Next FD is Friday for me - hoping to get 2 in before I fly on Tuesday for holidays!

@harriethoyle - well done surviving the dentist / hygienist - not easy!

well done @Nepenthe

how you doing @berryhand ?

Good to see you @OohMrDarcy

Whereabouts are you @harriethoyle? I definitely need to find a dentist like that!

Well I had an epic FD fail last night. After I posted here I came downstairs and ate two pieces of toast 😵

Trying again today. Really struggling this week, not sure if it's because my period is due.

West Yorkshire @berryhand if that's any good for you? it's funny because in work this morning three colleagues asked how my day off was and when I grimaced and said all day dentist they said "ooooooh I hate the dentist" and have all avoided going! So ask around your friends and relatives, I bet you'll have similar reactions and hopefully recommendations...

If any consolation re toast, I've already eaten two HCB, one brownie (which I made and brought the remaining one in for my colleague) and one slice of lemon drizzle cake (which my colleague made and brought in for me). So it's not a brilliant NFD here...!! 😂

Epic fail today. Epic.

Once a month, the directors provide treats for our office, usually cream cakes or something like that. Today was that day, and so I was building myself up, steeling myself against the lure of the cakes. I've been doing really well at avoiding sugar lately, and wasn't that fussed, so I thought it'd be a walk in the park.

It wasn't cream cakes.

It was all continental type savouries - various cheeses, cold meats like chorizo and pepperoni, crackers, veg sticks, chutneys, dips, crisps and sausage rolls. I was not prepared for this. It was like my arch nemesis laughing up at me from the table. I think I ate more than 500 calories of Brie alone.

Ah well. FD tomorrow.

Hi all,
Just caught up on posts - I'm off to hygienist next week myself and I'm not looking forward to it either. I have at least managed to register with a dentist close to home so it's not the horrendous bus journey it used to be (traffic hotspot).
Today was my second FD of the week, 5 calories over my 800 allowance - fine with that but really not sure how I'm every going to manage 500! (Not that I plan to unless losses completely stop lol)

@Nepenthe the beauty of 5:2 is the FD are flexible. You made a conscious choice to enjoy the brie (as would I!) and you can fast another day!

@AuntMarch you are doing well! If you do get to a point of wanting to lower the FD cals, just post some example FDs and we can give tips

Morning all, in for a fast day as I went out on Tuesday night for a birthday party and was a bit hungoiver yesterday.

I find all these kind of things, birthdays, nights out, office treat days etc really annoying as they’re so difficult to resist but in the end I find it better to put off a fast day than fail one because flexibility is what 5 2 is all about and failing leaves me feeling more negative and liable to pig outs etc…

Good luck fasters…

Well, today have finally called an end on 5:2 after 6 months, very slow but steady started at 9 stone 9, got to 8 stone 13, so won't be under 9 stone for long, but it did something and yesterday's trousers were a bit loose.

I expect I'll be back at it again later this year - I've resigned myself to having to keep losing and gaining about a stone every year now I'm past mid 40s, but if I can keep it to about that much I'll manage.

Fabulous @Echobelly , well done - we'll welcome you with open arms whenever you want to pop in!

Kitchen closed on 550 this evening, feeling happy tonight!

I've just completed my first 12 hour fast! Would have been longer only I crumbled and had a Baileys at 9pm last night.

I did so well yesterday, I was around 400 calories, but then I did chicken burgers for the kids, and DD didn't eat much. My resolve was not up to the job, and I ate hers. UPF and fasting fail!

But still, under TDEE. I was surprised how I got through the day without feeling too much hunger. I was definitely hungry by lunchtime, but plain tuna and salad leaves (mostly spinach) did the job, and was surprisingly tasty with salt and pepper.

So this morning I had rooibos tea, and waited until after 9.30 for a "proper" brew.

I've no idea what today will be like, bank holiday, kids at home but one going to a party later. Sometimes it's easier to fast when not in the usual routine, so although I'm not declaring it as an official FD, I'm hoping to keep it fairly low cal.

How's everyone doing? I haven't done very well at extending my fasting hours, but I have been really surprised at how little genuine hunger I've felt. When I think about getting something to eat, I think "but am I actually hungry?" and often the answer is no, not really. Sometimes it's "maybe, but I could wait a while."

Too early to say whether it's affecting my weight yet - I keep lapsing at weekends, but even when I do, I'm still consuming fewer calories than before, so hopefully there will be a gradual improvement.

One of the benefits of Covid for me was that the hygienist couldn't use the water pic thingy and had to use a scraper instead. I have horribly sensitive teeth and the water jet sends me through the ceiling, but the scraper was OK. We book dentist's appointments en masse for me, DP and the 3 children for moral support!

Back on 16:8 after I took the Easter weekend off - was down to 10st 6 on my last weigh in after a 10st 7 plateau for a couple of weeks. Suspect with some Easter chocolate that's gone back on again though....

Oh @SydneyCarton I like my water pik, but I do have to put quite warm water in it though.

I'm below 150lb today, for the first time in months! I'm not very good at fasting, as it turns out, but I seem to be doing well at keeping my overall daily calories low.

Hello all, checking back in for post-Easter week. I am very light work wise so am treating it as a bit of a holiday before a return to normal service next week. Already done with duties for today and only a couple of hours to do from home tomorrow. Nice not to be commuting!

Am doing a loose fast today of salad, cous cous and hummus for lunch and canneloni for tea which should be c. 800. I'll IF tomorrow and Friday I think but then return on Monday with renewed vigour and strictness!

@SydneyCarton I found the water thing SO PAINFUL. Worse than the bloody filling! 😆

Returning shamefaced after about two weeks off the wagon. Not even going to weigh myself until my head is back in the game.

FD tomorrow then back into the swing properly next week when I'm back at work and more normal service has resumed.

Hope everyone has had a nice Easter!

Well.. that Easter weekend was fun - 3 takeaways in 3 days 🤣