5:2 thread 102: Faster than a speeding bullet!

[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!!

Oh dear @harriethoyle hope the sore throat doesn't turn into anything horrid....

FD finished on 547 😁

Almost FD twins @lastditchattempt50 🤣

just sitting down to my greens heavy dinner. Tired and grumpy today. If I hadn’t been on a fast day I’d have been tucking into carbs and chocolate, so I’m feeling like I’m doing ok.

Definitely a NSV @Darker 💪🏻

well done @harriethoyle . 512 here. My stomach’s rumbling away and I am looking forward to breakfast 😄

Oops, missed a few updates, well done to you too @Darker and @lastditchattempt50 ! Managing to resist the carbs and choc when the temptation is strong is def a win 😊

Well done @Darker and enjoy your breakfast @aberjenagain

1lb off at weigh in today, 5lb in 2 weeks 😁 happy with that especially as we ate out twice on the weekend and had a few glasses of wine 🍷

Nfd today, need to stick to tdee and even save some as have another busy weekend ahead, out with a friend for some tapas and cocktails tomorrow (eek!) and the brunch on Sunday which shouldn't be too hard to navigate if I make sure I opt for something eggy and not a stack of pancakes or french toast!

Good luck to those fasting today 😄

Fab @lastditchattempt50 - your consistency is paying off!

This thread is so motivating!

Kitchen closed yesterday on 512. So chuffed with myself for doing (a) a proper fast, (b) on a Friday and (c) having a Friday with no booze! Turned out that the birthday party catering was for kids only, which is fair enough but it wasn’t even appetising enough for the adults to have a pick at it! By the time we got home and the children were all in bed I just had some toast and a couple of After Eights, too knackered for anything else.

Good luck to anyone tough enough for weekend fasting!

NSV this morning. Boyfriend noticed I’ve lost weight. I don’t talk to him very much about dieting because he needs to eat more and he loves cooking for me

Oh that’s lovely @Darker - unsolicited compliments are the best! I’ve managed to have a pretty virtuous weekend so far, shepherds pie and red wine planned for later but I’ve had a good dog walk this morning.

planning to fast tomorrow, Tuesday and Thursday - anyone with me?

The beauty of 5:2 is that normal days can be just normal. No need to compromise on lovely dinners or occasional treats.

Today has turned into an accidental fast day. I had juice and coffee this morning and nothing since. I have lots of veggies for dinner so I’m sorted.

Morning all - I’m joining you today on a FD @harriethoyle, and congrats on the lovely NSV @Darker

What’s on the menu @aberjenagain ? I’ve got a tuna thin for lunch and lentil soup for tea…

morning all

I'm back after disappearing for a week with another lovely flu bug! I have existed on one meal a day of basically crap - dominoes / mcd's etc and have somehow hit a new low of 93.8kg - huzzah?

I don't think I'm well enough for a full fast yet but may try a mini in a day or two and see how it goes - in the mean time, starting to focus on getting some nutrition back in me - will try and catch up on the thread!

Not sure tbh @harriethoyle ! Miso for lunch (skipped this on my last FD and was punished with a wicked headache), then either some sort of tofu and veg thing, or a frittata. I need to rebuild a bank of protein+veg FD recipes again, as already starting to get bored of frittatas 😬

@OohMrDarcy , oh no, how rotten! Glad to hear you are on the mend again now.

I also need to start adding in some exercise (Jan focus was forming healthy eating habits). I enjoy swimming but it makes me ravenous - when do people time their cardio relative to FDs, to avoid things going off the rails?!

I tend to swim in the evening so that I can get into bed soon after getting home and not think about food.

Otherwise walking is my thing - aim for 10000 steps a day. I need to add in weights or something but keep putting it off because I’m not very comfortable in the gym and don’t know what to do. I would love it if they offered a class just for menopausal women.

@OohMrDarcy that sounds horrid but I suspect your weight loss may be due to effectively doing a 22:2 intermittent fast! If you were on one meal a day... Glad you're feeling better. @aberjenagain I've just signed up for a 12 week programme at my gym starting next Monday to try and get regular exercise into my life. I'm SO sedentary at work that I have to do something! Also trying to up the dog walks at the weekend, poor pup was exhausted last night 😂

Thanks @Darker and @harriethoyle . My current plan is to sign back up to apple fitness and start some at-home strength and core exercises twice a week during Feb, and then add in swimming 2-3 times a week in March. I live within walking distance of the office, and the pool is round the corner from there, so I know I can build it into my schedule relatively easily. It’s keeping the consistency and not slipping back in my eating habits that I’m feeling a bit nervous of. Esp if/when work ramps up again and gets stressful.

@Darker , my gym (just a council one) will develop a free, tailored fitness plan if you ask - does yours offer anything like that, to help with understanding where to start with weight training?

@harriethoyle kids would love a dog, but DH and I both work FT, and tbh I am reluctant to have another living being making demands on my time, esp if the novelty of all-weather dog walks wears off for the kids…

Kitchen closing here on 556 - how did everyone else get on?

496, plus a teeny taste of haggis, neeps and tatties as I was dishing up for everyone else

Morning all - weighed in at 13 st 12 this morning, so that’s 11 lb off since 2 Jan, and v happy to be into the 13-somethings 😊

Oh well done @aberjenagain !