The FastDay Forum

Still looking in, mainly to see if the runners have done anything spectacular!
3 years in February, not fasted since last November and that only to have my hip resurfacing operation. New hip has been 'run-in' over the last year, managed to get a better 5k parkrun time than the whole of 2014, and my weight is hanging around 138 lbs. Target was 135 for a while but now happy not to go over 140 lbs as a morning value. Spent a lot of time on the net reading nutritional articles, happy to eat more fat nowadays and take vitamin D, use carbs sparingly when I have been doing something strenuous (after rather than before, for best effect). Still climbing and biking, 65 next week. Well done to the rest of you that have stayed the course!

Wow nearly 3 years for me too, fast wasn't it!
I'm a bit of a failure having gone from about 80kgs to 69kgs but have now crept back to 77 kgs :0(
However I'm not the size 20 I was, steadily size 16 , waist 35" not the 39" it had been :0)
I've also read a ton of nutrition info from here and other web sources and passed it on to family and friends.
I've made a plan for January:- strict 5:2, log everything on myfitnesspal app without fail, up protein intake and get out walking every day.
Come February I plan to re-assess as too continuous a regime ends up with expectation fatigue and my brain goes numb!
Very well done to my cyber family, may we chat and encourage and enjoy this site for many years to come.
Big hugs all round

I started fasting in March 2013, and joined in July(?), and am currently at my lowest ever weight, having lost 30 pounds.
I just love how much easier it is to nip upstairs, hills etc, and even have the suggestion of a waist now!
I've completed the Couch to 5K running programme, and to my surprise find I quite like it. Never having run at school, I feel quite proud of having done this.
Fitbit (and our Fitbit group) has been as essential to all this as this forum, and that is saying something. I clearly have the personality that suits using one, and mine is over two years old now, and it has to be the best £2.86 per month I've ever spent!
I'm 50, so a menopausal waist is just round the corner. I've been that sort of shape most of my life, so am just loving my current shape for as long as I can!

Penny, and others,
I haven't read all the posts, so I apologize if this has already been answered. Do you count calories on your non-fasting days?
I am returning to 5:2. I did it successfully back in 2013, but stopped and the weight came back. I lost almost 10 lbs. in one month just by fasting two days a week and eating what I wanted (but not going crazy), on my non fast days. Upon returning to 5:2 I'm reading that many people now count their calories on their nonfasting days too. I just can't do that! To me that defeats the whole purpose of 5:2. So please tell me, did any of you lose your weight without counting on nonfast days? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Happy holidays everyone!

I'm still around & it will be 3 years in January 2016 since I discovered 5:2ing & this forum. Well I'm ashamed to admit I have put weight back on because of endulgent holiday eating this year! At my lowest I had lost about 2 & 1/2 stone so looked a bit better for my son's wedding but I still need to get to my goal weight. This will now be a challenge starting in January because I now have a granddaughter & will also have a grandson in February & I want to be fitter to be able to easily get up & down from playing on the floor with them & carrying them. My OH & I are still fasting twice a week & this also helps his type two diabetes!
Lovely to hear from fellow "forum oldies"

[Tracieknits]

Penny, and others,
I haven't read all the posts, so I apologize if this has already been answered. Do you count calories on your non-fasting days?
I am returning to 5:2. I did it successfully back in 2013, but stopped and the weight came back. I lost almost 10 lbs. in one month just by fasting two days a week and eating what I wanted (but not going crazy), on my non fast days. Upon returning to 5:2 I'm reading that many people now count their calories on their nonfasting days too. I just can't do that! To me that defeats the whole purpose of 5:2. So please tell me, did any of you lose your weight without counting on nonfast days? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Happy holidays everyone!

Hi @sherylthecaffeinebrain
for the most part, people here don't count calories on non fasting days. But if someone is struggling with their weight loss (as I have at times) we might recommend counting calories for two or three weeks, simply so you understand what "eating normallly" is supposed to look like. The thing is, we didn't get overweight by eating normally (to our TDEE/how many calories we burn in a day), so some of us may not have a quite right idea of how much we should be eating in a day. Counting calories (not necessarily restricting, just counting) is one tool you can use, if you want to, when your weight loss stalls so you can know you're not overeating on normal days.

Welcome to the forums!

[Tracieknits]

@Isis
I'm still holding on to a few pounds I put on at the holidays LAST year. But I'm not beating myself up too terribly - my thyroid was all over the place this year >.<

I reached my goal exactly 2 years ago today. I started the diet in March 2013.

I have gotten out of the range I set for myself sometimes, but, once I set it more realistically, this happens less frequently and for shorter times. I still fast about 3 times a week, but I am not so strict with calories, and probably get 700ish (I don't have sweets on those days and eat 2-3 small meals). I fell into this habit when I didn't have access to scales, and it works pretty well. I think it makes me less crazy on non-fast days! When I feel non-fast days are getting crazy, I try to have some nice chocolate around and set a daily limit. This gets me in line pretty quickly. It's harder during the holiday season though, when sweets abound. Being back in the US is difficult too. Portions are out of control here, and I hate wasting food. At least doggie bags are allowed!

I haven't read all the posts, so I apologize if this has already been answered. Do you count calories on your non-fasting days?

Happy holidays everyone!

I try to avoid it, but take other measures when I need to, like limiting sweets on most non-fast days when I feel I'm going crazy too often. I am a frequent weigher, so I can tell when I need to be more strict.

Good luck and happy holidays to you, too!

I've been doing this for 2.5 years and have found a happy medium with fasts only on days I go above my maintenance range (66.5-68.5kg), around 10kg less than I started and much slimmer waistline. I still skip the odd breakfast and generally make healthier, more protein and fibre choices, when going out for lunch or dinner. No more calorie counting required as I have learned a lot from this forum.
Since I started 5:2 I now have an active dog, do fairly serious weight training, have had to give up running due to a sore knee, and had some other health issues that seemed to have been fixed. OH is less fit and heavier, despite doing one fast a week (but overeating on others). Daughter is about to start high school and is keen to get fitter but too young to do 5:2. So as a family there's still a lot to be done.

I started 5:2 in March '13 and joined the forum in Sept '13. It took me about 10 months to get to my target weight - about 20 pounds down. I'm presently 4 or 5 pounds up from that target, but hey, the new clothes still fit and a look in the mirror still gives me a thrill! As for many others, the forum has provided new friends and moral support. Yay, us!
@Annurca, the menopausal waist is a myth. Really! True we can't be quite the same shape we were 40 years ago, but I assure you - as a 60-something - that if you are fit, your shape is more the result of your genes than your age. My hair stylist is my age and does multi-day mountain bike races and swims daily. No menopausal waist on that lady! That said, I'll admit I look better in clothes than out of them .

Hi everyone and I can see that many of you have great success stories. Good on you and good for you.
I started 5:2 more than two and a half and reached my goal in exactly one year. Never stopped fasting the two days and managed to keep the weight for only 6 months. I lost 9 kilos and have put on about 3 back. I have been fasting my two days religiously but not been able to bring the weight down. I admit that I do not count calories on non fast days but I do not go crazy with eating either. I have thought going three days but it is not possible for me due to family.

I'm still here too - though I don't come onto the forum much. Lost 60lbs or so and it's still off - I echo what I think @ChrisP said in that since I've been fasting and lost the weight, I have started a new job where no-one knew me when I was big. I do diabetes clinics for part of it and when I tell people who are struggling with their weight that I know what it's like to struggle, they look at me in disbelief which I find so strange because in my head I'm still a fat girl! I LOVE clothes buying nowadays and have way too many.

I eat much lower carb than I used to - my brother is diabetic and I obviously have that tendency so it suits me to do so and I feel physically much better when I don't eat loads of carbs - we went on holiday in the summer and for 2 weeks my diet was carb heavy and it has taken me all this time to undo the damage. Not saying lower carb suits everyone but given my family history it works for me and I am afraid I am passionate about that way of eating for people with diabetes because it makes complete sense. Plus I am convinced my menopausal symptoms are worse when I eat too many - more anxiety/flushes etc. Grateful to this forum and hints and advice about what to read to make me more aware. I still fast twice a week/generally skip breakfast too and.........ONLY EAT WHEN I AM HUNGRY. An amazing thing because I've never been able to manage it before. I am also a daily weigher purely because it keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I miss the forum as it was but hey, things change....

Happy Christmas to all!

Started July 2013 doing basic 5:2, got to goal in 3 months (lost 13 kg). Within 2 kg maintenance range eversince doing fasts as they are needed (which is not very often). No real change in my daily eating pattern, which wasn't too bad in the first place Fasting just works for me

Hello all. I joined the forum in Feb 2013 so coming up for 3 years for me. I lost 2.5 st or 35lbs, have put about 7lbs back on. I've set myself a couple of goals for 2016; one good fast a week and to get to 30 mins for 5k. I'm loads fitter and healthier than I was before I started 5:2, I've run a half marathon, some 10k races and I've entered another HM for next year. I don't eat breakfast unless I'm really hungry and feel that I need to. I've cut my carbs a lot too. I treated myself to a Vivoactive for my birthday/Christmas so I'm making sure that I get 10,000 steps in per day or more if I can. I don't come onto the forum as much as I used to but I'm so grateful to all the knowledgeable people that helped me on my journey.