The FastDay Forum

Hi all. I've just been away on holiday - all inclusive with non stop eating and drinking!!! I have to say, I'm really looking forward to getting back to 5:2 again next week

So far I have completed 3 full weeks (pre-holiday) and I had lost approx 4lb. I haven't weighed myself post holiday yet, but I know I have put on all the weight I had lost and plus lots more. But hey ho, thats why I call myself the yo-yo dieter I suppose!!

I have kept my fasting a secret from my hubbie, but today I decided to come clean and told him all about it! He needs to lose approx 2 stone, and he has decided to join me too It will be a bit different for me with regard to meal planning, as I have been using M&S ready meals (fuller for longer). Hubbie won't eat any ready meals, so I'm going to spend some time tonight planning what food I can cook for both of us. Hubbie will need to have breakfast, as he has a very physical job. But I prefer to stick with just 1 meal in the evening.

I'm just wondering how everyone else gets on if they are fasting with another family member? I guess its much easier to fast on the same days for a start!? Does anyone have any suggestions for meal plans, when cooking for two? I hate counting calories and weighing food, which is why I liked using the ready meals as all the nutrition is worked out for you. Anyone have any suggestions how to make it a little easier?

Anyway, thats all for now. If anyone has any thoughts I'd be really pleased to hear them. Yo Yo x

Just found this forum today. I inadvertently picked up the Michael Mosely book last Tuesday and decided from the get go to get started, Wednesday was my first fast day. I managed that no problem apart from the occasional headache. Stood on the scales on the morning of my fast day and also on the morning after and was so pleased to see 4lbs differenence (although I know this was probably water). Husband was so amazed by this, especially as on my fast day we had a lovely dinner, sticking with 300 calories for the lot.

He's now decided to join in too, I have 1 1/2 stone to lose and I estimate (because he won't confront himself with the scales) has about 4 stone to lose.

Today is another fast day, I find if I eat nothing until dinner time, I fare much better. Whereas he has to eat throughout the day. He's not doing too badly today, he's working a 12 hour day and texted me to tell me his colleague had come in with McDonalds. He said he had to eat, he couldn't ignore his hunger, but I was really pleased to find he only ate salad with tomatoes.

It's early days for us, I've struggled for the last 2-3 years to keep my weight off, I work long hours and alternate between day shifts and night shifts, so my life is slightly chaotic in that respect. However my 40th birthday looms in just under 4 weeks and I would be so happy if I managed to lose 7lbs in time for then and even more pleased to reach my goal of 1 1/2 stone by the summer.

I have a feeling this forum is going to dominate my life, ha ha.

You probably won't want to hear this but I would get out those scales and measures!
If your hubby won't eat ready meals and you're cooking from scratch you really do need to measure at least for a while until you get into your head what 50cals of flour, butter, cheese, nuts, oil look like. Because with these types of food it's really easy to go well over by just estimating and chucking it all in. I've been doing this for years and even now I still get out my measures to make sure that I'm not over doing it.
When I cook something I take it on as a bit of a challenge to see how low I can go with the calories and still end up with something tasty at the end. You never need as much oil as you think and if you use a strong cheese you can get away with very little.
Also if you cook yourself you usually end up with more food on your plate as you don't have all that added sugar and crap that they put in to replace the fat that they've taken out.
I usually cook a big batch of Chilli or Spag Bol etc. work out the calories for the whole pot full and then divide it into plastic boxes when I serve it so that I have enough to freeze for a number of mealtimes. If you write it down in a notebook when you do it the first time you can just use the measurements and not have to look up calories when you repeat it.

I've also used a number of the suggestions in the 'Fast Diet' book but I'm pretty sure that even with these you still need to measure to be sure of not going over on a fasting day.

It's great that your husband is following it with you it makes things so much easier. My husband and son are really keen and doing it with me. I think it's a diet that really suits the male mentality - a bit of a challenge!

My husband has decided to join me too.
Unfortunately he only likes salad on a sandwich, and likes peas, carrots and green beans.
He hates any beans except Heinz baked beans, so it's going to be a bit of a challenge.
I think I'm going to cook some calorie counted weight watchers recipes that I have.
They are basic things like spaghetti bolognaise, chillie, fish pie.....all the food he likes!
Wish me luck..

I made a SW pastry less quiche yesterday after somebody had posted a picture of it on FB. It was lovely! Dead easy, takes 10 min prep and 30 min to cook. Jut google SW colourful quiche

Started this with my daughter . Both 5lb off in 4 weeks. Don't always do the same days as we work different shifts. We also eat different things on our fast days. We don't eat in the morning I have oats so simple sachet made with water and sweetner and ski low fat mouse for lunch then fish and veg or chicken and salad for dinner she will have boiled egg and one slice of toast before work around 4 then low cal ready meal for break at work. We both eat normally the other 3 days during the week with even more at weekends.

[Tracieknits]

My husband and I are doing this together. The moral support definitely helps! It also helps that he understands when he gets home from work on a fast day, I might be a bit grumpy because I've been cooking and it smells so good! LOL

In response to theyoyodieter, believe me, it is so important to measure the food you are eating. We have all hated counting calories, and probably cheated, but using MyFitnessPal will help you to realise just how easy it is to over-indulge. I may sound cruel, but it is an excuse we can all use, to say we don't want to do something, but you really must try. You will also see how the ratios of fats, carbs and proteins make up your daily consumption. I am aiming for low carb intake, and don't worry so much about the fat component, but I am amazed at the quantities of sugars in the smallish servings of carbs I eat. You might as well get into this good habit, because 5:2 is certainly a safe solution to the obesity problem, and as it is for life, there is no point in putting off the inevitable. MFP is user friendly, believe me, and it has opened my eyes!!

Hey everyone thanks for your comments! Its good to hear what everyone else is up to!

I've taken on board your comments re weighing food etc, and I will try to do it. At the end of the day its only 2 days of the week that I will have to do it, so I'll give it a go. I think this week I'll do some plain, simple food such as grilled salmon or chicken with green veg. They should be easy enough to weigh and work out, as no sauces involved etc.

Thanks also for the suggestion re using MyFitnessPal, I was trying to keep carbs lower on fasting days, so I'll take a look at it

I'm hoping that we will be able to support each other, although he is not taking any 'ownership' of fasting at the moment. He just says 'tell me what I can eat, and I'll eat it!!!' I've shown him the book but he's not interested at the moment. I think the next few weeks will be challenging..... I just hope he sticks with it!

We've just ordered a cross trainer / bike from Amazon, which should be delivered by the end of the week. I do exercise already 3 x per week, but hubbie does none, although his work is physically demanding. I think the cardio work will do us both good though.

Anyway thats all for now. Fasting starts again on Tuesday - I'm certainly looking forward to feeling less bloated! xx

My Other Half and I fast together. It makes life much easier. I never thought he would manage without breakfast or bread but amazingly he does.

We have found it very straight forward and keep meals simple.

The usual plan is home made veg soup for lunch, varied recipes. Then at tea time we have a salad with either salmon, chicken or omelette (using our free range eggs). Apart from drinks like water with lemon, peppermint tea, the odd cup of real tea or coffee that's it. The calories are 'about right' but I don't count every time. This suits us as we don't live near shops and don't normally have ready meals.

Fasting tomorrow, off we go again!

Gillb, I have followed your responses over the last couple of weeks, and I feel that we are on the same wavelength. My husband and I are doing this together, and eat the very type of foods you describe, that is, keeping things really quite simple. And we have made our own bread for 45 years, and I am amazed at how we are living so comfortably without it, as he has always put a couple of slices around anything, and wouldn't dream of eating soup or scrambled eggs without bread. But somehow, just looking at the quantity of carbs in bread, biscuits, chips and chocolate has been a revelation, (using MFP), which we chose not to acknowledge previously. Following this regime together is so beneficial, and neither of us have ever said that we have felt hungry in the 4 weeks we have been doing 5:2, so I can only conclude it is the reduction in fast absorbing carbs, combined with the reduced calorie intake on fasting days. Like you, we do not consciously count the calories on the 5 normal days, but somehow just feel we are not eating anywhere near the number we devoured previously. Keep at it.....we are all benefitting from this great regime.

Having been on the diet for one week I am hardly in the position to make comment other than to say that my wife shares in the exercise. She is a traditional cook so ready meals are not part of our eating habits; we are also heavy protein and saturated fat eaters and while we are both advanced in age we are relatively healthy so enjoy life. Rather than dieting as recommended the 5:2 way we continued on a daily basis with one main meal taken in the evening and at least three hours prior to retiring. Those meals were standard meals so no calorie counting (see chapter in book 'Alternate Day Fasting' pages 38-40). My weight reduced by 2.5 lbs and my waist became noticeably thinner but remarkedly my blood pressure dropped from around 140/80 to 110/63. Regrettably my wife was ill yesterday suffering as she does from IBS symptoms and furthermore she failed to keep close to the diet but she tries and she is keen. Dr Mosley in his book makes considerable references to his own predilections towards food and diet so it might be found more beneficial to look more closely at the research results which he introduces.

Yes hubby and I been doing it together for 6 mths....and it's great that I'm not cooking lovely dinners and can't partake...we tend to do the same days....although we have slightly different approaches....I now do one meal at night and a snack before the gym around 4pm...while he does a small breakfast and meal with me at night....we keep meals simple....it's only two nights....wharbuton square wraps made into a pizza are fantastic...just treat it like a pizza base....cover in passata ,tomato purée or chopped tomatoes...and pile on the veggies.....I don't use cheese on it ...but some lean ham or tiny bit of chorizo...lots of chilli herbs etc and put in oven for ten minutes.....it's fab....,and less than 300 cals depending what you use....

Morning all.

Gillb thanks for your comments. I'm not a 'ready meal' type person really. I previously cooked all our meals from scratch, however I found it difficult cooking for the family and keeping my portions correct. I didn't want to cheat! I have been using the M&S ready meals fuller for longer, which are balanced carbs. They are OK, but obviously not like food you would make yourself. I'm pleased that my hubbie is joining me with this, as it will make preparing our meals easier, as we will be eating the same evening meal. I'm sure I'll get more adventurous over the weeks. I love the idea of making a big batch of something and then freezing it. This will prevent me from going crazy and adding too much oil, flour etc as I normally would. (I still have the rest of our family to cook for too!).

Morvmum - that pizza sounds great! Are they actually wraps? I haven't come across them, but will have a look - thanks

Fasting starts tomorrow as kids back at school then, and I'm at work which helps the day go quicker. Have a great day all x

My partner and I are in this together too. We fast together on Sundays and then we usually fast on different days from each other during the week because of certain other commitments. Seems to be working well. I too am someone who adores bread and if this 'system' has taught me nothing else, it's how high in calories and carbs bread is. But I've trained myself to stop having a sneaky couple of extra slices of toast in the evenings and it seems to be working and what's more I don't feel that I'm missing it.