The FastDay Forum

I am in a similar situation Dragonheart, I want to lose 50lbs and struggle to do much exercise because of a back condition. I am into my 4th week and just completed fast day 7 yesterday. So far I have lost 10 lbs and finding it very easy to stick to. I agree with Dohpeterchina too in that its a lifestyle changer. My struggle now is the non fasting days where I sometimes let lose a little too much.

Hiya,

The H.I.T (training) involves pedalling for all your life's worth for 20 seconds, then resting (I do very slow pedalling) for 40 secs.and repeating twice more. You do this 3 times a week. It's surprisingly strenuous and it took me a long time to get back to normal breathing after the first go.
MM tried it on the 'truth about exercise' programme. And I believe it improved his VO2 Max ( a measure of cardio fitnes) by 25% in 4 weeks. It also significantly improved his insulin sensitivity - which I believe is important long term for weightloss/maintenance.
Caroline has been doing it for a while and can probably explain it better than me.

I'm not ready to start bouncing around yet but I thought that if I get my heart and lungs in better shape it would help when I do want to start doing some proper cardio work.

Hi Dragonheart!

Welcome from another newcomer to the Forum.

I'm in my 6th week and don't mind the fasting - but I'm going to have to get in control of the feed days.

I'm going to have to count calories until I get into how much I'm eating. Oh, and probably leave off the wine for a while! I don't drink that much, but it's calorie-laden stuff.

I'd like to lose at least another 40lbs, preferably another 47 but it'll take time and that's OK.

Good luck

Hi, I am new to this 5:2 diet - after having tried every other diet going, and I am also new to using a forum! I have 56 lbs to lose. On the days when you don't fast do you calorie count? Good Luck to everyone fasting today

Swimming might be good exercise if you can't do other kinds.... ?

I have lost a stone since starting this way of eating on 3 March although that is with exercise at least 4 times a week as well. I also track what I eat to make sure if I feast one day, it balances out roughly over the week. I have another 5-6 stone to lose so have further to go than you.... Welcome and well done for starting your journey

Hello and welcome!
First of all, people who have a lot to lose, lose a lot of weight in the beginning which means that you will probably start well and build your confidence.
Secondly, had your doctor asked you to do any blood tests for rheumatoid or plain arthritis? Or Fybromyalgia? If not, please tell him to test you for those. Mystery pains in women many times are caused by these.

Tests have been done (blood & x-rays) and they didn't find a thing wrong. Funny thing - this is my second fast day, I didn't take my pain killer (makes my stomach upset), and I have almost no pain...

Sounds promising - hope it continues.

Good about the reduced pain Dragonheart... You need to take medical advice about exercising however my husband this week has found his shoulder pain has improved now he's been using it in the garden and the gym more this week... Sometimes these things improve with use rather than rest....

I just posted the same thing today and I recieved a link to this post:) Its nice to see that im not the only one with 60+ pounds to lose... Im on my second fast today and finding easier than the first (so far) so im hopeing little by little i will start to see results. When I feel hunger pains i just think thats my body cleaning up lol. Good luck to all of us

Hi Dragonheart - Welcome - this forum is excellent - amazing information, knowledge and support in general - you've come to the right place. I had over 75lbs+ to shed at my heaviest.....At 15 and a half stone when I started I'm now down to 12 stone - my goal is 10st by Christmas - which I'm sure is achievable. I lost quite a bit before I found 5:2 but the last 6 months of this WOL have definitely been the easiest and one which I'm sure I can maintain for a lifetime. Truly wishing you all the best - keep in mind that it is a WOL and not a quick fix, lbs don't drop off quickly - it's slow and steady, which is much better health wise anyway, so I'm told. Wishing you well on the road ahead

Hello and welcome!
First of all, people who have a lot to lose, lose a lot of weight in the beginning which means that you will probably start well and build your confidence.
Secondly, had your doctor asked you to do any blood tests for rheumatoid or plain arthritis? Or Fybromyalgia? If not, please tell him to test you for those. Mystery pains in women many times are caused by these.

Tests have been done (blood & x-rays) and they didn't find a thing wrong. Funny thing - this is my second fast day, I didn't take my pain killer (makes my stomach upset), and I have almost no pain...

Sounds good! Hopefully, the pain will go with the weight. Far, far away!!!

As far as exercise - just move any way you can without pain. Crank up the music and dance in your chair! You can do weight-lifting seated using cans of food. Best of luck to you in your journey!

I have 70kg to lose. Don't know what the is in pounds lol. I also don't exercise due to knee pains and calf pains but I figure losing weight helps there. I'm sure we will all make it though

I have about 100 pounds to lose. I just started 5:2 this week, but have tried literally every other diet known to man in the past 40 years or so and this is so far the easiest. Hoping it is also the most successful, as I think doing a version of it for life is very doable.

I am working to get 10,000 steps every day, but don't consider it exercise so much as the bare minimum of movement. I am currently averaging about 8,000 so I am getting there.

For exercise I started to do "Tabata" I do high intensity for 20 seconds, then 10 seconds off, then 20 on, 10 off, etc. I alternate between doing a mini stair stepper and arm work with a resistance band. I have a tabata app on my phone that does the timing for me. Takes a total of 4 minutes and I plan to do it once a week for now.

I want to thank all who have responded with their success stories as well as support, it is very encouraging!

Boy, do I have a long way to go! Anyone else out there facing this kind of battle? To add difficulty, I currently can't exercise due to a mystery pain in my knees. My doctor can find no reason for it. He's so kind not to say my weight is the cause...

I also have a very long way to go. I need to lose 80lb but I will be very satisfied with 60.
I also have had a lot of pain in my knees for most of my life. I had never been able to do deep knee bends, even as a slim teenager because my knees hurt so bad. I had physical therapy for my knee pain and they told me the muscles were weak and I needed to do deep knee bends to gain strength. Ha! I worked at it without much success because it hurt too much.
Some time later, I joined a weight loss workout group and I started lifting weights with my legs. They had a machine where I could adjust the weight and push with my legs. I started at a low weight and increased the weight by small amounts every week. After doing this for several months, the pain began to decrease. One day I was taking some photographs and without thinking, I squatted down to get a good angle and to my total surprise, I was able to get up again on my own without grabbing on to anything. I now have no pain in my knees and I can squat down and get back up again. The solution to my knee pain was nearly painless weight lifting instead of deep knee bends.
You might also look into Russian kettlebells for exercise. You can stand in place and swing them and your heart rate gets a workout and you can build upper body strength.
Good Luck!