Firstly, for me at least, this diet works! I was sceptical when I first read about it, but figured I would give it a try.
Previously, I was stuck in a sort of starve/binge cycle. So, for example, I was able to be 'good' all week but then I'd 'reward' myself on a Friday night with a big meal and wine. Of course, on saturday, I'd be hungover and peckish and would graze all day. And then Sunday...well, there's no point in starting a diet on a Sunday, is there...so it would continue till Monday, by which point I'd put back on the weight I'd lost the week before. I knew I needed something to break the cycle but I felt stuck and didn't know what!
Enter 5.2! For reasons I don't understand, it HAS broken the cycle. I still allow myself the option of having wine and a nice meal on a Friday night, but without even trying, I am finding that I really want to keep within a decent calorie limit (whereas before, I just abandoned all thought of fat and calorie content). Last night, I must have spent 15 minutes at the pizza counter, weighing up which pizza was better for me! It wasn't even a tough decision - I just decided in the end that I didn't want one, so I came home and ate a low fat fish pie (I did have wine though!). The point is, for me at least, I think this diet works principally on your emotional connection to food. But it does it so subtly, that you're hardly aware of it happening at all. 7 weeks in and I have lost 11lbs. It would have been more, but I took my eye off the ball over Easter. I don't mind though - 11lbs means that my clothes are no longer digging into my waist and I feel so much better!
I think you have to find your groove and experiment with it, until you find the way that works. For me, I have a routine and this is roughly it;
Tues and Thurs are fast days. I eat nothing all day, just drink 2 litres of fizzy water (and chew some sugar free mints, to keep my breath smelling fresh)
On the other days, I do try to eat carefully but I don't deny myself. So, I might have toast and butter for breakfast and if there is cake going at the office (and I feel hungry), I'll have a small piece. In the evenings, as a carb junkie, I do love my baked potatoes so might have that or a ready meal or something. If I feel nibbly later in the evenings, I keep lots of cooked chicken in the fridge and I love that as a snack. I don't over-indulge, but the thing is, I simply don't want to! Friday is my chill night so if I know I'm going to have a few glasses of wine, I tend to fast during the day, drinking lots of water....and then I enjoy my wine in the evenings. Again, I find that I don't really eat too much - my brain just doesn't want to!
Sat and Sun is much the same. Unlike some people, I find that I cannot eat 'whatever I want' but I certainly can have a little of what I fancy, so long as I keep an eye on it. As I said though, this seems to do something to your brain chemistry and it doesn't feel like a chore. I think once you start to lose weight, there is a real pleasure in doing it!
I also do a fair bit of exercise - I walk/job between 10-15 k a week. I'll do 2 x 5ks at the gym (walking fast, if I don't feel like running) and then in between times, I get plenty of movement by doing silly things, like dancing round the house, when I'm cleaning or boogeying in while doing the ironing. It's all good for keeping your heart rate up! A pedometer is a must, I think. On avergae, I'm losing around 2lbs per week.
Last night, I fell off the wagon a bit and lost track of my food. I was on track for fasting all day, but at noon, my boss asked me to take some clients out to lunch in his place. It was Itallian (killer!) and there were no salads on the menu. I just ordered a small dish and I didn't eat it all...but I don't think that helped. Anyway, today, I'm up fresh and bright and don't feel the urge to keep on eating! I'm off to the gym to repair yesterday's damage.
And that in itself is something completely new for me! In the past, I would never have done that - I'd have grazed my way through the weekend! Amazing!
Previously, I was stuck in a sort of starve/binge cycle. So, for example, I was able to be 'good' all week but then I'd 'reward' myself on a Friday night with a big meal and wine. Of course, on saturday, I'd be hungover and peckish and would graze all day. And then Sunday...well, there's no point in starting a diet on a Sunday, is there...so it would continue till Monday, by which point I'd put back on the weight I'd lost the week before. I knew I needed something to break the cycle but I felt stuck and didn't know what!
Enter 5.2! For reasons I don't understand, it HAS broken the cycle. I still allow myself the option of having wine and a nice meal on a Friday night, but without even trying, I am finding that I really want to keep within a decent calorie limit (whereas before, I just abandoned all thought of fat and calorie content). Last night, I must have spent 15 minutes at the pizza counter, weighing up which pizza was better for me! It wasn't even a tough decision - I just decided in the end that I didn't want one, so I came home and ate a low fat fish pie (I did have wine though!). The point is, for me at least, I think this diet works principally on your emotional connection to food. But it does it so subtly, that you're hardly aware of it happening at all. 7 weeks in and I have lost 11lbs. It would have been more, but I took my eye off the ball over Easter. I don't mind though - 11lbs means that my clothes are no longer digging into my waist and I feel so much better!
I think you have to find your groove and experiment with it, until you find the way that works. For me, I have a routine and this is roughly it;
Tues and Thurs are fast days. I eat nothing all day, just drink 2 litres of fizzy water (and chew some sugar free mints, to keep my breath smelling fresh)
On the other days, I do try to eat carefully but I don't deny myself. So, I might have toast and butter for breakfast and if there is cake going at the office (and I feel hungry), I'll have a small piece. In the evenings, as a carb junkie, I do love my baked potatoes so might have that or a ready meal or something. If I feel nibbly later in the evenings, I keep lots of cooked chicken in the fridge and I love that as a snack. I don't over-indulge, but the thing is, I simply don't want to! Friday is my chill night so if I know I'm going to have a few glasses of wine, I tend to fast during the day, drinking lots of water....and then I enjoy my wine in the evenings. Again, I find that I don't really eat too much - my brain just doesn't want to!
Sat and Sun is much the same. Unlike some people, I find that I cannot eat 'whatever I want' but I certainly can have a little of what I fancy, so long as I keep an eye on it. As I said though, this seems to do something to your brain chemistry and it doesn't feel like a chore. I think once you start to lose weight, there is a real pleasure in doing it!
I also do a fair bit of exercise - I walk/job between 10-15 k a week. I'll do 2 x 5ks at the gym (walking fast, if I don't feel like running) and then in between times, I get plenty of movement by doing silly things, like dancing round the house, when I'm cleaning or boogeying in while doing the ironing. It's all good for keeping your heart rate up! A pedometer is a must, I think. On avergae, I'm losing around 2lbs per week.
Last night, I fell off the wagon a bit and lost track of my food. I was on track for fasting all day, but at noon, my boss asked me to take some clients out to lunch in his place. It was Itallian (killer!) and there were no salads on the menu. I just ordered a small dish and I didn't eat it all...but I don't think that helped. Anyway, today, I'm up fresh and bright and don't feel the urge to keep on eating! I'm off to the gym to repair yesterday's damage.
And that in itself is something completely new for me! In the past, I would never have done that - I'd have grazed my way through the weekend! Amazing!
).
thanks - very kind.
