The FastDay Forum

My husband is supportive but he doesnt think. Yesterday he did a BBQ for himself and the kids and I was hoping they'd finish eating before I got in from work, but I pulled up to the smell of sausages. Nevertheless I drank my sparkling water and kept a little distance although I still sat outside with them. He kept offering me food which wasnt fair (especially as I was doing my first liquid fast).

I had seen the MM Horizon documentary last September and persuaded my husband to try it with me, but he gave it up pretty quickly. He refuses to measure foods and count calories. His BMI is over 28 (though he has very broad shoulders) and he has a family history of diabetes, so he needs to lose weight, but he insists that all he needs to do is "cut back". Whatever.

In the meantime, I did 5:2 diligently from September till December and lost in the end about a pound. I was pretty discouraged but in April I decided to try again and this time have been much more successful, and he knows it and sees it. But still he is not persuaded that it is worth doing for him.

As far as eating together goes, we have an au pair who usually makes dinner for herself and the kids on my fasting evenings, as I am often home much later than I would like the kids to be eating and going to bed. So at least I don't have to watch what the kids are eating. Sometimes my husband eats with them and sometimes we make a steak or something for ourselves and I just have a tiny bit for my dinner. I think he finds my fasting a bit of a drag but it's only 2 days a week and on the other days you wouldn't even know it. I'm hoping that as he sees me transform he realises it is worth pursuing.

MOH is not following 5:2 and he is supportive because he can see the difference in me (physically and moods) when I am eating healthily and when I have a mini-binge and hit the chocolate, home made cakes, potatoes. I am so much more alert, sleeping better and positive following 5:2 so he is reaping the benefits too!

The reason I started this in the first place was to support my husband! I would have carried on calorie counting on MFP otherwise.

He is doing really well compared to me and I am hoping that he'll keep it up until he reaches his goal, he's lost 12lbs and wants to lose a stone by the time we go on honeymoon next week, I am sure he can manage another 2lbs to get to his mini goal, I am really proud of his efforts

Hi my OH is very supportive but I don't mention the ''F'' word he knows I've cut down and eating more healthier than before and few weeks ago said to me 'its working for you ' so is noticing we have same evening meal he just gets extra bit+bobs I do choose my fast day meals accordingly so mine is low calorie Good luck to us Sue

My OH is very supportive ..hes not taking part himself but has started eating a little healthier and a little less. He has returned to the gym as I exercise at home but has bought me a cross trainer which is being delivered tomorrow.....looking forward to that .I cope pretty well with preparing food for him and daughter on fasting days and find it doesnt tempt me only makes me look forward to the GOOD HEALTHY food I will be having at end of the day

My husband is very supportive despite that fact that he's seen me thru MANY diets. He finally sees one that is working for me, and is always telling me that he can see the loss and encouraging me to stay with it. He has even bragged to our friends, even though I initially wanted to keep it a secret in case I fail. He let it slip cuz he was proud and of my loss. He doesn't have to join me, because he's skinny. He's very helpful on my fast days, by preparing his own meals. Whether it be leftovers or TV dinners. We only have an 18 yr. old son, and he loves the days that he can just get into the freezer for a pizza or chicken and fries!

My husband is not doing the 2.5 with me, but we started eating healthily some time ago anyway and he is happy to eat what ever I cook, he has cut alcohol out in the week as that was my downfall in the past.
I generally ccok on fast days and just give him and my teenage daughter bigger portions of healthy meals. Although when he gets home from work in time he is happy to cook too.
My daughter wants to do it but as she's only 16 we are devising a healthy eating plan for her instead

My significant other is supportive, to the extent that every morning he will ask me if its a fast day or not so he knows which milk to put in my tea. But being a beanpole (with a pot belly from giving up smoking) he doesn't think he needs to be on the fast. So I don't tell him that he IS on the programme with us, just slower.

I am actually on the fast with my eldest (living at home son) as we both need to lose weight to have surgery. We started at about the same BMI and I seem to be losing faster than him. I blame his consumption of diet drinks for keeping his weight loss slow. Either that or he is sabotaging himself with post midnight snacks.

I cook as normal for all of us, unless its my sons day to cook (hes a qualified chef so I look forward to the days he cooks), we collaborate on what we are eating on fast days.

Absolutely ! My OH and I started together and support each other. He has lost more weight than I have but has more to loose. We plan our week of meals with our fast days planned around any events or special occasions. It is now our way of life

Yes we do this WOE together. I came across it first and we discussed it. We have both dieted before and failed! This is far more sustainable, we have had BBQ, cider, chocolate, peanuts etc. I am losing quicker than him but only because I have a lot more to lose! We love this and have no problems feeding the children (13 & 15) or they get something themselves. I was amazed at how easy I find this - I've never been able to stick to any diet/eating plan for this long. I love it

Interesting to read all the replies and especially to see how many men are doing it too. Nessie- you must have an iron will (to either not eat the chips or smack him with them!)

My OH is supportive and always has been, whichever diet I've been on, but he will never do them with me. Tried to get him to try 5:2 as he needs to lose some weight and was pre-diabetic so could really do with losing some from his middle but he is one of those people who says "oh I could never go that long without food, I'd faint/collapse/die" He's used to me dieting so now just asks me if I'm eating today or not and if not, he sorts his own food out. When I was doing SW he did lose a bit of weight as he ate mostly the SW meals I cooked (plus beer, sweets and the odd giant pizza) more out of inertia and the fact that he can't really cook, and his blood test for the diabetes check up were back to almost normal, which I was thrilled about (he didn't seem fussed either way!) but have to say I am a tad worried that now I'm buying some 'naughty' things that I haven't previously been allowed on SW he has been eating a bit more of that too. The meals I cook are still healthy and pretty much in the SW vein though so hopefully he'll keep losing slowly or at least not gain. The fact that I've bullied him into cycle commuting to work with me should help that (If you've deduced from this that I treat him like a child you'd be right, but it's only because he acts like one )

My husband knows I'm doing this and is very supportive, even though he doesn't think I need to but realises I was starting to feel unhappy with my weight. He is very lean and has next to no body fat (none you can see anyway!) and can struggle to keep weight on (I know, it drives me insane!) so it wouldn't be wise for him to do it. He has been working away during the week when I've been fasting so it's been ideal for me as I can just see to myself and then we can relax and eat well together at weekends. He'll be back at home again soon and by then I'm hoping to be in maintenance so I'll just have one 'low' day a week and maybe a missed brekkie or two (I am sceptical that 6:1 can work for me!) which shouldn't impact us too much. I don't want to make separate meals so on my fast day he can just have more pasta/cheese on top of double helpings or something.

Mine isn't supportive in that he'll comment that I still need to lose weight even if I've done well losing; which can be very demoralising. He has got himself something for dinner a couple of times when I've been on a fast however, so not all bad.
I've stopped mentioning any weight loss and will keep on regardless as I'm doing this for me not him.

He did miss his breakfast and lunch the other day, and I think it may have been a sneaky try at a fast day after I had been extolling the health benefits.

The skininess and inability to put on weight may be a slightly over active thyroid, not harmful at the level he may have, he's just one of the lucky ones who can't put on any weight.
Its about on par with my underactive thyroid, not underactive enough for the docs to do anything about, but it affects you.