The FastDay Forum

[Debs]

If anyone is profof, it's you Penny!
I am back at my mine site and a couple of blokes here are forlornly making their shakes to eat and looking depressed over their steamed fish and veggies. I have mentioned it to them, especially as one of them cracked and ate a family bag of bbq crisps yesterday. We both know it won't work, but he promised his wife he'd try the shakes. I suggested to him that he fast with me, not tell his wife until he'd lost weight, and he'd have support that way. No one can tell if I've lost weight as my uniform is so baggy!! So I have to be the proof that it works! Otherwise I don't really say much about it, as much as I'd like to!

I have recently been told I don't look my age (58) (by an old school friend of Hubby which lead to a bit of possessiveness - men - )
Does eating natural fats keep the wrinkles at bay? We had an email doing the rounds a couple of years ago that said "you are what you eat" with a picture of Gillian McKeith and Nigella Lawson who are the same age. (no offence intended) but it makes you think, there may be something in it.
Chris x

[Debs]

I may have missed the point here, but if I had a girl crush, it would be Nigella any day!!!

At first I didn't tell many people, and if I did, I said I had a few low cal days. Once the weight started coming off, people inevitably asked. Or should I say, Western people did. I kept finding out that groups of Japanese people at work talk about me and come up with theories of how/why I lost weight. 'She must have a man', 'is she sick?!'', etc. I guess they think it's impolite to ask.

Oh about lunch. I often join people in the canteen with a mug of coffee. At first if the asked I said I'd already eaten or I wasn't hungry. Now I just say its a low cal day.

I didn't tell anyone at first and I usually work alone so that helps. Well nearly a year later mist people know with varying reactions. I thought my Mother would be horrified but she thinks it's really good. I was talking about it to 3 friends recently, 2 were quite interested but one (who has know for ages ) said there was no way she could do it and walked away. I wasn't telling anyone to do it too just saying what Hubby and I did as they seemed interested in how it all works.
I think people forget that people have been fasting for 1000's of years with no ill effects.

Ive decided not to say anything to anyone. When its noticeable, I'll probably tell those who ask. I'm lucky that I'm in different places at lunch time each day, so what I do isn't generally seen. I'm a private person -probably why I do a forum in the UK- so I'll just smile & change the subject if I think its someone cruel, judgemental or nosy. Americans are a strange lot when it comes to eating, food, health & exercise...

I may have missed the point here, but if I had a girl crush, it would be Nigella any day!!!

yes, me too, Debs!!

There isn't even much in the way of bad press about it, because there isn't any bad press to be had.

That's what I thought, too, @Julieathome, till I read the US News and World Report article referenced in the recent thread "Best and Worst of 2013". You can read my rants on that thread, but basically this very widely read US magazine ranked 5:2 down near the bottom of the list of diets, because they say people won't be able to maintain this strict a regimen, and because the diet doesn't tell people what they should be eating on non-fast days. Idiots. I'm still furious. Some brainless magazine writers didn't do their research, and their misplaced opinions are being listened to by half the population of this country.

Ok, I'll try to calm down now. But I wish there was someone to complain to - there's really not much point preaching to the choir....

I don't talk about it. I don't really need to. That's one thing I like the best about 5:2 - I can plan my fast days around social occasion so that mostly when I'm with people (other than my spouse) I can eat and drink normally. I'm a private person who thinks diet talk is mostly pretty boring, so this is one more way that 5:2 is perfect for me.

Everyone at work knows and my friends and family know - I find that they are all really cool and work peeps know my fast days and don't bother me with biscuits/cakes on those days which I think is really nice of them rather than that 'oh your on a diet you cant have this' etc I find people are more understanding of the 5:2 than they were when I lost a lot of weight on Scottish slimmers in fact 2 people have started doing it recently and are really enjoying it.

I do eat on my fast days, i'll have a big egg salad with a slim a soup and something for my evening meal so in that case I 'fit in' so to speak as I am eating something.

At the end of the day its completely up to you - just do what you feel most comfortable with - I find I don't even have to explain myself as a lot of people have a good idea of how 5:2 works and because I have lunch nobody even realised I was doing it until I told them.