The FastDay Forum

[Moogie]

Seems a lot of us have had the same problems - hating having photos taken, spilling out of our clothes, not finding something nice that fits for a special occasion... all sorts of reasons for me really.

I'd been trying my usual eat less/move more and it wasn't working. I was getting so frustrated and what really made me all the more determined was when I struggled to take my wedding ring off (not something I do often, but if I'm doing messy cooking or chores I sometimes will) and my husband told me I could get the ring stretched if I wanted to! We'd only been married just over a year and I'd gained some 2.5 stone.

Well, I saw the documentary soon after and started within days. Now 3 stone lighter - less than when we got married - my ring comes off almost too easily!

Like many women my weight has crept up post menopause - I was just right at the top of the healthy BMI range, BUT my big problem was my waist, which was WAY out of proportion with the rest of my measurements, and was over half my height. Also getting trousers to fit around the waist meant they fitted badly everywhere else, and that was really depressing - although I did have some jeans that fitted me better. I decided this just would not do.

So my primary and first aim for starting 5:2 has been to get my waist down below 50% of my height. And to my surprise, I've lost about 4in off my waist (only about another 2in to go to my first mini target ) but even more weirdly only lost around 3lb in total so far. I have stuck to 5:2 and after a bit, knocked off breakfast (so I suppose 16:8 really) and have not counted calories on feast days, but just been sensible ( apart from wa-hey days, lol!) I might not have stuck this without the support and info gleaned from the folk here on the forum, especially re measuring and not taking the scales too seriously! Clothes are definitely looser, and a few people have noticed. I will keep going at this snail-like pace until I get to first target, and then keep going and see where this takes me.

So I consider I am yet another example of how varied the effects of this WOE are, and of how flexible it can be.

And health-wise, as well as appearance-wise, it can only be win-win

I didn't have a weight problem until my mid 30's. When I was pregnant with my daughter 25 years ago (I'm 65 now, I had gestational diabetes which went away after she was born. I lost much of the pregnancy weight, but then got bogged down in a job situation which became very stressful. Then I spent my pre and menopausal years overweight, a combination of inactivity, eating too much and some of the wrong things, and overeating as a result of job stress. I guess I am a stress eater.

I brought my weight down through better eating, but I think the stress affected my metabolism and my weight was more in my belly. I always was slim through the midriff and waist before. I had borderline high cholesterol and blood sugar readings. All my family on my dad's side (and many on my mom's side) had died of heart disease. I didn't want diabetes and heart medication and early death that to be my fate. I became dedicated to brisk walking and zumba and ate better. My weight came down. Then came Thanksgiving and the Christmas Holidays. I was about 8 lbs. up! I returned to better WOL and WOE, but the results weren't very good. Then, in March, I saw reference to 5:2 online, followed the links and watched programs and figured why not?

It fit me to a T--and I haven't looked back. I still do my brisk walking and frequent zumba (the credit for my newly slim waist is shared between 5:2 and zumba)! This WOL/WOE is so easy, I can't think why I won't be able to do this forever.

To be honest, I'm surprised that I am here - I have always had a strong aversion to the idea of dieting. Obsessing over what I'm eating and when is something I find so unpleasant. I was recently on a training program where I had to report each day's food; and a lot of the rules were really frustrating to me. Constant snacking was a requirement. I was so resentful!!

I saw an article on IF in last month's Women's Health (Australia) and looked into it a bit. Crucially, the article had photos of what 500 calories looks like; and it didn't look like the starvation plan I first assumed. I was most interested in the "other" benefits besides weight loss (I've probably only got a couple of spare kilos, five at most). I would love better willpower!

After two weeks (four fasts), I am definitely noticing a change in my eating on "normal" days - my portions are smaller and I don't feel as much a slave to having a meal just because it's a mealtime. I think the fasts are getting easier (though I do plan every calorie at least the day before!), unless I am under particular stress. Yesterday for example was a toughie, and I did concede an extra 60 cal for sanity.

I haven't told many people about my 5:2 experiment, only my partner and one work colleague (similar health/fitness interests). Seems to be enough support for now - I have someone at work and at home to help keep me on track!

Like others here,I heard about it from a friend,watched the show ,bought the book and gave it a try
So easy,after years of dieting , trying to loose a few kilos and the roll around my middle ,finally success
It took awhile but I lost a few inches and three kilos which I had never managed to do,with all the other diets
I would like to lose a bit more but so far seem to be stick but am not too unhappy as this is the lowest weight I have been in years and I feel that I look ok.

I'm here because of Dr Mosley's documentary and the fact I dont want to take Lipitors when I next get my cholesterol checked. I was just outside the healthy number bracket and because I'm intermediate diabetes risk because of gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
I'm also here because I'm addicted to the forum and its support, wisdom and antics of lovely like minded folks

I'm here because of Dr Mosley's documentary and the fact I dont want to take Lipitors when I next get my cholesterol checked. I was just outside the healthy number bracket and because I'm intermediate diabetes risk because of gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
I'm also here because I'm addicted to the forum and its support, wisdom and antics of lovely like minded folks

I never knew this kind of eating and way of getting healthy existed before April this year.
Good thing I love a good doco.

way over weight and I like kinda chilling out 2 days a week, not having to think about what Im eating on those days or any other, also like the long term benefits

I had an aha moment while watching a video of Christmas morning with the kids. I kept trying to get out of the picture while my hubby was filming. I just looked so uncomfortable in my own skin. I knew that I wasn't even at my all time heaviest at the time it was filmed. But, it wasn't like seeing the "me" I see in the mirror. It was more like who is that FAT woman with my family?? I cried. A LOT! Then, I started planning for a new WOL and found my way to ADF, then 4:3, then IF and eventually 5:2!

When Christmas comes this year I hope you take the starring role in y our holiday video, play the star role and hog the camera with your new trimmer figure!!

In a way I'm here on a whim. Like many, I was a serial dieter, good at taking it off, terrible at maintaining. I half-heartedly tried the old standby diets recently and they didn't work so well. I was almost resigned to being overweight. Don't get me wrong- I was a reasonably healthy overweight--I run, and eat healthily usually. Anyway, I read an article about 5:2 in the NY Times and here I am, 4 months later and 15kg lighter!

Some great stories here!

I was an overweight child/teenager, and lost 25 kg with ww in my early 20s. I lost the weight quite easily and maintained for 5 years until I was pregnant with my first child, when I put on far too much weight as I was afraid that watching what I ate would be bad for the baby. Then I had my second child and found myself stuck at 10 kilos above my ideal weight. I tried ww again but just couldn't stick to it, I'd lose 500g then eat something and gain it back..in April this year I looked at my progress tracker and found that I had spent a whole year gaining and losing the same 2 kilos!
I found out about 5:2 completely accidently, a friend was doing a fast and I was curious so I googled fasting and found out about 5:2, and the rest is history!

My story starts at puberty. My mother was a serial dieter and as soon as I hit puberty I joined her...funnily enough my sister refused to do it and never dieted 1 day in her life. After puberty I hit the party circuit...drinking bourbon & coke! So the dieting was well entrenched. I remember coming home from Uni 1 year and my mother told me I looked pregnant & took me to the quack (that's what he was!) & he gave me drugs! I weighed about 65kg! Then I got F.A.T - underactive thyroid, then got blood tests (they do NOT work) & went off thyroid meds, put on 15kg in a few months. I gave up alcohol, took up huge amounts of cardio/weights exercise & lost 20kg. Stayed off till I took up wine again. Then every year I tried to lose weight and every year I put on 1kg. My terrified mind could see +weight +weight. then I saw a snippet on TV about the Fast Diet, bought the book, fasted, saw the doco, kept fasting. Now I am down to the = lightest weight I have been for 40 years.

I am 60 next year. I don't like being old, I don't want to be fat & old! My favourite designer is MDAL (mutton dressed as lamb), so when I turn 60 I want to look good, not like an OAP. I am sitting her with a seriously skinny pair of Miss Sixty jeans on (just to see if they are comfy!) and they are!

Good on you ,GMH
I also don't like being old,am not far behind you.I work with a bunch of
young skinny things so I feel the pressure.

Basically for health reasons and also to lose weight. Two years ago I had all sorts of unpleasant things going on in my private life and I put on some 15 kgs, which I am now losing ever so slowly (lost 5 kgs so far). I heard the Food Programme on BBC R4, 30th of March episode, which was about different aspects of fasting. This programme contained a brief interview with Michael Mosely, so I googled him and started fasting on April 1st. I love this weightloss system, even though I have been on a plateau for the last six weeks. Just a matter of hanging in there, I think and I I've noticed all sorts of positive side effects.