The FastDay Forum

Hello all, just found this forum and i'm so pleased as i'm starting the 5:2 tomorrow and this will be a great support.

Background: 36 years old, 23 stone, 5ft8, hideously overweight, so i've got a long way to go. Not dieted seriously in the past. Eat loads of veg and good proteins and pulses, but portions too big, also have a love of wine, roast potatoes and bread and butter. In fact, a roast potatoe baguette with a bottle of Chablis sounds like my dream dinner.

My plan is to do my 500 days on Mon and Wed; Tues, Thurs and Fri i will keep to around 1200 calories. Weekends i won't be counting, and will be for allowing treats like bread and alcohol.

Exercise is 5km cross training sessions on Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun, so 20km a week to start off with, building up as stamina hopefully improves.

Target? Haven't really thought that far ahead, i just know that i need to start making a change.

Please say hi! I'll go and interrogate the recipes now...

[Moogie]

Hi Mandy and welcome to the forums & the 5:2 way of life - it really is a lifechanger!

Sounds like your pitfalls are the same as mine, I'm a sucker for roast spuds, fresh baked bread (though it bloats me so I try to avoid), butter and a lovely glass of wine!

Are you currently calorie restricting? I ask because with 5:2 you don't need to count calories on your off days and I would worry that if you are currently consuming more than 1200 on an average day, suddenly cutting down to 500 & 1200 for most of the week may send you into starvation mode and have the opposite of the desired effect. I would suggest that when starting out you simply keep eating more or less as 'normal' (whatever that means for you, we're all different!) and just cut back on your fasting days.

You'll probably find like most of us that the fast days change the way you look at food, your appetite and how much you can actually eat before you feel completely full. So, given a little time you'll naturally start to reduce your intake on your non fast days according to your body's needs.

Hi Moogie, thanks for the message. I've been keeping to around 1200 on weekdays for about a month now so feel relatively comfortable sticking on or around it on my 3 non fast weekdays - i imagine 1200 calories will feel luxurious in comparison! I have porridge for breakfast, soup or salad at lunch and a perl barley or bean type stew in the evening. It's been just fine, but i feel that adding in the fast days will give me a kick-start that i think i need.

However, i will heed your warning about the starvation mode and will review how it's going after the first fortnight. Other than no weightloss or some potential weight gain, is there any other indicators of your body doing this?

[Moogie]

Not that I'm aware of, but I'm no medical expert - just a serial dieter Someone else may be able to answer that one I hope.

If 1200 is currently your normal then I can't see a problem with sticking to that for now. I started out on 1400-1500 cals on my feed days but after a month or so learned that I could lose weight without counting cals on those days and in fact I eat considerably more now!

Hello Mandy and welcome.

Your enthusiasm for positive change shines through your post

Give it your best shot

If times get tough there are plenty of people on this forum who will do their best to help.

Thanks guys! Had my porridge so that's me done til tonight. Working from home due to snow so will be pouring mint tea into myself like it's going out of fashion.

Welcome Mandy.

I'm fasting too for the third time. Also working from home, also drinking mint tea.

Spooky!

Good luck!

Jo

Cheers Jo! Wondering if i'll get to the end of my 388 cal meal tonight and want to eat the knife fork and plate too.

My bet is that you'll find it easier than you thought and you'll get full quickly later.

An interesting experiment!

[Moogie]

Just remember smaller mouthfuls and put your utensils down while you chew. It helps to make your meal last longer and you'l notice the full feeling when it kicks in

Savour your food! Each mouthful is a banquet!

Good point, it normally doesn't touch the sides!

Just having a 1/4 tspn of marmite in hot water to stave of the pangs. It feels like the tastiest thing ever.