The FastDay Forum

Ok, it's now online, so I have to keep up with it.
Starting weight: 156 lbs
Waist: 35"
Hip: 43"
Thigh: 24"
Arm: 12"
I'm doing 4:3, trying to get in 3 days of moderate exercise, high-intensity interval and/or yoga.
Here's my too-much-of-me photo. I should print this and tape it to my refrigerator door.

Hello, SunnyD! I'm also a newbie on this forum and I'm doing 4:3 too
Welcome and I wish you luck!

Thanks Callanthe! I hope you are doing well in your journey!
My one-week check-in:
Weight: 153
Waist: 34? (I am not sure I always measure in quite the same place and this is throwing me off...)
Hip: 42
Thigh: 23
(I didn't do arm today.)
Overall I have done okay. Probably went over my limit on Monday by just a smidge but I did hold off until 6 pm. Did really well the week before and today is my next fast day. I think whatever pounds I have dropped so far is likely water weight, particularly as I went swimming yesterday and immersion pressure tends to make you shed excess water. But as a little push in the right direction, I'll take it!

Heyy, that's nice first week It's good to see numbers change even if it is just water, but you never know
I had also huge drop for the first week, this week most likely would be much slower but in average it is still pretty cool.

Hi all,
Well done for putting it up online, Sunny. I think its a wonderful way to hold yourself accountable. I started 5:2 almost two weeks ago, and make a blog so that I can follow my progress too.

https://five2andme.wordpress.com/

I can't see a difference in my photos yet, but the scales are going down!

Hi Sunny, how are you getting along after a few weeks?

Well, I am back here after a long hiatus.
To make a long story very short, I just couldn't do it. I could not stick with the fasting plan on my own. I'd do well for a week or so, not see any difference, feel like it didn't matter what I did so might as well just eat whatever - and then I'd binge for a few days. Needless to say things only got worse. I went up to 161 by October.
At that point I was almost clinically depressed. I went to my doctor and begged for help. He put me on Phentermine, a prescription appetite suppressant, and gave me a sensible meal plan and orders to "get moving".
I used the Phentermine for about a month and a half. It gave me a huge burst of energy and the ability to go several days on 500 calories a day. Within that month I lost ten pounds. I learned what my "food triggers" were. My cravings stopped. I joined a gym, where I do high intensity interval training twice a week. On other days, I bike and skate with my kids, and when I take them to the park I get up and do the monkey bars and stuff with them instead of sitting on a bench watching. I feel amazing.
I weaned myself off the Phentermine and I have not used it since Christmas, but I am continuing to lose weight - slowly now. Over December and January I lost another ten pounds. I am within 5 pounds of my goal weight. My doc actually suggested the 5:2 as a good maintenance diet once I reach it. I have had a couple plateaus but I now know that I can get things under control quickly, and even have a treat now and then without feeling like a failure and slob afterwards.
My current stats:
Weight: 141
Waist: 30"
Hip: 40"
Thigh: 21"
Arm: 10.75"
I'll post a new pic tomorrow.
Use of prescriptions I hope is not a no-no to talk about on here. I'm not pushing it at anyone; just saying it was a tool in my box. I don't think I could have kept this up without it.

Great job @SunnyD!
Thank you so much for sharing your progress. I think one of the most important things to learn is to pay attention to what's going on within and respond! You really took action and found an answer. There's more than one answer for sure.

Meant to come back sooner with my progress pic, but life got in the way. anyway, here's where I am now. (Please forgive the rotten cropping. Photobucket is not playing nice right now.)

I am holding steady between 141-146 lbs for the last month or so, but I am down two jean sizes since the beginning of all this, and I can feel my abdominal muscles for the first time in 15 years! It is such an amazing feeling to know that I did this and can continue to do it. I'm completely off the prescription now and not gaining, which amazes me.
I'd love to lose another 5 to 7 lbs to get the remaining rolls off my tummy and rear. It's hard. Maintaining a loss is easier than continuing to lose, but I am determined. I've let myself eat pretty lazily the last week or two, so hoping I have reset my body to accept that it isn't starving and get back into "burn" mode starting this weekend. My other half and kids are spending the weekend at his parents' and I'll have two days to myself to relax, recharge, and plan meals going forward.
Just wanting to encourage folks here that it can be done! Don't accept defeat - if what you are doing isn't working, don't be afraid to up the ante. Talk to your doctor and find out what is available, shake up your exercise routine, get accountability (my gym coach calls me if I don't show for a couple classes in a row). It works.