The FastDay Forum

Hi everyone!

I thought it would be a good idea to keep a Journal of my new trip on the 5:2 diet as I am sure my husband has heard way too much.
I also want to stay motivated on this and reading of others Journey definitely helps!

A bit of History - I am 5'6" and have weight 65 KG and over ever since I can remember! Just last year I managed to gain a whole bunch and ended up weighing at 72KG. It was the tipping point for me when I couldnt get a pair of my fav jeans over my thighs! I didn't want to really let this get out of control so I put all my energy and thoughts into losing this weight once and for all. I would LOVE to be in the 50's - between 57 - 59 KGs and be done with the 6's once and for all.

I have been committed to exercising regularly and having my portions controlled since February this year.. and have managed to get back down to 66KGs.

So I officially started the Fast Diet this week! I have decided that since I take intense exercise classes on Wednesday and Fridays, that I would make my fast days on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can cope better.
My first fast day was this past Tuesday 7th. I decided to weigh in on Tuesday mornings (before weekly fasts) and then after each fast day (Wednesday and Friday mornings).

First weight in:

Tuesday 7 May morning: 66KG
Wednesday 8 May morning: 65.5KG

I could hardly believe that the scales had shown a .5KG difference! I hadn't seen the number '65' in a looong time!

The fast day went just fine.. of course there were moments that I was really hungry, but they passed. I found I could have a bunch of celery sticks and tried to play mind games on myself that I was eating alot of food, hah!
I was also really cautious on Wednesday to not overeat and over indulge. I didn't want to undo any of the work.. so I ate normal, although I did have more carbs than usual but I didn't beat myself up about it.

Today is Thursday, my second fast day! Can't wait to weigh in tomorrow, I have no idea what they will say this time!

[janeg]

Hello Mary123 and welcome. You've made a good start already and hopefully 5:2 will add to your success. Have you measured as well as weighed? And do think about putting your stats into the tracker.
Enjoy your second fast- good luck and let us know how you get on.

Hi Janeg,

Thanks for your post! Yes I have been measuring myself since I kicked myself back into action this year. It's so refreshing seeing the steady decreases.. sometimes not always on the scale, but always in the measurements.

I will check the tracker out, thanks for the suggestion

I weighed in this morning after my second fast of the week and its ; 65.4! I am so happy - .6 KG lighter than I was 4 days ago!

I found myself hungrier yesterday compared to my first fasting day, munching through celery sticks definitely helped though. I also got a bit irritable last night, I think because I was feeling pretty hungry. I expect fasting days would be on and off like that though.

Happy to be eating again today- just had a nice toast with avacado and cottage cheese, yuummm!
I have 6.4 KGs to go, I can doooo this!

Good morning all,

So I am feeling rather 'meh' today because I weighed in after my third fast and what do the scales say? 67 KG!!! Which means a 1.6KG increase since commencing this diet just early last week.
This really doesn't seem right.. on fast days i am strict and stay under 500 cal.

I think, well I know this is where I must have gone wrong - I didn't really watch what I ate on my non-fast days. Not on the weekend anyway! When I think of it though, I really didn't eat THAT much bad things, just a little bit here and there over the Saturday and Sunday. To be specific- a handful of skittles, a small portion of chips and a huge feast of sushi!
I am not one to make excuses though, I do know that my body does not like carb overloads.. I literally do gain weight overnight. But this really sucks, i wasn't expecting that much of a gain!!

I wont be discouraged though, I am sticking to this because I have been feeling better since I have been on it, its hard to explain but its all good feelings.
I also decided to weigh in on Monday mornings. Especially as my fast days are Tuesdays and Thursdays, if I weigh on Mondays I will feel more accountable and also wont splurge so much on the weekends knowing I have my weigh in on Monday morning.

Anyway, head down bum up, I wont let this get to me! Especially since like I said, since i've been feeling sooo good!

Mary123, don't be discouraged! I too have 'gained' weight after a 500 cal day! It could be that I had too much salt or was retaining water or exercised too much (causing the muscles to retain water while they repair). (I no longer have to worry about TTOTM, but that is another reason.) Most everybody here has ups and downs, but as time goes by you should have an overall loss pattern.

There are some here who input their weight every day into a tracker that shows the loss graphically. Even when there are blips up, the trend is downward.

So don't be too hard on yourself. It'll melt away...

Thanks heaps for your encouraging words Debbiejgb!
Definitely not TOM, and it could be exercise/retaining water.

It could also be the 6 pieces of licorcice that I smashed while I was visiting my grandmothers house too!! haha! I am at work right now, and all of a sudden I remembered all the bad things I ate.. yikes! I need to be accountable for that.

I am enjoying 5:2 so far, however I can see how it can play 'mental' games on some. Especially myself! For example, not eating as much some days, makes me say that its OK to completely stuff my face on the other days. I was on such a high last week with my weight loss, that I felt I deserved to down that amount of junkfood.. when really its taking one step forward, and two steps back.
My issue here is I really need to think before I act (in this case, think before I eat!!)

This week is a new week! I will make better choices this time around.

Hi

Check out the 'Not Losing Weight?' string in the Explore 5:2 section for some great information.

After doing this for about 8 weeks now, I think it best to weigh in every other week, if not monthly. I've been doing it weekly, and even then the ups and downs are distracting.

Perseverance and patience win the day.

Hi Mary
I use the ap My Fitness Pal just to track loosely where my calories are and to get my head around what calories are in food. It has a bar code scanner which is handy. It's a bit more tedious entering when you make from scratch.
Also I had a period where weight loss stalled and that was when I started to really read what other forums members are trying. Using the progress tracker and having your profile details available is like a ready reference to other long term fasters who give excellent advice, you'll see as you go along . Best of luck

[janeg]

Mary, you're doing well and blips are inevitable. You need to eat and extra 3000 calories to increase 1lb so the increase is more likely something else. If you are thinking you are overdoing it on eating days, you may want to think about logging everything you eat and drink, just as a record...that may show up some surprises.

Thank you simcoeluv, gillymary and janeg,

You're all right!!!

Simcoeluv, the section you suggestion provided a very interesting read and perspective, and then I didn't feel so bad on myself!

Gillymary and janeg, yes I think I should log what I eat.. like I said, I know this is happening because I have that misconception and thoughts like "oh i fasted two days, I can totally smash all of that!" when really, I shouldn't.

I am moving forward and am putting forth 100% effort! Fasting is becoming no issue, its my non fast days where I need to continue to make healthy options. Plus I realised that this is a lifestyle change, and it doesn't really work if I am still making bad choices.


Today is my fourth fast and by far the easiest one! It's also my first time that I'm saving all my calories for dinner.. with the exception of a mandarin I had earlier.


I feel in control and happy on this diet!!

[janeg]

Cool that you're still upbeat about it Mary! The munches and over doing it on eating days seem to settle down as you get further into this WOE , so keep your eye on the road ahead!

Thank you Janeg and gillymary for your kind words Gillymary, I used myfitnesspal religiously before commencing 5:2, but haven't applied it on my 'non fast days' yet, I think I just might!

OKAY - commencing WEEK THREE of 5:2!
I didn't weigh myself this morning because of 'lady stuff', and I'd rather not weigh heavier and be even more discouraged than I was last week! So I am just going to leave it for next week.

I took my measurements on Sunday and finally activated my Progress Tracker. I started measuring myself on the 24th of February (I measure myself fortnightly on a Sunday).

THEN NOW
WEIGHT : 69.4 KGS 67KG-2.4KG
Body Fat: 27% 24%-3%
Neck: 32cm 32cm(Same)
Underarms/around back:92cm 86.5cm-5.5cm
arms: 28cm 27cm-1cm
Thighs: (left)60.5 56.5cm-3.5cm
Thights: (right)60.5 59cm-1.5cm
Waist: 77cm 73cm-4cm
Hips: 93cm 90cm-3cm
Bum: 103.5cm 98cm-5.5cm

Grand Total Loss: 25.5cm!!

This was all done in nearly exactly 3 months. I will continue to measure myself fortnightly now that I am on 5:2 to further monitor.
These measurements also prove to me that although the scales HARDLY moved- the centimetres definitely did!! I have my focus on Body Fat Percentage, and my ultimate goal is to be 19-20%. Looking at my progress, I can see that I have lost a percentage of fat per month. I will use this to set a realistic goal to work by, and say that I would like to have 20% body fat by; September 29th. It's definitely doable!
I have also worked out a 'clean eating' plan, where I dont eat or drink anything that has something in the ingredients I cant pronounce. I cooked a series of meals yesterday, all in the freezer and ready to go. I know this clean eating style will take a while to adjust, however I have realised more than ever that 'fitness', and a nice body, is 70% of what you eat,and 30% exercise. I have the exercise down to a tea, I just need to focus on making better eating habits .. cleaner and better for my body.

SO my plan of attack;
Fast on Tuesdays and Thursdays (clean eating meal for dinner, up to 500 cal)- all other non-fast days; to not stuff my face, keep track of my intake, and eat clean.

p.s. I haven't figured out why my left thigh is smaller than my right!! Clearly I need to work that one out more, haha!

[janeg]

That's an impressive set of measurements Mary123! Great going and I'm loving your enthusiasm and upbeatedness Are you left or right handed? Dominant side is often slightly more muscley...