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5:2 Diet... anyone still doing it?


PrincessMommy
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I just started, this is my 2nd day, 1st week. So far, it's going really well. I am just amazed at how little food I actually need in order not to feel hungry. I'm doing 700 cals on fast days, so a bit more than some people, but I'm really only hungry before lunch. I have a protein shake in the AM, steamed vegetables and an egg for lunch, a green smoothie in the afternoon, and vegetable soup with a hot dog for dinner (all very small portions) . I actually feel so great and light, that I listen closely to my hunger and stop long before I'm full on the following day. Then, I allow myself a bit more leeway the day before the next fast (I had a good-sized lunch and popcorn yesterday! ) . I didn't want to go into another fast day hungry, and it's working! Feeling great again today. I really hope I can keep this up, because I had stalled on simply eating healthy food in reasonable portions, grrr.

 

In the past, I spent months weighing food and counting calories meticulously, and it just became too obsessive and not reasonable to maintain long-term, which backfired into eating all the foods when I allowed myself some treats. So, I'm trying something more reasonable this time.

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Two years and three months.  Doing fine, thanks.  It's so much of a habit that I don't think about it.  At this stage (menopause) I seem to need to do it in order to just maintain.  I lost 13 pounds at the beginning but am not losing at the moment.  That's fine - I'm about where I want to be.

 

Today:

 

Three cups of tea

Two apples

Venison steak, mushrooms and broccoli

Lots of water.

 

ETA: had actually lost a pound when I weighed this morning - but I have given up sweets/chocolate/biscuits until Easter.

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Week 5. I'm doing more of a 4:3 instead of 5:2, except for last week when my work schedule was wonky.  I completely agree with the bolded below:

 

 

I have been at this for just 6 weeks but have lost 8 of the 14 lbs I set out to lose. I still do not enjoy fast days at all but I can't argue with the results. Good luck restarting!

 

About 3 weeks ago I started adding in interval training on my fast days. I have been intermittent with my alcohol consumption during these past weeks and I don't think it's beneficial right now. I really need a restart so I can work on moderation. So this week I decided to go alcohol free for 30 days. I think it will make a difference. My plan for now is to continue 4:3 til I get down another 10 lbs, transition to 5:2 while maintaining my workouts, then see how things go.

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I was only doing one day a week fasting for maintenance for a while, but am now back to 2 days to try to drop a little more so that I am well into my recommended weight zone instead of right at the top of it.

 

It is going well. I wish it were easier to have a set schedule, but I try not to fast on days dh is off because he likes to cook nice meals, and unfortunately his schedule varies a lot.

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The end of April will be 2 years of eating this way. I lost 40 pounds the first year & have lost almost another 10 pounds this past year. I do 4:3 or ADF most weeks, but when we've been away on holiday I never fast. I'd like to lose another 5 pounds then I'll transition to 5:2 or 6:1 for maintenance.

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The end of April will be 2 years of eating this way. I lost 40 pounds the first year & have lost almost another 10 pounds this past year. I do 4:3 or ADF most weeks, but when we've been away on holiday I never fast. I'd like to lose another 5 pounds then I'll transition to 5:2 or 6:1 for maintenance.

 

what is ADF?

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I was having good success with it, but I fell off the bandwagon. I think that I wasn't eating enough on the fast days. I've tried to restart many times, but I can't seem to make myself to it again. Perhaps if I put together some 500 calories menus ahead of time, I'll know what to do on the fast days when I'm trying not to think about food.

 

Do you all have some menu ideas? What do you eat on your fast days?

 

For me, it has evolved over time - I think it's very personal too, based on when you get hungry.  For me: once I start eating, I need to get full, so I don't eat until evening.  Sometimes I'll have a Weightwatchers soup at lunch time, but usually I will have a cup of tea with milk in the morning and afternoon, and drink lots of water.

 

When I get home, I often have a big bowl of mushroom soup (300g of fresh mushrooms in a little broth) while I'm cooking supper.  I might have a couple of pieces of fruit at that time too.  Supper will be a lean protein plus lots and lots of steamed veg (I'll make an oiled carbohydrate for the rest of the family).  So the calories add up to:

 

Milk for tea: 100 

Mushrooms: 30

Broth: 10

Apples: 120

Fish fillet: 120

Oil spray: 10

Steamed broccoli: 50

 

That leaves space for one more thing - another veg or a cracker or something.

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For me, it has evolved over time - I think it's very personal too, based on when you get hungry.  For me: once I start eating, I need to get full, so I don't eat until evening.  

Yes! What you said right here! If I eat anything, I will want to keep on eating. And eating. And eating. Until I am very full. This is why I do better skipping breakfast.

 

I have done the 5:2 before, but trying to spread out that few calories all day long just ended up not working for me. The last couple weeks, I have been trying one day of not eating anything but supper. Just coffee for breakfast and water throughout the day. As long as I keep busy, preferably away from home, I can do it and it isn't hard at all. It is sitting here at the house where food is easily accessible and there is nothing really to keep me occupied that causes me to fail. 

 

Once this is a habit, I will try for doing a couple days a week. Just gotta figure out somewhere to go and something to keep busy. 

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Yes! What you said right here! If I eat anything, I will want to keep on eating. And eating. And eating. Until I am very full. This is why I do better skipping breakfast.

 

I have done the 5:2 before, but trying to spread out that few calories all day long just ended up not working for me. The last couple weeks, I have been trying one day of not eating anything but supper. Just coffee for breakfast and water throughout the day. As long as I keep busy, preferably away from home, I can do it and it isn't hard at all. It is sitting here at the house where food is easily accessible and there is nothing really to keep me occupied that causes me to fail. 

 

Once this is a habit, I will try for doing a couple days a week. Just gotta figure out somewhere to go and something to keep busy. 

 

I do both of my fast days when I am at work and away from the kitchen.  Then before I start cooking either I am getting Hobbes from school or going for a walk (or both).  It makes things much easier.

 

I actually have a weird schedule on my non-fast days too now: unless I'm eating with family, I usually skip breakfast and lunch, then eat the equivalent of three light meals in the evening, reconfigured into two satisfying, healthy meals at 5pm and 7.30pm  I know that sounds odd, but it's what works for me.

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I usually find a breakfast/brunch and a dinner works for me. Most days breakfast is an egg scrambled with veggies and  sometimes an ounce of meat. I'll have black tea with half & half. That will net me anywhere between 200 and 250 cal. If I'm home, dinner is usually a lean meat with lots of veggies. If I'm at work, it might be a frozen entree that fits into 250-300 cal with a salad. I try to shoot for 500-600 cal on my fast days.

 

Today, breakfast was cottage cheese, drizzle of honey, some pumpkin pie spice and blackberries with black tea and half & half. I'm planning on half of a Nature Valley bar later because I'm going to try out a yoga class after work. I haven't decided if I'm getting a kale salad from the vegan place by my work or make dinner out of leftovers. I tend to drink 2-3 cups of coffee with powder creamer and stevia or monk fruit sweetner when I'm at work, lots of water (I've recently started drinking lots of seltzer water to change things up) and might have some miso soup if I feel I need a little something extra.

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I wake up very early every morning to write for a bit and then I work out pretty hard, so as much as I'd like to save all my calories for dinner, I just can't make it that long.  I have a cup of tea with almond milk when I wake up, then a hard-boiled egg and coffee with almond milk for breakfast after the gym.  Another cup of coffee and almond milk for 'lunch.'  Dinner is a salad (with some kind or protein in it) or a bowl of soup, then a very small apple and a cup of diet cocoa before bedtime.  Water and seltzer throughout the day.  

 

I am looking forward to strawberries coming into season, since I adore them and they are so low in calories.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been thinking that I wasn't losing much weight, but when I look at my Fitbit record, I've lost two kilos in three months, so about 4 1/2 pounds in all.  I did give up baked goods and chocolate for the run-up to Easter, but I was losing before that.  

 

L

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I've been thinking that I wasn't losing much weight, but when I look at my Fitbit record, I've lost two kilos in three months, so about 4 1/2 pounds in all.  I did give up baked goods and chocolate for the run-up to Easter, but I was losing before that.  

 

L

 

 

That's great!  

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I've been thinking that I wasn't losing much weight, but when I look at my Fitbit record, I've lost two kilos in three months, so about 4 1/2 pounds in all.  I did give up baked goods and chocolate for the run-up to Easter, but I was losing before that.  

 

L

Slow and steady, that's awesome! 

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I'm well into the non-overweight category, so I only wanted to lose the weight I put on at Christmas.  Back to maintenance now, probably, which still means 5:2 for me, but perhaps with some leeway.

Maintenance is an awesome place to be, woo hoo!

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