I love butter but I hate it when that happens; like you Debra, I'm totally lost at that point and it's so hard to stop. The first sign of losing focus for me is believing that what I'm doing is ok when, in fact, I know it isn't. I hope I never go back to that.
Dear Margaret,
Wishing you continued success on this diet. I do not know much about it and I don't follow a diet, but I really think in your case your progress is amazing. Looking at your HbA1C at 11.6 is a big health concern and to get down to 6 is fantastic. You really decrease your diabetic side effects by keeping your sugars stable. With Type II diabetes often even small changes in weight loss can help, so your case is exemplary. Good luck and wishing you and the others trying to stay fit and lean much encouragement.
Warmly, Mary
Hi Margaret,
My husband and I have been doing 5:2 since January this year. We both reached our target weights by June and have been maintaining since. We feel great! Everyone has noticed how slim and well we look now. I've lost 15kg and he has lost nearer 20kg. That's a lot of excess baggage that we were carrying around! Now we are both in the healthy BMI range.
We also took the approach of cutting back a bit on our non-fasting days, but primarily because we realised that we had got into the habit of eating far too much, so we really needed to reset our portion sizes.
Now that we are maintaining though, we really can eat and drink pretty much what we like 5 days a week.
I've enjoyed the challenge of creating delicious and satisfying meals of 500 or 600 calories, and healthy meals for the rest of the week. I started writing up these recipes and have put a lot of them, together with some of my meal plans, on my blog at Focus on Flavour. One of my recipes was published in Kate Harrison's book "the ultimate 5:2 diet recipe book" and featured in the Mail on Sunday pull out supplement earlier this month.
I'm actually in the midst of getting my own 5:2 recipe book completed, which I hope to publish very soon now, so I'll let you know when that is available - as of course I am using ingredients which are easy to buy here in France.
I must say I can't speak highly enough of this way of eating. After years of trying different diets and giving up any hope of keeping the weight off, this has put me back in control and I know I will never be overweight again. I enjoy the lighter fasting days - and the free time it gives me when not preparing and eating lunch! I feel healthier and more energetic and being lighter makes exercise more enjoyable too.
I have a new mindfulness about my body and easily stop eating before I am full. I no longer have cravings for sugary and salty foods. I don't snack or graze and am happy with a plate piled high with salad and no bread on the side. I can look at a chocolatine and not want to eat it... Never thought I would say that!
I'd encourage anyone interested to buy the book by Michael Mosley, the Fast Diet, and understand the science behind this, as it is not just a way of reducing your weight, it is all about living a longer, healthier life. I no longer lie awake at night worrying about diabetes and heart attacks. It really is a life-changer.
There is lots of support online too - I help to run a closed Facebook group, 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet, which has members from all over the world. Through that I have seen many hundreds of people change their lives for the better and overcome all kinds of health problems, really just by cutting back on what they eat on 2 days a week.
For some people 5:2 works 'straight out of the box' and they don't even have to consider what they eat on the other 5 days. Others come to realise that actually the food choices they have been making don't do them any favours, and that they feel better after cutting back on sugar and refined carbohydrates, like white flour/bread/pasta/rice. But that's up to the individual, it's not essential to the 5:2 concept.
So to those who wonder if this is sustainable, I say YES.
Lost 2 stone over the year and am much healthier, eat and drinks less on non fast days too. Wife's blood pressue down but only a small weight loss. She is not able to exercise much.
Started this way of eating in July this year and managed to lose 5kg by the end of September. However, have since fallen by the wayside and started eating badly again. Interesting thing is, that since the end of September and my bad eating habits creeping in again, I've only put on half a kilo. But that is no excuse. Having had some health issues this summer and those now being resolved, I do plan to start this way of eating again next week - Fast days on Mondays and Thursdays. My favourite 5:2 meal is Sticky Chicken Noodles from the Skinny Meals for One book which I have on my Kindle.
For those who worry about fasting for two days, it is sustainable in that for women you are allowed 500 cals and men 600 cals on your fast days and sensible eating on non fast days. 500 cals is too low for me, so, accepting a slower weight loss, my maximum on fast days is 800 cals which is still half my daily allowance on non fast days. In order to keep in check I use MyFitnessPal to register a food diary, count my calories and keep a check on what is going on.
I would recommend this way of eating to anyone. Also remember that the diet is 5:2, but you can also do 6:1 if you want a slower weight loss or 4:3 if you can manage it and want to get into that posh frock before Christmas. xxx
It’s my fasting day too. Just had breakfast
Thanks Margaret, just wanted to be doubly sure.
Martin, that photo was taken in the officers mess on the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh. I think the pumps were real, but the pint of lager was fake. I didn't get to keep the cap unfortunately :-)
Anyway, just going to have some breakfast...and then I have to wait all day for something else to eat as it is my fast day :-D
Courage pump tops in your profile shot with a Petty Officers cap! What’s the RN connection?
Hi Rachel
You click “reply”, type your message and then click on “add reply”
Your reply is viewable by all and those “following” the discussion will receive a notification that you have posted a response. They then click on the link from the email to read the full reply
If you want to reply in private, click on the person you want to contact and then click on “message”. Only that person will see your comment/reply/message
Hope this helps
Thanks Margaret, by the way, I am new to the discussions, did I just reply to you then or everyone? Wasn't sure if I had to click reply at the top or at the bottom. The reply tag looked slightly more indented than everyone elses. Sorry for being a dimbo! Rachael :-)
Excellent Rachel; great encouragement all round
Just wanted to add that the weird thing is that after 35 years of trying to lose 10lbs and keep it off, depriving myself, eating low fat and exercising all the time etc, I managed to do it in just 1 month with no exercise whatsoever! This is the thing that so surprises me. Not only that, but having given up butter and fat etc for 35 years I can also eat that again. Its all so exciting! :-D
Thank you Marie-Antoinette. Do what you can to try and stick with it. Too bad you’re not near Cahors tomorrow as there’s a special diabetes prevention/management of diabetes type 2
Congratulations Margaret, that is an accomplishment. I wish I could do the same and loose some weight, as I have diabetes 2, less pounds on me would be good for my heart and I would feel better. Thank you for being an inspiration and I will try to stick to it.
Marie-Antoinette
Would never have thought of kayaks Shaun. Will you use in the winter?
Hope you can get back on schedule Diana. My husband was interested in the exercise bursts but has done nothing about it. Alcohol is a bit of an issue for many and is often seen as the biggest sacrifice of all to give up
Bone chance
It does help Georgina. I was not a big drinker but decided not to drink it again so stopped the day I started. Don’t miss it and I certainly don’t miss the way it spiked my blood sugars
I know that feeling Debra having been the so many times over the year. I always know when I’m about to lose focus when butter starts to re-enter my diet.
I only focus in each 10% of my body weight that I need to lose rather than 5+ stone as I’ve done in the past
I wish you good luck too
I have one guaranteed way anyone can lose 2 stone by making one change to their diet. I sound like a dodgy website eh!
How? Cut out booze. Sorry, that probably isn't very welcome help with all this beautiful French wine is around. But it's a fail-safe way to drop a couple of stone in a year without doing anything else. You'll see the difference in yourself after three months and people will start commenting.
I agree they don't help much.
However I have just begun homebrewing. I have 26 litres of alcohol that will be ready for Christmas. Lol!