Am I going about this wrong?

SkezzaShredder

Hi,

I put a thread about yesterday being my nervous first day on the fasting 5:2 diet. No response but was nice to offload a little. However I'm worried that I'm already going about this wrong. Yesterday, I eat just 592 calories.

I woke up this morning feeling great, however, I've only consumed 452 calories so far today, and I genuinely don't feel like eating much more. Sure, I'll have a healthy dinner, perhaps fish and vegetables, but that could once again be near 600 calories for a total today. I'm worried that my body is going to go into starvation mode. Do I need to force some more calories on me?

I'm still in work, there's a big plate of biscuits behind me, and whereas a week ago, I'd have taken 4 by now. I aren't interested in the slightest. I don't even want one, but is it worth having one just to maintain a stable calories on this 5:2 thing. I can quite happily walk away, but I just need some advice.

Thoughts?

Thanks very much

CrunchM

I know nothing about 5:2 ... from what you have described, I wouldn't last long.

I hope this works for you, but I'd rather steer you towards doing something that is sustainable for your life, not for now. That kind of calorie cutting is not healthy.

Planning your days, eating healthier things, getting movement in ... that's really all this takes.

It is simple, not easy.

Anyway, good luck.

SkezzaShredder

This is my food diary so far today, sorry about the formatting:

Breakfast
Generic - 2 Weetabix 134 Calories (no milk, no sugar, just water)

Lunch
Homemade Vegetable Beef Stew - Beef Stew, 1 cup cooked 173 Calories roughly

Dinner


Snacks
Mobica - Coffee, 1 flask 40 Calories (effectively 2x cup of coffee)
Tesco (Tez) - Gala Apple, 1 Apple 47 Calories
Twinings - Green Tea Blend - Green 70% Black 30%, 1 cup 1 Calorie
Asda - Satsumas, 2 satsuma's 56 Calories
Twinings - Green Tea Blend - Green 70% Black 30%, 1 cup 1 Calorie

Could do with some advice here? I'm panicking a bit.

gelar93

I don't think fasting for a day or two is bad at all. Just make sure you drink A LOT OF WATER and you'll wake up the next morning feeling so fresh and light because you don't have all the food from dinner the night before in your stomach.

If you think it is going to far just try to eat what you normally like, I've found out that even if you don't feel hungry at that moment, having a bite or two brings your appetite back

SkezzaShredder

I know nothing about 5:2 ... from what you have described, I wouldn't last long.

I hope this works for you, but I'd rather steer you towards doing something that is sustainable for your life, not for now. That kind of calorie cutting is not healthy.

Planning your days, eating healthier things, getting movement in ... that's really all this takes.

It is simple, not easy.

Anyway, good luck.

Crunch, thank you so much for your post.

The 5:2 thing is primarily to kick off my weight loss. I've tried other diets that I've felt haven't worked, in one case I even put weight on. I need a sustainable diet, but I also need to get going with it first. I feel this would kick it off. I would like to lose a few stone and then switch to a healthier diet. The problem with exercise is that work has me sedentary. I only play football once a week. It's difficult to find time for other kinds of exercise.

I hope this 5:2 diet works for me, and then once I'm down to a healthier size I can begin to plan a proper diet based on my weight and build.

SkezzaShredder

I don't think fasting for a day or two is bad at all. Just make sure you drink A LOT OF WATER and you'll wake up the next morning feeling so fresh and light because you don't have all the food from dinner the night before in your stomach.

If you think it is going to far just try to eat what you normally like, I've found out that even if you don't feel hungry at that moment, having a bite or two brings your appetite back

Thanks gelar,

I have to admit. I felt amazing this morning. Yesterday was my first day of fasting and I woke up fresher than I have for years. I felt great!!

I will definitely take your advice. I will see how I feel tomorrow. I don't want to lose it and end up binging, but right now, I feel so motivated, I'm more likely to not eat at all, which I am adamantly refusing to fall into.

3dogsrunning

This is my food diary so far today, sorry about the formatting:

Breakfast
Generic - 2 Weetabix 134 Calories (no milk, no sugar, just water)

Lunch
Homemade Vegetable Beef Stew - Beef Stew, 1 cup cooked 173 Calories roughly

Dinner


Snacks
Mobica - Coffee, 1 flask 40 Calories (effectively 2x cup of coffee)
Tesco (Tez) - Gala Apple, 1 Apple 47 Calories
Twinings - Green Tea Blend - Green 70% Black 30%, 1 cup 1 Calorie
Asda - Satsumas, 2 satsuma's 56 Calories
Twinings - Green Tea Blend - Green 70% Black 30%, 1 cup 1 Calorie

Could do with some advice here? I'm panicking a bit.

Is that your homemade beef stew? I mean, did you enter the recipe?
Most apples I have seen are closer to 100 calories.

Why just the Weetabix with water? Why not add milk? It doesn't add a ton of food, but you can easily add needed calories, espeically if you add whole milk.

You need to keep this sustainable. Are you going to eat like this the rest of your life? I don't mean IF, I mean foodwise. If not, then start building meals that can keep you where you need to be calorie wise but are sustainable. You are looking to lose weight so I assume you ate more in the past. You are going from one extreme to another.

nutmegoreo

You don't really need to kick start anything. If 5:2 works for you then great. I don't really understand it myself, but I'm doing my own thing. If you are finding it too complicated, there are others here who do it who may be able to give you better advice and help. My best advice, is to read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Best of luck. You can do this.

SkezzaShredder

Is that your homemade beef stew? I mean, did you enter the recipe?
Most apples I have seen are closer to 100 calories.

Why just the Weetabix with water? Why not add milk? It doesn't add a ton of food, but you can easily add needed calories, espeically if you add whole milk.

You need to keep this sustainable. Are you going to eat like this the rest of your life? I don't mean IF, I mean foodwise. If not, then start building meals that can keep you where you need to be calorie wise but are sustainable. You are looking to lose weight so I assume you ate more in the past. You are going from one extreme to another.

Yes it's homemade. I didn't enter a recipe, I worked it out from the back of the pack and then searched for a generic beef stew. The one in the list was close enough (About 10 off) which I figured was fine for a non-fasting day. It's difficult with something like beef stew to precisely work out calories because chunks of beef and what not aren't so easy to work out, although I'd love some tips on that?

Why the Weetabix with water? Well, I guess I'm still feeling like "every little helps", but maybe that's the wrong attitude and this is why I'm on here. I'm desperate for this to work and as someone who knows so little about dieting I'm nervous, scared and worried that it won't work out for me. I'm not grossly overweight and most people don't think I'm as heavy as I am, most people think I'm 3 to 4 stone lighter than my actual weight, but I know the truth and as such, I need to make a massive lifestyle change.

I've heard people say this thing about sustainability. For me, the weight loss needs to happen first, and then I need to switch to a diet that is sustainable. Currently, 5:2 may seem like a bit of a rash diet to go on, but i think once I've lost some weight, I could switch to a diet including more calories but which is healthier across the board. That may seem again like the wrong attitude but I truly believe I can do this. Nothing in life is free, and I know that to keep this weight off, diet and exercise will be important in the future.

Ha, yeah, I sure did it eat more in the past, but for me, I think the biggest cause of my current weight is a 'soft' addiction to a certain phenomenon called beer. By that I mean I'm not an alcoholic, but I do enjoy a beer and perhaps have over indulged in that sense. Instead of having a pint of water or orange juice while watching Match of the Day, I'll just naturally grab a beer. I have cut alcohol out completely for the moment, although I hope to perhaps re-introduce it in some sort of healthy way (perhaps just 2 pints of beer a week). I know some people reckon the best way is to switch from beer to spirits if I go on a night out, but I'm not sure that's a great idea either. I'll deal with that hurdle when I get to it.

Thanks for your replies. When I say kick start, I mean, I've tried other diets before and felt like nothing has happened. I've not lost much weight at all. 5:2 seems to have a proven track record of losing weight, and especially for someone who works in an office and can't exercise anywhere near as much as I wish.

I'm feeling really good at the moment though. My body kind of feels healthier already. I feel fresher in the morning. I've already noticed that I'm not perspiring much despite the heat, and that's after just 3 full days (currently on my 4th).