Any long-term or big loss 5:2 dieters here?

DelilaLightfoot

I have been reading a bit about the 5:2 diet and know a few people who have started since January with so far seemingly great results but I have yet to read anything from someone who has been doing it for while or who started with a lot of weight to lose. I searched on here for 5:2 long term success stories but didn't find anything. The people I know who are doing 5:2 have less weight to lose than I do but are losing at around the same rate on the 5:2 diet as I am the old-fashioned way, which makes it very tempting to try but I'm afraid it might set me back if it only works short term.

I keep reading about 'amazing' health benefits but surely lower cholesterol and reduced risks of cancer and heart disease are benefits to all weight loss and not just 5:2? This isn't anything new is it? Also everybody has a vastly different idea of what 'normal' is for their 5 non-fast days - I read Michael Moseley's article on his experience but he didn't mention exercise and also mentioned that he stayed within recommended daily calorie guidelines for his non-fast days too - so that would seem to indicate that really it is 2 days fast and 5 days controlled rather than eat what you want.

I would be really interested to hear from anyone who has been success with this method over a long period with a lot of weight to lose.