hello and welcome :-)

Hi all,

I recently joined MFP and just joined this group. I'm also starting the 5:2 Fast Diet today. I know there are some other groups that focus on that plan but I'm particularly interested in experiences those of us who are into our 40s have had with it? In a nutshell, I was a skinny kid and gained about 80 pounds between 15 and 19, then lost about 60 lbs. I kept that off for the better part of 20 years but have experienced about 15 pounds of weight creep in the last handful of years. Now, in my mid-40s, I can't believe how hard it is even to lose a pound or two!! This plan seems like one I could stick with, particularly as my hub's work involves a lot of social activities (read: lots of eating and drinking) throughout the week. Any successes out there? Any advice?

What is the 5:2 fast diet?

Hi, sorry for the delayed response regarding the 5:2 Fast Diet. There's lots of good information online about it but in a nutshell, you reduce your calories to a very low number two days per week (the plan recommends 500 for women and 600 for men), then eat 'normally' the rest of the days, and the low calories days can be consecutive or spaced through the week. I did it for a week or two (I found that 500 was just too low and that about 650 worked better) but since have sort of made up my own version of the 'zig zag' diet (I do two days at 750, four days at 1250, and one day where pretty much anything goes) at and I have FINALLY busted through a weight wall. I've had to take it easy on exercise for a few weeks due to illness but once I start that back up, I'll add some calories to each of the days to ensure I have enough energy.