True @EmmaOnTrack!
No change this week. Might have to do 4/3 next week.

Fast day today. Got everything planned out so we'll see how it goes. Happy Friday everyone.

ChatoGuy wrote: »

Hello People!
I did successfully follow the 5:2 last year and dropped 15 lbs to very close to my ideal BMI. Back now for another round after I let myself go and did NOT maintain at least one fasting a week! That'll be a lesson for me... [/quot
Hiya, well done for losing 15lbs last year. I'm currently on this diet, only started last week and I lost 5pounds! Ideally I want to lose another stone! Please could you tell me how long it took you to lose 15lbs? Thank you x

Hi everyone, thanks snaps27 for letting me know about this group!

I'm a sahm of 3, starting to wean my 6 month old. I just finished my 1st week, and lost nearly 1/2 a kg! I don't know what that is in lbs, sorry
I don't know if that's down to the diet or my mil going home after staying a month (she takes over the kitchen when she comes and goes through at least a liter of oil per week... Food tastes great though).

I'm aiming for under 800 a day for fast days, and find it really hard! On non fast days I'm averaging about 2300.
I've read 2 books and done a lot of googling, but there doesn't seem to be much consensus on what to do on non fast days. I see a lot of "eat normally", but then a lot of "keep it under 1800" too. What do all of you do? Obviously I realise the less I eat the faster I'll loose weight, but if I continue to eat normally, does this still work?

Been doing 5:2 since 30 December; for those of you struggling on FDs and need to have some calories during the day, try eating something where the majority of the calories you do eat come from protein. Eating high carb on FDs just makes me hungrier so I avoid them. I usually manage to last until about 4.00 p.m. when I have a small scoop of protein shake if I'm at work or an egg if I'm at home. The remainder of my calories I save for dinner which is usually a portion of what everyone else is having but without the carbs.

I also found very early on if I had a lot of sugary carbs the day before a FD then I woke up ravenous the next morning and struggled the whole day.

Keeping track of what you eat on MFP is quite a drag at first, but once you get going its not too bad as you discover you tend to eat the same sort of food on a regular basis. It's worth putting in the effort though as calorie consumption can be seriously underestimated. I put in my favourite lasagne recipe and was really surprised to discover that my usual portion size was over 900 calories. It's a vegetarian lentil one so I thought it would be low calorie. So, i've adapted the recipe now taken out 25% of the lentils and cheese. I substituted a very strong cheese instead with no noticeable difference in the taste and skim milk instead of semi skimmed for the sauce. According to MFP the same portion size comes in at 750 calories, so still not really low calorie (my TDEE is currently 1550 calories according to my size, weight and lifestyle) but now I can make an informed choice about portion size.

The hardest FD for me was the third. It was definitely stubbornness and support from the group that got me through. Now only a few weeks in it is easier and becoming normal.

Catchb - what you are aiming to do is to lose fat - if you eat too little then your body begins to convert muscle to energy so the weight loss looks good on the scales but is actually counter-productive. As mum of 3 with a 6 month old you need to look after yourself. Think of your weight loss as packs of butter - that's nearly two that you have lost!

Sorry, this turned into a bit of an essay! Hope everyone's having a good weekend.

My FDs are Tuesdays and Fridays - what days do the rest of you do?

Thanks for all the help! How do I calculate my tdee? I googled it and came up with 1600? I'm keeping around 2000 most days. I log the bf as 400c cardio so it doesn't confuse my calculations.

Hello everyone! Getting prepped today for my proper first Fast Day tomorrow. Have my protein items defrosting (prawns for salad lunch, mince for making meatballs for dinner), and have cut out all sugary snacks today so that I don't crash tomorrow. Just need to get the yoghurt maker out for the low fat greek yoghurt & berry breakfast and I'm all set Fast Day 2 will be on Wednesday and OH is out for the evening so that will make life a lot easier (said with love LOL).

Well done for nailing your FD yesterday snaps. Noticed from a previous post that exercise-wise you are planning to do 2 x 60 mins but finding time/motivation is an issue. Wonder if it may be better for you to ease in a bit more gently until you get back into it - I exercise 4 - 5 times a week but at the moment keep it to 30 mins; that way I'm doing enough to get my heart rate up but not enough that I'm exhausted the next day. A 10 min warm-up followed by 20 mins more intensive workout doesn't seem too daunting - if I'd planned 60 mins and felt tired then I'd be likely to decide to put it off. If I'm very tired but it's a planned exercise day, then I'll just go for a 10 - 15 minute easy run and then make a decision when I get back as to whether I do any more. I started out walk/running at the beginning of the year and now can manage a mile without stopping. As my fitness level improves I'm increasing the intensity and I'll soon begin to extend the time.

Iwannabe - good luck on your FD tomorrow. I nearly bought prawns today for my next FD on Tuesday. I buy the cooked peeled ones and eat them as a snack a few at a time frozen out of the bag! Yummy.