I know I keep banging on about how successful 5:2 has been, but the results have been so great I can’t help but do so.
Of course one of the side effects of losing around 15kg is that my existing clothes rather resembled sacks and I’ve had to buy a bunch of new things (as if I needed an excuse to buy all the pretty dresses).
There has been a gradual cull of too large items as I can bear to part with them and so it was that I made the difficult decision to part with two of my favourites.
I really love these dresses (especially the fabric, and always received compliments from random strangers on the fluro/neon pink when I wore it), but they looked a bit silly being so big and if I’m honest I’m getting on a bit for short baby doll dresses.
I attempted to gift them to Bessie, but she is the same size as me and they swam on her. She was super-keen on the fabrics, so I’m attempting to re-model into skirts (with pockets!). It is the first time I have done such a thing, but it shouldn’t be too difficult (I know, famous last words). I spent some time on the weekend removing the zippers. Will report back.
Of course Don has lost a bunch of weight too – this meant that he could fit back into two pairs of favourite golf pants, but they were too short (the alterations ladies were a little too aggressive with the hemming many years ago). So I’m refashioning them as shorts – which is a little more challenging then one might suppose. I don’t think I’d done this before either. I took the measure 57 times, cut once approach – they’re sitting basted/tacked waiting for me too drag the machine out.
And in other tangentally craftly news, Joan brought me a ball of excellent wool from Iceland from her trip a couple of years ago, I finally decided to give it a crack with a cabled hat. Perfect activity for watching mr robot.
Sadly, about halfway through the band it became evident that it was way, way too big (I’m pretty sure that I haven’t lost weight from my head). There was nothing for it but to unravel and look about for another pattern. I’m having terrible luck with hats recently.
And the less said about my quilt project, the better!
I have to ask you about 5/2…how do you get through a grueling work day if it’s a fasting day? I’m tempted to try it, but I’m afraid I’d lose it with a client or a co-worker. Or do you make sure it’s a low stress day and go to bed early? The dresses are adorable.
It was initially pretty difficult adjusting, the first six weeks (until I saw results) were a huge challenge. I was more than a little grumpish – particularly in the early evening.
There was definitely a lot of going to bed early at first (even sometimes now) and I try to distract myself with something crafty or reading in the evening. We try to do it on the same days every week – I think that helped.
I don’t think work was ever not stressful during that period, but I’m a venter, so that really helped alleviate any crankiness.
It did get better and after a year I’m totally habituated to it, so I barely notice I’m doing it.
At first I was eating lunch (albeit a small one – soup or sashimi or shaved ham, tomatoes and lettuce on a couple of rye crackers) and dinner – and snacking on grapes (only 2 calories a grape!) or strawberries (5 calories) – and having 2 cups of coffee with full fat milk. This still kept me under the 500 calories (though possibly teetering on 499.99). I can’t recommend the grapes enough for nibbling!
Now I only have a coffee in the morning, an apple for lunch and dinner – no snacking, but it has taken a very long while to get to this point.
There are a couple of things which I think helped me persist:
* really good dinner recipes – there are a bunch of 5:2 cookbooks out there and the ones we have have been fantastic. We would have given up long ago if it wasn’t for the huge variety of things we’re eating.
* there is always tomorrow – I tell myself this all the time if I am keen for a treat. It really isn’t that long to wait
* treats on non-fast days – I only slightly exaggerate when I say I stuff my face with cake. I am a big fan of the treats.
* do it with someone – makes a huge difference to have that support when you’re wavering
* talk incessantly about it 😉 – I was very fortunate that I have colleagues who were happy to be bored to death by my talk of calories
* drink loads of herbal, black or green tea
I would say definitely give it a crack, it doesn’t work for everyone, but you never know. Good luck if you do – report back!
If you want to know anything else – just shout, I could talk on this for days!
Thanks for the insights! Not sure the husband would be on board. You really make it sound doable I’ll let you know if I embark on this…..
…and just found out I have high cholesterol for the first time ever, yet another reason to try SOME plan of action.
Oh that really sucks! Do you have to take statins to manage it?
Don saw some difference in his cholesterol levels after being on the 5:2 for a few months, but not enough to be able to quit the lipitor.
I feel like a total 5:2 evangelist/pusher. I think I’ve almost convinced best work pal Heather to give it a go. As I said to him yesterday, if you do it for a month, it is only 8 days – which is really almost nothing in the scheme of things.
I believe the every-excellent ganching also did it for a time and saw good results.
It did take a while to get into the rhythm (and it helps to be a very stubborn and determined sort of person) but now that it is thoroughly embedded, I can see no real reason to change what I’m doing, definitely working for me.
Just catching up with this. I did it for a while and I had excellent results too. I did it on my own and never talked about it. I usually had a coffee in the morning, a cup of tea in the afternoon and then all my calories at once in the evening. I tended to eat much the same thing either a salad with tuna and egg but no dressing 🙁 or a big bowl of spicy lentil soup with fruit and yoghurt for dessert.
I found it easier to eat nothing during the day because if I ate something like an apple I’d feel ravenous afterwards. My main thing was not to be hungry when I went to bed so I ate as late in the evening as possible. I only ever fasted on work days and preferably when I was very busy. I usually did it on a Monday and Thursday. An added benefit was it made the days when I did eat at work seem much more fun. I’m going to do it for a bit again as I need to re-boot my eating. Too many cakes in Portugal and Spain.
The question I have is are you still losing weight?
I think that’s the best thing of 5:2 – it is so flexible that everyone can approach it completely differently and still have success.
I *think* I am still losing weight. I tend a bit toward body dysmorphia, so can generally only tell when I put clothes on, I’m a size 6/8 now – I keep having to buy new things, which is bad for the frugality but good because new things. Though the continued weight loss could also be because I’ve drastically cut down drinking. I think Don has plateaued.