Weight gain

Hi Christina, I don't know if I have asked you this or not.  My brain fog has taken over once again.  I want to do the 5:2 diet and start on Monday as tomorrow is Mothers Day and I will be having some chocolate.  So my fasting days or going to be Monday and Thursday.  So, if I have my last meal on Sunday night at 7pm does that mean I don't eat until 7pm Monday (I take my medication in the morning) so have you any idea how I get around that.  I would be grate for someone, anyone to explain this.  I am not a stupid person but sometimes the most simplest things I cannot get the grasp of.  I have a university degree so I know it must be the brain fog.  Thanks in advance.     Pat

No - in the 5:2 diet you never "fast" in the sense of not eating anything. The "Fast" days are the 2 days a week where you only eat 500 calories (if you are a woman, 600 for a man). The other 5 days you eat normally (but thoughtfully, you don't binge because they aren't "fast days" and you can eat what you like. 

So Sunday night you will have dinner as normal, Tuesday morning you will have breakfast as normal. On Monday you will choose meals where the calorie count adds up to 500 altogether. It is much better to think about this in advance so you can decide what your meals will be and work out what to have. There are loads of recipes on the internet and suggestions for low calorie meals - but you need to think in advance because you need to buy the right sort of food.

A breakfast could be a boiled egg (70 calories) and tea/coffee with milk (maybe 70 calories in the milk) Total 140cals

Lunch: a big bowl of salad might be 100 calories if it is mostly leaves with dressing

That leaves you about 250 cals for your evening meal - 40z of white fish is about 200 which leaves you 50 for a side salad or veggies

It is all about what you choose to eat - white fish is fewer calories than oily fish for the same weight. Chicken breast is fewer calories than red or fatty meat and obviously 4oz (whichis a real portion) has few calories than a restaurant 8oz steak. Some veggies have fewer calories than others, leaf salads have very few calories in a big dish but look loads. Mushrooms done under the grill have almost no calories, saute them in butter and it is a very different matter! On "fast" day you would grill your mushrooms, on the other "normal" days you can have them done with butter as long as you don't go mad.

And by far the best thing to drink is plain water or herbal or fruit tea (with no sugar of course).

There are lots of recipe books with meal suggestions that make the "fast" days easier - foods and quantities that fit well with 500 calories. Choose wisely and you won't feel hungry at all. And do drink plenty.

Hi pat, Monday and Thursday are perfect days for your "2" and of course the remaining days for your "5". But don't worry yourself as there have been days that I allocated as my "2", stuffed myself silly, so then had to have my "2" on a another day that week. And, that's what's good about the diet it is very flexible.

the principle is that on your "5" days you can eat a normal days food. I am also on a sort of low carb diet so I do attempt to eat healthily and I do also attempt to eat slightly smaller portions too. Then on your "2" days you restrict your days calorie intake to about 500 calories. Because I always try to have a little breakfast every day, on my "2" days I always have a small portion of porridge or a small portion of lidl's simply sumptuous special muesli, luxury fruit and nut and I add about 3 chopped dried apricots. The muesli is packed solid with nuts and they are also good for you as they're an anti inflammatory food! Honestly pat after that small portion I really can go all day without anything else to eat until my evening meal which on my "2" day is always a salad and a piece of fish. As I say "2" days are 500 calories only and the "5" days are eat as normal, but as I say I always try to reduce my portion on that day even if it is just a little less.

have a lovely Mother's Day. I will be driving to London from cornwall to visit my mothers grave, it's simply the worst day of the year for me but I always used to see my mother on Mother's Day and I stick to it even though she is no longer with me.

good luck with the diet, but it really is very simple and that they say is one of the reasons why it's so successful. Also it's created by Dr michael Mosley who does all the bbc2 medical programmes. All the best, christina 

 

hi pat my reply is awaiting the moderator, hopefully it will be with you soon. Christina 

Thank you Christina, one of my messages the other day went to the moderator but it finally did appear.  I think they are looking for any kind of advertising or something, I honestly don't know, but thanks in advance.  Pat

Eileen thank you so much, I do get very befuddled but I knew that I didn't fast the whole day, but just ate 500 calories on the fast days.  But you helped clarify it for me.  I did think that I would have to wait until 24 hours from my last meal to eat 500 cals.  I am sure this doesn't make sense but it made sense to me at the time.  Thank you for the tips anyway they will come in very handy.  Also I do drink about 2 litres of water a day and have done for years and years and years.  I just need to get this weight under control asap, well after tomorrow, because I feel there are chocolates in the horizon.  I do cook everything from scratch, very rarely any processed food, and having no appepite can be a help or a hinderance.  So Monday I will have my first fast day and then eat normally (healthy and healthy portions) Tuesday and Wednesday and then 500 cals Thursday and so forth.  I have got it, by George I have got it (Pygmalion, I think).   Pat

Thankyou EileenH;  there are young Australians who are "supposedly" following this Fast Diet, and when I heard re same, became concerned, as they too were going through 2 days of Not /eating Anything At All...only drinking water, and I felt this could not be Good. Now that you have explained the real diet, it makes sense...Thanks again

Here in mainland, very Roman Catholic, Europe there is a strong tradition of fasting and it is common for people to go on retreats and fast. But they must always be done under medical supervision for safety. No-one healthy will come to any harm having days of not eating anything as long as they drink - it is water our bodies MUST have. However, this diet is one which is safe for most people and the idea is that the calories you cut on the fasting days you do not catch up with on the other days - plus you do find you become less hungry after a couple of weeks. You also get used to feeling slightly hungry - there is nothing wrong with that and if you think back to our childhood we didn't eat between meals and were really ready for the next meal. Studies have shown that children are constantly grazing - and, contrary to the opinion 20 years ago, that doesn't lead to easier control of calorie intake because we don't eat as much as we aren't hungry. People eat what is put in front of them and unless they distribute the calories over 6 small meals and stick to it they eat far more. We've also been told we need 2000 calories a day - which may have been true 50 years ago without washing machines, vacuum cleaners and so on but these days 1800 calories is more like it IF WE ARE THE RIGHT WEIGHT. If we are overweight then we need even fewer calories.

My male cousin used the 5:2 diet very successfully, is back to the weight he was at Uni (after spreading rather in retirement despite walking and using the gym regularly) and the same trouser waist. Now he has a fast day a week if he notices his weight going up again. I've always really struggled to lose weight, never mind pred - I combined 5:2 and low carbs to get started.

Hi Christina, thank you so much for your reply.  I get it now, but before, I could not get my head round it.  With getting  my gums prepared for teeth implants prepared (last Monday night) it's not everything I can eat, especially something that requires a wee bit of chewing or nuts.  You are all a great bunch round here and have got me to where I am today.  

If you can celebrate your mothers living years, I am sure you have lots and lots of memories, she wouldn't want you to be sad.  I lost my own mum in 2008 and I know for sure I wouldn't want her back, near the end she had no quality of life really.  Good luck christina and thanks again.  God Bless You

I think the above information is Very Good, and so accurate, that I don't think anyone should ignore it, for all health reasons, especially anyone who is concerned re weight gain, or pre-diabetes.....Congratulations.

Hi Eileen, I am thinking of trying the 5:2 diet but with this brain fog I cannot work it out (the actual fasting day).  I want to do a Monday and a Thursday.  So if I have my last meal on Sunday at 7pm does that mean I don't eat until 7pm Monday (I would need to have something in the morning, because I take my meds then).  Why is is that I cannot understand the most basic and simplest concept.  I find this most frustrating and it sometimes brings me near to tears because I cannot grasp something.  I have a 3rd level education so I know I am not stupid.  I will put it all down to ME, PMR and preds.  That sounds much better.  Thanks in advance.   Pat

I know of a couple of people who LOST weight once on pred! Lucky them - but one was causing her doctors some concern at the amount she lost!

Hallo Eileen.  Nothing to do with weight, but...!  Sorry to be a " Dickkopf" but I have a query about bloods again.  I know you have explained it all before, but............!  Saw my Dr a couple of days ago and he said CPR was rising (albeit slowly.  9, 12, 18, 22) over the last few months.  I know this is supposed to be within the "normal" range,  however, how would you react with this info?  He also said the platelet count was too high.  Do you think that is because of my recent flu problems?

Thanks for any advice.    Constance

Hmm - when was the flu and did you have chest problems with it? CRP will rise with respiratory infections and prednisolone increases the platelet count. 

If the CRP continues to rise he needs to think about why - even if it is still in normal range.