I’ve read the book, scoured the forum, cleared the cupboards & am ready to go on Monday. I’m 5’3″ and weigh 150 lbs so I have about 20lbs to lose but it’s currently around my middle! I look more pregnant than I did when I actually was pregnant & it’s both embarrassing and depressing. I think this is definitely the diet I sorely need & I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. I’d really appreciate a diet buddy (or 10) as I know I won’t be able to go this without support. All and any advice greatly appreciated 😁

Dear Pollyanna I’d love to join you! I am restarting today after two horrible days off, I’ve been full of a very nasty cold and eaten rubbish, after a really good start the previous week, so I’m feeling really cross with myself and determined to get going again.
I’ve signed up for the twelve week online program to get some extra oomph behind my efforts.
I have 17kg to lose to get to my target of 66 kg.. having started on 17th sept I had lost 2kg but fear I will have put most of that back on in the last couple of days.
The only advice I would give at the minute is plan and log everything you put in your mouth using an app like my fitness pal, and drink tons of water throughout the day.
There are some amazingly helpful people at large in this forum, so ask anything you need to know. Good luck! Xx

Hello! I would like to join too please…I’m going to spend the weekend reading up, shopping and meal planning! I too have around 20lbs to loose…all in the tummy area.I had two babies a year apart and put on plenty of weight gorging on mini rolls and anything sweet…I’ve lost a stone and have 20lb to loose to put me back to my pre pregnancy weight (they are 17 months and 2.5 months now). I’m fed up living in baggy tops and just not feeling as good as I used to. I have a mega sweet tooth and while I can manage eating well at meal times I am scrabbling around trying to find anything and everything sweet during the afternoon…I then I’m stuffing it into my mouth b surely tasting it. It’s GOT to stop 🙈. I’m hoping being part of a team will help my resolve and give me some focus..good luck everyone! X

Delighted to hear from you both, thank you. 😁 I did the 5:2 diet 2 years ago but it took me a very long 9 months to lose 21lbs which I then put back on again when I stopped. I found the diet really hard but now realise I was sabotaging my efforts on my non fast days so I need to do something much stricter to stay on the wagon. My big problem will be resisting the daily cakes & buns in the office brought in my lovely slim colleagues. No, I don’t know how they do it either!

Hi Pollyanna – I know exactly what you mean about the super skinny work colleagues who never stop eating and never put ion a pound, generously sharing their evil goodies! I have come clean and asked for their help, so hopefully they will be a support and not saboteurs.
I’ve had a good day so far and the cold seems to be on a retreat so I’m not craving beige carbs anymore 🙂
Have a good evening everyone xx

Hi! I’d love to join you all too 😊.
I have about 20kg to lose and a few bad habits as well (mainly relying on sweets/ chocolate to get me through the day & being too sedentary). I’m turning 40 at the end of the year and would love to start this new decade in a much healthier place than I’m in right now.
Looking forward to getting healthy and losing weight with you all!
B

Good luck Bridget I am sure we can all do this ! X

I’d like to join you too please. I tried this diet a while a go and lost 7lbs in the first week – amazing as I have low thyroid – then I stopped why???? I think I need support so I’m hoping we can all spur each other on. I’m no cook so I decided to try PhD diet whey shakes to take to work for lunch and then have a low carb meal at night. Sweet things don’t really tempt me but cheese certainly does and on this diet I can have cheese in moderation! I need to lose 2.5 – 3 stones – so Monday is d-day good luck everyone x

Hi all. I’m planning to start again on Monday as well. I first tried the diet in January and got off to a really good start but then life got in the way. I was ill and had several months off work and I just completely lost focus. Life is getting back to a good place now though and as I’m only 18 months away from turning 40 I really want to get my weight and health under control. I’m not diabetic but having read the books and a lot of info from the website I think this will be the best way for me. I’m 5’2 and not far off 15st. Ready to make some changes!!!

Hi, I’d like to join too please. I technically started last Sunday, but it was a bit of an up and down week with some travel and work lunches where I had to do my best with what was served. Also, I tend to lose motivation in the second week of anything I try, so I think getting some support at this stage is what I need, and it sounds like others in this group are in a similar situation to me. I am 2.5kg down after the first week, but have another 20kg to lose to get back to where I was 5 years ago before my life started to fall to pieces. I tried the 5:2 as well 2 years ago and did lose some weight, but found the fast days very hard, and overcompensated on the feeding days, and then I stopped doing it when life became stressful again. I’m finding 800-1000 calories a bit easier to stick with than the 500. I was not showing as diabetic or pre-diabetic in my last round of blood work (over a year ago now), but my LDL cholesterol and trigylcerides were elevated, and as I do have a family history of Type 2 diabetes I would like to get my weight under control. We’re having a health-check day at work on November 1st, so I would like to see if I can lose at least 5kg more by then and hopefully get my cholesterol back in normal range.
Pollyanna and Spalmon, I have workplace saboteurs too! I succumbed early in the week when a colleague actually handed me 1/2 his cookie 🙁 , but later in the week I managed to avoid having a piece of chocolate cake foisted on me by saying that I would maybe have a piece when I returned from my walk, and then “forgot” to go by the skinny baker’s desk until later in the afternoon when it was all gone. Best of luck to everyone for the coming week and beyond!

Hi, I’d like to join too, please. I started last Sunday, and had a bit of an up and down week, with some travel and work lunches where I needed to make do with what was served. I am 2.5kg down after the first week, but have another 20kg to lose. I usually lose motivation going into the second week, so I think having support at this stage will help, and others in this group seem to be of similar age and amounts of weight to lose. I also have workplace saboteurs to avoid!
I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic, but my last round of blood work (over a year ago) showed elevated LDL cholesterol, and I do have a family history of diabetes, so I want to get my weight under control. I’ve signed up for a health check at work on Nov. 1st, so I am motivated to lose at least another 5kg by then and to see if I can get my cholesterol back into normal range.
Best of luck to everyone in the coming week and beyond!

Hi, can I join too please ? I’m starting today- feeling very motivated. I’m 5 feet 4 and 12 stones – want to get back to my pre pregnancy weight of 9stones 12. Have read the book a few times – can I have the same breakfast each day and the same lunch each day if I want to ? I have never joined a forum before so all very new to me!

Hi All, Monday 2nd October, will be my 2nd ‘warm up’ week. Last week I started at less than 1000 calories, just to get into the habit of planning ahead, weighing, cooking; and on top of this I had my favourite treat of white wine. Now from 2nd October, I am again going to stick with less than 1000 calories but without the wine. Maybe I might have some days around 800 maybe I won’t, but my aim is to stick to a low carb Med diet till the end of the year so I need to get something in place that I am comfortable with. I don’t eat meat, so plan to up by egg intake to 4 per week; plus 3 portions of fish/prawns; 60g goats cheese; 3 pints of milk; and 1 pot of organic sheep yoghurt (450g). On top of this then tons of veggies of all sorts; 100g of berries daily; plus 10g of nuts of seed daily plus grains and legumes. I reckon I can keep my carb level between 50-100g. I always have a big salad at lunch, and steamed veggies in the evening so their carb content adds up a bit; so I will need to reduce my grains to 25g 3 times a week; 100g legumes 3-4 times a week and I am going to allow myself just one treat of starch veg per week. Personally I don’t eat the same breakfast or lunch everyday as different foods provide different nutrients and so I like to ‘eat the rainbow’ . But I do have a similar week on week plan with a few gaps added for new meals. It is difficult to socialise (eat and drink) and so I am keeping this to the bare minimum, with suggestions instead to meet for a walk! I look forward lots to exchanging ideas and experiences with you all over this month and wish everyone lots of luck. I like to keep in my mind the quotes of ‘Day at a Time’ and ‘Time flies’ to help me keep on track. I only need to look in the mirror with no clothes on to remind me why I am doing this!!

So great to hear from you all & it’s so encouraging for me to have support & share your experiences. I’m a picky eater so will struggle with many of the recipe suggestions in the book and was also wondering if I could have the same meal choices each day. I liked the idea of maybe starting with a trial week to get used to the kind of things I can eat & meal combinations. The online support will be fantastic – thank you all so much for joining me & good luck to you all!

I’m going to try and join you folks too.
I lost 2lbs while I was away, but I’ve been dithering between 11,10 and 12,00, trying to get back into the (only recently adopted) habit of cooking regular meals. I’ve managed to stay ‘mediterranean’ but cheese and squirty cream, plus only guessing at calories, have stopped me from losing weight.
The cheese and squirty cream cravings seem to have subsided now though, so after a trip to the supermarket for courgettes and broccoli, I’ll be all set to start counting to 800. 🙂
At 5ft 1in, I still have 20kg to lose.

Whereas, for years, I didn’t have the energy to do much cooking; now I feel that I am spending too much time on it, especially as I’m the only one eating this way, so I generally cook enough for three or four servings in one go, and have the same thing as part of a meal three or four days in a row.
So for example, I’ll have ratatouille with smoked mackerel two days in a row, and then with sausages the next day, and finish it off with bacon the next.
I have to admit I found most of the recipes in the book too fussy, too many ingredients, but then, who needs a recipe book to tell them how to cook veg and sausages!

Hi ancient Weaver I’m the same, I only cook for myself and the recipes are a bit daffy. If I cook I try to make something that will last me a couple of days or will have salad (who new tomatoes had so many carbs!) or have some chicken with vegetables. Starting tomorrow I’m going to have a low carb shake for lunch followed by advocado salad. Fingers crossed we’ll do it this time x

Would you believe this diet is being discussed on BBC1 right now on ‘How to Stay Young!’ I’ve had the tv on in the background while reading the Sunday papers but started to pay attention when I heard sugar mentioned. Tune in or find it on iPlayer – there’s a woman trying it out & I can’t wait to see the results 😁

This is a repeat from a week ago. I wont tell you what happened but look at the amount of carbs she gets to eat – not possible on 800 calories.

Oh no – I saw the meals & thought it didn’t look too bad! Lovely tomato soup & stir fries – obviously not on the same day!

Hi
i would like to join in please.

Im going to try and start tomorrow but i haven’t been shopping yet so it might not be until tuesday
Im 35 years old, 5 foot 4 inches and weigh 166lbs.
i would love to get back down to my wedding weight (10 years ago) of 130lbs but to be honest i would be happy to get to 146lbs

Hi Charlyze. Great to have you join us. Your numbers sound close to my own & it will be great to hear about your progress. I’ve got myself a lovely new journal and have been working on ideas to get myself thru the inevitable hurdles. I’ve re-read the book this weekend & am feeling very motivated. Will be great to have people to share with when things get tough later in the week.

Hi all, I’m restarting tomorrow 😊
I had a great go at this in the spring and hit very close to my target weight. Then I got lazy over the summer and put it all back on. I’m so cross! So, I’ve written out 56 days in a journal and, as someone previously suggested, will write it all down. I’m preparing For a few hard days but I know from before that once you’re carb free you feel great. Looking forward to those days. I am also new to forum posting, having only ever written one comment before, but think the support will keep me focussed. Looking forward to hearing all of our stories unfold.

Hi Amethyst. Great to have you join us. Can you tell me how long it took for you to reach your goal first time round? My weight loss always feels painfully slow & then I lose motivation. You also mention feeling great when you got carb free. How long did it take for that to kick in? Sounds very encouraging 😁

I did the diet for around 7 weeks and lost about 20lbs. It was a really good steady loss but I excersised too. I think that was my downfall as I ended up doing lots of exercise and then thinking I could reward myself. But when I couldn’t do so much in the summer I still kept the rewards coming in! This time I’m going to just follow the diet for a few weeks to get my head straight and then bring exercise in.
Even though I was eating a lot less I did feel so much better. Went to bed early as energy levels were low but I slept so well. My energy through the day was good. I also felt in control which was an amazing feeling 😆 I’m hoping to feel that way again very soon! Hope this helps.

So is everyone ready for tomorrow? I’ve started a new account on My Fitness Pal. Set my daily goal to 800 calories with 30% carbs (60g), 25% protein (50g) and 45% fat (40g). Not sure if I’m completely right with these figures. I know some people recommend staying under 50g carbs but as I’m not diabetic I’ve decided to go slightly easier on myself to start with. On saying that my meals for tomorrow only come to 46g carbs and that’s all veggies and yogurt.

Hello! I also would like to join… I have 48 lbs. about 22 Kgm to lose and this would be my first step in a very long road. Glad I saw this post on time.. Good luck to all.

Lizzibeth, the problem with carbs is that they trigger insulin release which forces the blood sugar (from the carbs) into cells, where, if it’s not used, it will be converted to fat. The resultant drop in blood sugar also signals the body to eat more, i.e. makes you hungry. If your carbs are consumed along with a lot of other nutrients you can probably get away with it, but if you eat carbs with little else at the time, beware of hunger pangs about an hour later. Not saying it will definitely happen, or ‘don’t eat any carbs, just in case’, just, ‘if it happens, be aware of the cause’.

Also, I was ill for years eating the (UK) recommended amount of protein – 50g. If 50g is what you normally eat, you should be fine, but if you usually eat more, and feel tired and listless keeping to 50g, again, be aware of the cause.

40g fat sounds a bit high too, but that may be just ‘me’, like the protein.

Calories: 825
Carbs: 44
5km beach walk
Not a bad start 😊
Now to stay away from the kitchen. I think I’ll have to have an early night!
I hope you’re all smashing your first day!
B xx

First day complete 🙂

Cal 775
Carbs 42g
water 1.1 litres so far but will drink another 900ml this evening so 2L

it went well today. I was a bit peckish at 5:30 on my way home but not starving.

Hope tomorrow goes as well as today.

Well, I’ve kept (almost) everything logged and It totals to 835 calories . . . (plus a few irresistable chips . . . 🙁 )

I’m counting logging everything a a win. It’s certainly progress in the right direction 😀 (That’s a cheesy grin btw)

Well my first day wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. I did the 5:2 for several months & found the 500 calorie days so very hard but 800 was so much better. I came in just under the 800 according to my new FatSecret app – 19% carbs, 30% protein & 51% fat. Would be grateful for advice on whether these numbers are ok. Can’t wait to hear how you all got on today 😁

Day one done! Didn’t find it quite as bad as I’d anticipated. I drank loads of water and some green tea…I think that helped with hunger pangs.

I ate 810 cals and 54g of carbs which seems higher compared to others but I ate an apple for breakfast which bumped it up!

I’d be interested to hear what others are eating for their meals to see
If that can help me plan mine.

I had a black coffee with coconut oil in to start the day…I read somewhere this is good at keeping you full!

Hope everyone had a successful day and good luck tomorrow. X

Not too bad a day for me – 853 cal. My carbs are quite high at 88g, but a lot of that came from the lentil and veggie curry I made last night and had for lunch/dinner today, so at least they were quite low glycemic carbs. I am vegetarian so it is going to be difficult keeping my protein up and the carbs down. For breakfast I am currently eating a small amount of steel cut oats with greek yogurt, pumpkin seeds and either pomegranate seeds or blueberries, so that contributes to the carbs as well. The oats are just because I have them made up and in the fridge from last week, so I will look at doing something a bit lower carb once they are finished. Normally the oats would have lasted me only 6 days but because I have been eating a smaller amount, it is taking me twice as long to get through them. I was expecting to be hungry as a result of the higher carbs, but breakfast held me through to lunch nicely, and surprisingly I only managed to eat 3/4 of my lunch before being satisfied. I finished the rest for dinner along with some mushrooms and olives in tomato sauce. Normally I would have been starving by mid-afternoon and looking for sugary treats to get me through the rest of the day, so being able to get through the day without having to snack is a big change.
On the downside, I didn’t drink enough today as I was busy running around at work and forgot, and ended up with a headache.

My first day wasn’t hard at all, at lease that’s what I thought until the day ended… I was writing down everything I ate and estimating the calories and carbs thinking I was close enough.. Well, I was soooo wrong and learned that the hard way. When I finally sat at the end of the day and turned to my laptop to search and calculate the exact calories and carbs, I found out that I consumed close to a 1000 calories with 74g of carbs! 🙁 I need help please.. can anyone suggest an easy app for the phone so I can calculate calories after each meal? I hate browsing websites on my phone so I cant do that on the go! However, with an app it could be easier for me to use my phone anytime to track my food and calorie intake no matter where I am. Any suggestions?

Hi Ushasmom , my fitness pal is a good free app you can get on your phone for logging and planning.
I’m afraid my horrid cold re-emerged yesterday, I was at another business event and fell spectacularly off plan again. I seem to be able to be in good control at home and office but anything outside that I am struggling. I am back at the same event today so am determined to make better choices. I’m taking lunch and some almonds with me, I can do this !
Have a great day everyone xx

MyFitnessPal will log everything for you but it will tell you off for not eating enough ha ha! It’s really good x

Thank you so much Spalmon and janeandmoses..
I already downloaded the app and I’m very excited to start using it today. I truly appreciate your help..
Good luck to all today

Well done everyone on your great starts yesterday!
Today’s cals: 794; carbs: 46
No exercise today, but all in all still a good day 😊
Hope you’re all going well.

Oh, my phone hadn’t updated the page so I hadn’t read all of the comments.
I use MFP too, but don’t press the ‘complete diary’ button so it doesn’t tell me off for eating too little!
I’m keeping my food very simple: scrambled eggs with heaps of veggies and butter; zucchini noodles with bacon, garlic, parmesan cheese and an egg (carbonara style); smoked salmon and salad; plus a couple of squares of dark chocolate at night. I’m already preparing meals for the rest of my family, so I need mine to be quick and easy to be doable. Black coffee and peppermint tea between meals keeps me from snacking (well so far!). I hope that helps
B xx

Can I join in too?
Started bsd October 1st and think I’ll hold myself more accountable being part of the gang. Am also impressed how knowledgeable, non-jugdemental and friendly people are on the forums.
Have tried 5:2 in the past and found it efficient but hard to stick to 600 kcal, thinking 800 will be better. Posting from the north of Norway.
Day 3 and all is well!

Btw, I use a free version of Lifesum to track kcals and can recommend it

I didn’t like the daily scolding from MyFitnessPal so I’m trying out FatSecret. Nice & easy to use so far & just hope it’s accurate as there aren’t many calories to spare right now. I’m so glad to be part of a group – it’s so encouraging to hear how others are doing. Your updates brighten my day! ☀️

I just don’t click complete. No clicking complete, no scolding. There’s no purpose to it for me anyway because I don’t care about running reports.

Day 3 – doing ok so far but I made a mistake yesterday – I chose a breakfast, lunch and dinner from the book and when I added up the calories it was closer. to 900 ! Was a bit peeved since I added up the calories after I’d eaten everything :-/ my fitness pal seems a but of a pain but will keep trying. Loving seeing how everyone else is getting on though – much prefer this virtual slimming club 😁

Yesterday, a cup of tea and a protein shake with two undersized eggs for breakfast.
Black coffee.
A 6oz burger minus bun but with chips, (there weren’t all that many, and I left most of them. (Lunch)
Home made pea and ham soup followed by half a can of raspberries in grape juice for evening meal.
Black coffee.
Water with a dash of lemon juice.

Today has been the same drinks wise, and breakfast.
Lunch was pea and ham soup.
Evening meal: breaded haddock and mixed roast veg, with a protein shake for bedtime drink to make protein up to over 75g
813cals

I should probably mention that I add a bunch of food additives and vitamins to my morning shake, and take a serious Bcomplex tablet, a zinc and magnesium tablet, and an omega oil capsule at bed time. Nothing to mention calorie wise, but they all help keep random cravings at bey, not to mention helping me sleep etc.

Hi, hope every one had a good day…Great to see how everyone is getting on!

I had natural Greek yoghurt with a few blueberries for breakfast (after my coffee with coconut oil) then salad leaves and tuna for lunch with a blob of hummus. For dinner I had two scrambled eggs and half an avacado with a few strawberries. I made the kids macaroni cheese for dinner so that took a lot of will power not to delve in 🙈.

I had 51 g carbs and 795 cals.

I had a lovely rump steak this evening with creamy homemade pepper sauce & a large salad. Thought I would miss chips with this as I cooked them for the family but the food tasted so good, I didn’t mind at all. My numbers for today are: 11% carbs, 28% protein & 61% fat. Still not sure if I’m getting the proportions right but it’s keeping me full enough to function. I’m also managing 2+ litres of water but have lost count of my daily trips to the loo 😃. Keep posting please – I love hearing how you’re all doing 😁

Day 2 – cals 786, 25g carbs, 56g fat , 47g protein.

Try to stay around 20g carbs, bit over today, but feeling ok about slight increase. It’s really difficult to find food without carbs but I do find my digestion seems much happier without carbs, no bloating.

Enjoying reading your posts Pollyanna your steak sounds lovely will try that at the weekend.

Hi Adrum,
I see you had coffee with coconut oil. Did it fill you up and, more importantly, what did it taste like? I love coffee, dare I try this?
Good luck with your first week!
Thanks,
P xx

Hi All! I’m going to join too.

We had a public holiday on Monday and we were away for the weekend, so I’m starting fresh. I’m aiming for 3-4 fast days a week (800-900 calories) and then 900-1200 for the other days. Plus heaps of exercise.

Yesterday:

Calories – 920
Carbs – 66
Exercise – calories burned 450

I’m Type 1 diabetic and I was foiled a little in the afternoon with low blood sugar so I had to eat a few jellybeans.