5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :-)

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Well, as posted elsewhere I've decided to try the 5:2 approach and see if it works for me.

One side effect is that the 600 kcal days are also 'no booze' days which must be saving me money. :oops:

So, two 300 kcal meals of two egg, two bacon, tomatoes.
Lots of green tea to help prevent the 'hungry' feeling you get when you are thirsty.

It all went very easily without any cravings.
Even went food shopping without having to be dragged away from the bad stuff or buying too much of anything.

Now the interesting (to me) bit:

Starting weight yesterday a.m. 13 stone 3lbs
Woke up at 04:00 this morning (too much green tea?) desperate for a pee.
Weighed myself afterwards 13 stone 2 lbs.
Well, a start at least.
Up at around 08:00 and part way through my morning coffee needed another pee.
Weighed myself afterwards 13 stone 1 lbs.
Lost 1lb in 4 hours!
Around 10:00 (lazy b*gger) had my regular morning evacuate before my shower.
Weighed myself afterwards 13 stone 0 lbs.
Lost 1lb in 2 hours!

At this point I started to panic because a scientific extrapolation of the trend suggested that I would implode before the day was out :shock:
I had a shower and some breakfast (much the same as yesterday but with beans and mushrooms instead of the tomato) and so far I haven't become the amazing shrinking man.

So the 5:2 seems to be off to a good start.

Couple of background notes:
(1) I try to always weigh myself at the same stage of the morning - had a coffee, had a dump, not yet eaten breakfast. This is the nearest I can get to a level playing field tracking weight.
(2) Had my boy (well, 30 year old boy) back for the weekend and tried to spoil him as usual so got some white bread for toast and some buns for sarnies for his public transport trip back. The temptation was (as usual) too much and I indulged in some bread. I suspect that wheat/bread bloats me up and retains water because I was around 13 stone a week ago.

So I seem to have shed 3lbs in a day, which I suspect was mainly water retained after my indulgence with bread.

For those concerned about the diabetic symptoms of drinking a lot then peeing a lot I should note that the drinking was not driven by a desperate thirst. :thumbup:

We shall see how much of it has gone back on by tomorrow morning.
However if the general approach works it doesn't seem too hard to get through one low calorie day.

Oh, a final note on bodily functions. 8)
In the past when I have cut back to just a bit of protein for the day I have sometimes had some constipation.
I have recently started taking a small daily dose of Lactulose to smooth out those days when I was constipated.
This was recommended by my consultant at the time I had my piles chiselled out some years back.
At the time I didn't fancy the idea of a constant daily dose of laxatives (having heard horror stories about relying on laxatives) but looking Lactulose up online it seems to be fine for long term use including by diabetics.
So I will try this for a while and see how it goes.

Cheers

LGC
 

initforlove

Well-Known Member
Messages
93
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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diabetes
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

weight fluctuates during the day

various reasons including peeing and elimination and what you had to eat and drink

also moon makes a difference - directly overhead and the water in our bodies is subject to a small tidal effect

also most normal people tend to have a weight gain on Wednesdays [because it takes that long for any weekend binging to make an impact on what the scales measure]

so you can see weighing yourself several times every day can lead to mistaken assumptions

what a lot of experts recommend is to weigh yourself once a week and notice the trend and not the slight fluctuations

good luck on your excellent start and keep going and do not get discouraged - keep going even if the scales do not report what you think the scales should show
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

One thing I meant to mention and then forgot - 1 litre of water weights 2.2 lbs so a good slurp from a bottle of water can temporarily push your weight up quite a bit.

So if you are trying to track your weight it is important to ..um..eliminate as many variables as possible.

Cheers

LGC
 

initforlove

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93
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Type 2
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diabetes
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

and the other biggie

the first week of ANY diet will show a water loss of about 7 kilo

so all those adverts on TV promising to give you your money back if you do not lose 5 kilo in a week of their diet are misleading and not any guide to real efficiency of the advertised diet. after that first week your weight loss is real fat and slows down to 1 or 2 kilo a week

so please do not get discouraged - keep going and be prepared that week 2 will not show the same movement on the scales as week 1
 

Sunshine_Kisses

Well-Known Member
Messages
261
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

I am impressed and still intrigued... :)


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise.
Low carb, pescatarian
Trying various supplements!
 

akindrat18

Well-Known Member
Messages
563
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

i've tried the 5:2 on monday and was doing well until i had a hypo. i have ready brek twice with 125ml of semi-skimmed milk which equals to which is 174 cals and i have it hot in the morning and cold for lunch which surprisingly tastes the same. I then have 1 maybe 2 fishcakes with salad veg which comes to 100 or 180 calories. Throughout the day I have Green Tea, Pepsi Max or Coke Zero and juice or water.

I am going to officially start it when I am on my summer holidays for 5 months in the middle of May as I will have the support of my family and won't be at uni then. I am going to be on either Orlistat or an injectable drug to help me lose a bit of weight in combination with this diet and exercise routines when my dietitian gets my blood test results from when I have it next friday as I am currently 24 stone with a BMI of 48.
 

initforlove

Well-Known Member
Messages
93
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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diabetes
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

in the meantime just cut out starches - that will be an excellent start and you will be surprised how well that works without even trying. Starches are anything with flour noodles, crumbed meats, gravy, bread and cakes, also other grains including rice and oats [some ppl can eat oats so check your blood glucose response] legumes, soy, peas, beans, corn [although some ppl can eat legumes so check your own blood glucose response] rice, potato in any form.

what can you eat? the meat and the veggies

anything that comes on a plate if someone else serves you dinner - just eat the meat and the light veggies and leave the starches alone. The veggies can be salad or cooked.

oh and you can have melted cheese - so melt a small amount on your veggies.
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

initforlove said:
and the other biggie

the first week of ANY diet will show a water loss of about 7 kilo

<snip>

Do you have any source for this?
I think you have got your numbers mixed up somewhere.

Given that a kilo is roughly 2.2lbs then a 7 kilo weight loss would be about 15.5lbs or over a stone!
I suppose that if you are a great deal above your ideal weight you could achieve this kind of loss in a week, but if your overall aim is to lose about a stone to get down to your ideal weight then I don't think that any safe diet could achieve this in a week.

I have heard that most people can lose around 4lbs quite quickly and that much of this is water but this is a long way from 7 kilos.

http://www.gransnet.com/webchats/fast-diet-with-michael-mosley
Michael Mosley says of the 5:2 diet
"The scientific studies are based on men consuming 600 calories and women 500 calories, so that seems a reasonable guideline. Clearly if you find that difficult you can increase, but you won’t see so much change. I do it Mondays and Thursdays, you can choose which days you want. Doesn’t matter if consecutive or not. On this you should lose around 1lb of fat a week; the apparent weight loss will be more because you will also lose water. Drink loads on fasting days."

So on the 5:2 diet Michael Mosley expects the average person to lose a pound of fat a week plus some water.
Losing four pounds of fat a month plus a bit extra due to the water is pretty good - I will be happy to achieve this.

So far, having lost 3lbs over the initial low cal day I have managed to keep this off (just) and I will be more than happy if I take off another pound or two after the second low cal day tomorrow.
I am assuming that the first loss will include spare water and that any subsequent loss will be a bit slower.

Cheers

LGC
 

Maundown

Member
Messages
8
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Hi
The 5:2 diet sounds a great thing. I will try it. Please, if anyone can help, what are good things for the 600cal days? I plan Monday and Thursday, approx. 300kCal for breakfast and approx. 300kCal for dinner. Loads of water a green tea (yuk). Other days I can eat what I want - fantastic. So, when I am starving on one of the two days I can think what I can have the next. Only 24 hours. No time at all. Brilliant
Help with ideas for the 300kCal meals? Thanks and good luck everyone. Try it!
 

BigStevie1973

Member
Messages
8
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Hi,

Here is something, which I have tried that is 0g carbs, 0g fat, 0 kcals and just slightly above 0 flavour!! :wink:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_nos ... ck+of+6%29

They are "miracle" noodles from Japan and I've found that if you rinse them well (they smell a bit funky when you first open the packet) and warm them in some pasata (I recommend one with garlic / herbs etc for extra flavour), they actually make quite a tasty and filling meal with virtually no calories bar for what's in the pasata. They have a slightly odd texture that I can best describe as slightly overdone spaghetti. They work out about £2.50 a packet but one packet should easily do two meals, so about £5 per week but when you take into account what you would normally eat on your fasting days, it's maybe not that bad.

Just for the record, I still haven't tried the 5:2 yet as I was only diagnosed on 8th March and am still waiting to see the dietician etc. although I am currently trying the low GI and exercise route along with 500mg metformin twice daily. I was really getting p**sed off as I had been eating sensibly since diagnosed and doing 2-4 miles walking a day for about the last 4-5 weeks but losing no weight but then this week it suddenly started coming off and have lost 4lbs since Monday. So to anyone else in the same position, hang in there. I should also point out that the weight loss seemed to miraculously coincide with seriously curtailing my alcohol intake!! :shock:
 

Sunshine_Kisses

Well-Known Member
Messages
261
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Hi BigStevie, soooo glad to hear you had a sudden shift - I've been low GI, no sugar, and running for about 8 weeks now and not lost a lb! Know sugars are the most important thing to lower, but does start to get frustrating when you're the same weight as you were when you were eating 'normal' stuff!! So I'm very, very encouraged to hear it might suddenly all go 'whoosh' :-D


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise.
Low carb, pescatarian
Trying various supplements!
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Maundown said:
Hi
The 5:2 diet sounds a great thing. I will try it. Please, if anyone can help, what are good things for the 600cal days? I plan Monday and Thursday, approx. 300kCal for breakfast and approx. 300kCal for dinner. Loads of water a green tea (yuk). Other days I can eat what I want - fantastic. So, when I am starving on one of the two days I can think what I can have the next. Only 24 hours. No time at all. Brilliant
Help with ideas for the 300kCal meals? Thanks and good luck everyone. Try it!

Firstly, have you tried some lemon juice in the green tea? I find that makes a lot of difference.

I've only had two variations so far

2 egg + 2 bacon + 2 tomatoes (morning and evening)
[Amazingly filling and satisfying but starting to get boring.]

50 grams (half bag) mixed salad leaves + 100g baby tomatoes + 150 grams cooked chicken breast this evening.
Fills a dinner plate and takes a while to eat.
This one comes in at about 250kcals so I allowed myself an apple for supper.

I haven't felt starving at all so far, which is good.

The biggest problem is opening the fridge and looking at all the 'not until tomorrow'.

Weight seems to have stalled at 12 stone 13 lbs (4 lbs down from my starting weight) but we shall see what it is tomorrow.
Not bad, though, as I started on Wednesday 17th so have just completed my 3rd low-cal day.

I shall be happier when I get back down to 12 stone 10 lbs because I will know I have started to make real progress.

Cheers

LGC
 

Sunshine_Kisses

Well-Known Member
Messages
261
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Well done LGC - very inspiring! Out of curiosity, are you eating 'normally' on the inbetween days, or low carb? And have you noticed any changes to your blood sugar readings?
Have vowed to try it in the next fortnight!


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise.
Low carb, pescatarian
Trying various supplements!
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Woo hoo! Lost another pound overnight :D

I am eating 'normally' but for me that is medium-low carbing.

I indulged myself for a bit with bread and pasta (lasagne and stuff) and found myself bloating up to that 13 stone 3 lbs.
I was also having rice with Indian food.

Now I'm off the evil white stuff again I seem to have lost the bloat and started to lose weight again.
It is quite noticeable on my waistline when I eat wheat - one extra notch in my belt.

Before, without this 5:2 diet and with just low carbing and sensible eating I got down (briefly) to 12 stone 6 lbs so this is a target for me this year.

The other thing is I find wheat gives me cravings - if I eat bread especially I am constantly hungry and really fancying another piece.
Which is a shame, because I make a stupendous seedy loaf in the bread maker with wholemeal flour and 5 different seeds.
[Note: can't find a smiley for <Drooling>. :lod for lots of dribble?]

So when I am low carbing, and especially when I am low carbing on 5:2, I find I don't feel hungry between meals or have cravings for food which makes life a whole lot easier.

However, wheat and carbs are addictions (still waiting for the Council to designate a clean room for safe ingestion) so once I back slide it takes a major effort of will to get back on the straight and narrow (such as that prompted by weighing in at 13 stone 3 lbs with a podgy belly).

Cheers

LGC

P.S. for those who think that just doing a week of 5:2 is guaranteed to take off nearly half a stone (I lost 6 lbs) I must in fairness point out that the start of 5:2 was also the start of a stricter lifestyle.
5:2 diet
low carbing
big increase in exercise - long walk every day
the 2 also involves no booze two days a week which could also be significant :oops:
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Oh, sorry, didn't answer the question about BG.

I am a bad person and am not testing at the moment.

However after you asked the question I went upstairs and tested.
This is after I've just finished my morning coffee.
8.1! Ooops! How did that happen?

Had my morning dump and shower then weighed myself again (standard place in the day to weigh myself) and I'd lost another pound.
Decided to test BG again as I am about to brunch so I can do a pre then 2 hours post, and my BG was 7.6.

So that conclusively proves that a S&S takes weight off and reduces BG.
May patent the idea and start marketing the new S&S diet :lol:

Cheers

LGC
 

hanadr

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Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

I eat ttoo little most days to mak the 5:2 very effective. I tried, but it made little difference.
I eat one main meal per day, and usually a slice of burgen S&L toast for a small meal. ccombine this with no snacks, so you see i can't go much further down on consumption. the main meals are fairly meagre too. todays will be cauliflower curry. { I got a new low carb cook book]
Hana
 

LittleGreyCat

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Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Ooops! :roll:

Checked this morning and I've put 2 lbs back on.

The Lord taketh away and the Lord giveth back quite rapidly.

Still under 13 stone :D

Cheers

LGC
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Just to note that I'm now back to 12 stone 12 - however I do seem to have a bit more muscle so I am not too upset.

The initial plunge to 12 stone 11 was amazing but probably just water loss.

So on track to lose 1Lb of fat per week.

Cheers

LGC
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,232
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Re: 5:2 - warning - contains reference to bodily functions :

Update - still on the Yo-yo (or sine curve) weight but the low spots are trending gradually downwards.

Lowest weight after a low cal day was 12 stone 9 lbs but over the normal days I drift up a couple of pounds.

I don't think I am shifting 1lb fat a week - more likely 2lb fat a month.
Still trending downwards which is encouraging.

There will be a big celebration when I see 12 stone 7lbs on the scales (my all time record over the last decade is 12 stone 6lbs).

For those others on 5:2 - keep at it even though it is slow :D

Cheers

LGC