So far, I've lost 2" off my waist in two months (about 10 weeks) -- I didn't measure my weight before I started this diet because weight loss wasn't actually my first concern, so I have no real means of tracking how much weight I've lost. I didn't increase my exercise regiment; in fact, I barely exercise, except to walk my usual ~5 miles a week or so.
After watching Michael Mosley on PBS (back in mid-April) with his examination on dieting, I was won over by the 5:2 fast diet. If you haven't heard by now, you fast two days a week (~500 calories a day, twice a week for women and ~600 calories a day for men), and eat whatever and whatever amount of food you normally would eat, the other five days.
600 calories may seem tiny (1/4 of your normal daily maximum recommended intake of 2400 calories for men), but the one thing you realize is that certain foods are rich in nutrients and volume but low in calories: veggies. Also, low-fat meats such as chicken breast or even certain sausages in moderate rates, are low in calories. Of course, I've been a bit loose on the 600 calorie cap lately, but even so, the weight comes off.
The inverse of low-calories, as you might expect, are fats and fruits (because they're loaded with natural sugar). So, a single banana is 100+ calories, and an avocado (rich in plant fats) is 300+ calories, while a giant bowl full of vegetables is more like 25 calories. You could eat your regular diet on your fasting days, but then you'd be stuck with much smaller portions. Therefore, it's easier to lean vegetarian on fasting days.
Something I've learned: If done right, a half-portion of ramen noodles in soup with vegetable condiments is well under 300 calories, and a solid meal, compared to a single avocado. I'd never before counted calories, but now I'm quite cognizant of what's high and what's low, just by the ingredients.
A huge boost recently fell into my lap: Google searches now give you quick access to caloric counts and nutritional information of different foods. It's not perfect -- some oddities exist -- but for the most part, it's made tracking calories on fast days a lot simpler.
I've decided that separating fasting by two days is slightly easier than just one day separated, and back-to-back is just about impossible and something you're not supposed to do, anyway.
It's absolutely remarkable how much easier the 5:2 diet is, compared to trying to eat better and exercise regularly. Long story short: 20 years ago I was successful in losing a lot of weight, but it was no walk in the park. This time around, it's a lot easier and more than twice as quick to lose weight, even though I'm much older, which is not something I really expected. Of course, weight loss wasn't my first concern -- I was primarily concerned about blood sugar levels and diabetes. The video from PBS is no longer available, but the main point was that fasting twice a week dramatically altered one's body chemistry such that a number of signals normally associated with disease that leads to early death, disappeared, all without drugs. I previously mocked modern pharma and their drugs.
I don't mean to keep this diet up for life; once I get down to my preferred weight, I'll move to a more forgiving regiment of fasting just once a week, though I'll probably switch it back to twice-a-week fasting around the holidays. By the way, once you lose enough weight, your body no longer feels too tired to exercise, so that's been a boon, too.
It is just amazing, I kid you not. You don't even need to be perfect.
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