I thought I might try to move the hot topic of the new 5:2 diet a few of us long timers are trying here, rather than in the "Gonna Get to Goal, Wanna Join Me?" Thread, so that that thread could go back to its original topic.

I do not have access to the book or video or anything that some of the other 5:2ers have, but I've been to the website and read up and today is my fourth day; so far I've done Fast Normal Fast and now today is a Normal. I aim for 500 on the fasting days but don't seem to make it under 600, and I aim for 1600 on Normals, but don't seem to make it past 1200, so I guess I'm not the poster child for this. Also, the morning after my first fast day, I was down 4 lbs, but the morning after my first Normal day I was up 3 lbs and this morning I was down 3 lbs so - no progress.

Since today is a Normal day I will do my cardio. I will report back what the scale says tomorrow morning!

Regular day. I'm kinda waiting for the bounce that hasn't come yet. It's Wednesday and I'm down 2 pounds for the week, so far. I didn't have a bounce moving from fast day to normal day this time, which seems odd to me, but oh well.

We'll see how the numbers look on Sunday!

I really expected to see a higher number today because I indulged in a salty snack before bed. Huh. Weird how that happens sometimes. I bet the next "perfect" day I have I'll see a bounce. And I will probably be frustrated. Why? Because none of this makes any sense and I really like things to make sense.

Baking day for me (I usually bake three days a week) and I'm doing sandwich breads and six dozen Cookies for a coworker of my husband's. I'm actually kind of sorry I agreed to do the cookies. They're fiddly cut out cookies with a swirled icing - time consuming and a little aggravating to make. But when he asked how much I'd charge I threw out a ridiculous number thinking he'd say no and he agreed to pay it anyway, so it's my own fault! I don't care what anyone says, all variants of sugar cookies are a waste of time. I'll never understand why people love iced sugar cookies so much. Yes, they're pretty. But they're just..blah. I could have twenty dozen of them in the kitchen and not be tempted at all. I'd rather have ginger molasses any day!

Hope everyone has a great day!

~Cheri

People love iced sugar Cookies because they are pretty, AND have a pure dose of sugar on top!

Down one more pound. That makes 14 pounds of the (22pound) regain back off. Im 8 pounds from my lowest and only 13 pounds from goal. Pretty soon I'm going to have to kick the 16s to the curb (the belt tightening only works so long!) back solidly into the 14s, and will be back into my cute 12s in a few weeks.

I felt like I was eating sooo much yesterday (normal day), but came out the other end 100 cals under plan. Eating 3 meals and two Snacks seems like so much next to 1 1/2 meals on fast days. Still, normal days are not TDEE days. They are way under that... for most of us. People on the regular 5:2 sites are eating closer to 2000 cals a day. We are not normal people, but luckily, this plan works for us too, when our normal is 12-1300 cals a day! ( I know some of you eat more) This is the sleeves real strength, I can eat 1300 a day and feel full if I'm eating the right things. Thanks Goodness for the Sleeve!

People love iced sugar Cookies because they are pretty, AND have a pure dose of sugar on top!

Down one more pound. That makes 14 pounds of the (22pound) regain back off. Im 8 pounds from my lowest and only 13 pounds from goal. Pretty soon I'm going to have to kick the 16s to the curb (the belt tightening only works so long!) back solidly into the 14s, and will be back into my cute 12s in a few weeks.

I felt like I was eating sooo much yesterday (normal day), but came out the other end 100 cals under plan. Eating 3 meals and two Snacks seems like so much next to 1 1/2 meals on fast days. Still, normal days are not TDEE days. They are way under that... for most of us. People on the regular 5:2 sites are eating closer to 2000 cals a day. We are not normal people, but luckily, this plan works for us too, when our normal is 12-1300 cals a day! ( I know some of you eat more) This is the sleeves real strength, I can eat 1300 a day and feel full if I'm eating the right things. Thanks Goodness for the Sleeve!

Way to go FYE! Your be back to those smaller sizes in no time at all! Keep it up!

I have no idea how to track calories on MFP. I have to learn. Is everything we eat on there.? How do you track it if you're eating a tiny portion? Can someone help me with this?

One these feast days, how much are we supposed to eat? How do you find out your TDEE or whatever it is you're calling it? I don't know what that is!

This thread moves so fast, on my work days, I have a hard time checking in. I am off to the gym soon, and I am not going to eat before I go. I like eating later so I can have a snack since I stay up late. All these years I have been forcing myself to drink a Protein Shake as soon as I got up , and all my life, I've never eaten Breakfast before 11 am. I can bring something to the gym if I really get hungry.

So far, the fast days have not been all that hard.

This fri I am going to a big festival so I am thinking of taking an appetite suppressant because there is so much good food there. I'll be fasting on thurs.

I want to make sure I am doing this right.

I have no idea how to track calories on MFP. I have to learn. Is everything we eat on there.? How do you track it if you're eating a tiny portion? Can someone help me with this?

I want to make sure I am doing this right.

Have you signed up yet? You start at the sign in or if you sign in automatically, you start on the HOME page.

Click GOALS and fill in your goal info.

Click on CHECK IN and fill in your weight and measurements.

click on TRACK food

This is where you enter your food for the day.

Click ADD FOOD under the meal or snack you want to add too.

a window will open that has a search form, and a list of recent or frequent items you have used in the past.

Say you are looking for "ESA Carb control chocolate" or ketchup.....

type it into the bar and click on the green search button.

Some choice will come up, sometimes I like to find measurement choices, sometimes weight choices... you can often find more than one choice, and usually there is brand names or generic choices. click once on one and on the right side you will see a box where you can choose how many servings, and a drop down menu that gives you more choices. (such as Tablespoon, or cup) to modify your selection) this is where you estimate your small bits and pieces. I don't get to crazy here, but do my best to get close to my serving size.

When you have this tweaked, you push the green ADD button.

You will then see that the food has been added to your meal. This sounds complicated, but its pretty fast, and after you use something it shows up in your recent list, where you just chose it again... we have a tendency to reuse the same foods over and over.

You can also add your own recipes, divided into serving sizes and other cool things. You can also add your exercise under the EXERCISE heading at the top of the page next to the FOOD. When you add exercise, MFP will add extra calories to your daily allotment, if you want to eat them back... I usually do!

Just completed my sixth week of 5:2, ate 578 calories, I was super hungry today. But now I'm on normal days till next Monday... Still haven't determined if I've lost any weight, but I'll keep at it! I definitely eat more that 12-1300 calories on normal days, much closer to 1800 or 2000. I don't know how you small eaters do it, I don't overeat per se and I eat pretty low carb (because of the no grains thing), but I have to have enough food. I tell ya, I'm a hungry girl. Sheesh. Maybe I deserve to not be losing... :ph34r:

ETA: I LOVE sugar Cookies with icing -- if they're made with yummy real ingredients (read: butter LOL), they are soooo one of my weaknesses along with cake... Oh man. I need to go to bed early LOL.

Just checking in.. I managed to stay within 500 calories yesterday. Wasn't easy but I did it.

The weight is flatlined again so I will weigh again tomorrow and hope for some good news.

Oh yes I weigh everyday. I just have too!

Have you signed up yet? You start at the sign in or if you sign in automatically, you start on the HOME page.

Click GOALS and fill in your goal info.

Click on CHECK IN and fill in your weight and measurements.

click on TRACK food

This is where you enter your food for the day.

Click ADD FOOD under the meal or snack you want to add too.

a window will open that has a search form, and a list of recent or frequent items you have used in the past.

Say you are looking for "ESA Carb control chocolate" or ketchup.....

type it into the bar and click on the green search button.

Some choice will come up, sometimes I like to find measurement choices, sometimes weight choices... you can often find more than one choice, and usually there is brand names or generic choices. click once on one and on the right side you will see a box where you can choose how many servings, and a drop down menu that gives you more choices. (such as Tablespoon, or cup) to modify your selection) this is where you estimate your small bits and pieces. I don't get to crazy here, but do my best to get close to my serving size.

When you have this tweaked, you push the green ADD button.

You will then see that the food has been added to your meal. This sounds complicated, but its pretty fast, and after you use something it shows up in your recent list, where you just chose it again... we have a tendency to reuse the same foods over and over.

You can also add your own recipes, divided into serving sizes and other cool things. You can also add your exercise under the EXERCISE heading at the top of the page next to the FOOD. When you add exercise, MFP will add extra calories to your daily allotment, if you want to eat them back... I usually do!

Thank you so much!

Yeah, I signed up a long time ago. I tracked for a few days and it kept telling me I wasn't eating enough calories. Thanks so much for all the explanation. I need to sit down and enter the foods I eat the most. The part I have problems is with recipes trying to figure out my portion, and if it's a casserole or something, I pick out the carbs in there. Most foods have all the info on the package.

How do you find out what your TDEE is? I can't even remember what that is. I know my band surgeon does a basic metobolic test where I was hooked up to a machine. I called today to find out how much it would be to do that test again.

Here's a TDEE calculator...

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

And yeah I use calorie count, it doesn't tell me I'm starving...

My favorite "go to" food right now is sliced baby cucumbers, tomatoes and sliced red pepper with 100 cal guacamole pouch. Either with 2 extra lean turkey franks or sliced turkey breast. I think I could eat it every day!

I put in 23 hours a day of sitting because I really don't do much when I'm not at the gym. and 1 hour a day of working out and it gave me 1400 calories.

When I was hooked up to that machine at the doctor it said my basic metobolic rate was 1200. I knew my metabolism was really slow. That was when I first had lap band surgery, but I've built a lot of muscle since then, which is supposed to help with slow metabolisms. .

Here's another calculator that gives you nutrients and fat loss #'s I try to do TDEE but it's rather hard. For me it says 1800 to maintain and 1400

To lose.

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

Second fast day of week 4 ( I think) done! Had a wobble earlier where I craved crisps... didn't eat them had a coffee with a teaspoon of sugar instead and that did the trick - damage limitation!

Been a tough old day though and I'll be glad to go to bed. Didn't eat lunch til 2pm as I had been running around like a blue arsed fly all day... banging headache... humid weather and HOT! Well, hot for Blighty! Then the hubby decided to cook bacon and sausage for tea and totally did my head in... the smell was soooo goooood! I didn't crumble, I stuck with my porridge!

On the up side, I am on target cals wise - been to Curves and got all my Water in - about 2 liters today, which is really good for me. So, I suppose I can't grumble! I have to take time to reflect on this - a month ago, I would of eaten the bacon, sausgae and crisps - and tried to fast tomo. Now, I just feel more controlled. I feel back in the game. And even if I don't lose weight, that is an achievement in itself - or at least, I feel it is. Does that make sense?

I've come to realise that at this far out - small hurdles that are overcome as as important as seeing the scale move. I intend to be more organised with my food and learn to say NO! However, I also intend to live my life... this is hell of a ride for sure, but I finally feel that something is working in my favor. Gotta thank Georgia for putting this out there, sharing her experience in the first instance and encouraging us to give it a go. I am hoping to see the sorta success Georgia is having now I am getting my head around it all.

Hope everyone else is doing good!

Now' date=' I just feel more controlled. I feel back in the game. And even if I don't lose weight, that is an achievement in itself - or at least, I feel it is. Does that make sense?

I've come to realise that at this far out - small hurdles that are overcome as as important as seeing the scale move. I intend to be more organised with my food and learn to say NO! However, I also intend to live my life... this is hell of a ride for sure, but I finally feel that something is working in my favor. Gotta thank Georgia for putting this out there, sharing her experience in the first instance and encouraging us to give it a go. I am hoping to see the sorta success Georgia is having now I am getting my head around it all.

Hope everyone else is doing good![/quote']

I totally understand!! I feel quite similarly. Whether I lose big numbers or not, there is some thing very empowering about not letting food have its way with you.

I put in 23 hours a day of sitting because I really don't do much when I'm not at the gym. and 1 hour a day of working out and it gave me 1400 calories.

When I was hooked up to that machine at the doctor it said my basic metobolic rate was 1200. I knew my metabolism was really slow. That was when I first had lap band surgery' date=' but I've built a lot of muscle since then, which is supposed to help with slow metabolisms. .[/quote']

Your BMR was only 1200? Are you tiny and short? That seems very low, but would definitely qualify as a low metabolism! Mine was nearly 1900 and is now more in the 16-1700 range after losing weight. Are you hypothyroid? I'm not trying to 'fix' a non problem here...however, I also wonder abt the 23 hrs sitting (presumably some of those are actually lying down tho lol). Any quick ways to get more activity into your days, even little ones? Helps burn cals of course, but is also good for lots of other hormonal/general health and mood reasons.