If a fortune teller had told me 2 years ago that I would comfortably be able to wear clothes that I had for my honeymoon in 1996, I would have said they were giving me false hope. If they had gone on to say that I would wake up in the morning looking forward to going for a 5km run* dressed in lycra, I would have said they were a charlatan, or had got me confused with someone else!

But the truth of the matter is that thanks to 5:2, both of the above are true! 

I also now have blood sugar level that is normal rather than pre-diabetic, low triglycerides, improved cholesterol and healthy blood pressure. I feel more energetic and thanks to having less weight to carry around, I am lighter on my feet and have much less pain in my joints.

I have easily maintained my weight around my target of 55kg without having to count calories or even particularly to watch what I eat. However, I have found that my tastes have changed, if I don’t have fresh vegetables and fruit I miss them. I eat far less in the way of starchy carbs than I used to. I rarely think of chocolate. My portion sizes are smaller and I seldom have a second helping of anything.

I do usually continue to do 2 fast days a week unless we are away on holiday. I find that allows me to not have to worry about the other 5 days at all plus I get the long term health benefits of the two days of going for 24 hours without eating and then having just 500 calories. It’s really not an effort now and is very much a part of our life.

Being fit and healthy and able to wear what I like in my mid sixties is very enjoyable!

So, if you are contemplating following this way of eating, I would encourage you to get started – you have nothing to lose except weight and poor health!

*If you are interested in how I managed to go from being a real couch potato to someone who enjoys brisk walking and running, then I highly recommend the Couch to 5k programme – I followed the podcasts created by the NHS and they really do work.