5:2 diet

elizabunny

elletee wrote: »

Hi

My official weigh in is tomorrow ... but after a sneaky peak today, I'm not expecting much of a loss if anything at all .... so that's only 1.5lbs in 3 weeks .... I have around 5 stone to lose, so that really isn't enough.

My fast day's are fine, I have around 490-500 cals in a 38 hr period. Maybe I'm eating too much on my up days? This week I don't feel I've been that bad (except a party on Saturday night followed by a big hungover fried breakfast).

How much do people watch what they eat on non-fast days? My TDEE is 2056 ... should I be sticking to 2056 on non fast days, or less or more or what?

Help - I'm becoming disillusioned, and I want to love this diet again especially as I'm now used to the fast days

Hi elletee , just popped on because I didn't want to read and run. Remember you are not alone, I have loads to lose as well and this is the only way I am going to get there, albeit painfully slow. I personally don't stick to TDEE on non fast days but some people do. I want to be able to lose weight in a way in which I feel comfortable, so I won't be counting calories on non fast days and will accept the slower weight loss. As long as it is going in the right direction, it doesn't matter how long it takes. For me this is a 'for life' plan anyway. Come on you can do it:T

adouglasmhor Keep going, you will get there!

azureblue_2

Elletee, with a tdee of 2056 for feed days your fast days will be no more than 514. When you've done a few days at each calorie count you'll get to know what sort of things and amounts to eat and won't need to calorie count much. Good luck.

Jei70

Elletee, you might be pleasantly surprised tomorrow! I went through a couple of weeks of daily weighings which have completely frustrated me as every loss was abrupt, followed by a gain, then a slow drip down, some stalling, then another big loss... And every single day my weight was different! Since then I've only been using the scales on a weekly basis, after a fast day, and my weight seems to be going down slowly but surely. I also have a lot to lose, originally even more than you, and in 7 months I've shifted 3 stone. Still, it's almost half-way down, and it's better than staying the same, or even worse, gaining weight! By now, everybody's noticed that I look better, but no-one at work knows what I'm doing.

One thing that I'm doing which is slightly different, because I started with so much fat to lose, is fasting 3 days per week (4:3). Mon/Wed/Fri - easy! When I'm about a stone away from the weight I want, I'll reduce it to 5:2. Having said that, I've also been going to the gym and building muscles, both to improve my metabolism and tighten up the wobbly bits. My waist and hips are now smaller than they were last time I was at this weight, so I might go more by looks than the number on the scale to determine when to slow down.

Anyway, enough about me! You can do it too! Slowly but surely is sustainable, and best for long term weight loss.

Regarding calories on non-fasting days, do you know roughly what you eat? If you hit 3-5000 kcals regularly, then that will completely override the fast days. I wouldn't worry too much if you're between 1800-2300, though.

Now, what about the quality of those calories? I believe it's something to think about, especially for those like me who need to lose a substantial amount of fat. More nutrients, less empty calories! But that's a whole different topic.

Good luck!

Gloomendoom

elletee wrote: »

Hi

My official weigh in is tomorrow ... but after a sneaky peak today, I'm not expecting much of a loss if anything at all .... so that's only 1.5lbs in 3 weeks .... I have around 5 stone to lose, so that really isn't enough.

My fast day's are fine, I have around 490-500 cals in a 38 hr period. Maybe I'm eating too much on my up days? This week I don't feel I've been that bad (except a party on Saturday night followed by a big hungover fried breakfast).

How much do people watch what they eat on non-fast days? My TDEE is 2056 ... should I be sticking to 2056 on non fast days, or less or more or what?

Help - I'm becoming disillusioned, and I want to love this diet again especially as I'm now used to the fast days

My weight loss has stalled too and I think it is due to eating too much on the non fast days because I don't actively watch the calories. I'm going to try a month of calorie counting and rigidly sticking to my TDEE on my non fast days and see if it makes any difference.

1940sGal

elletee wrote: »

Hi

My official weigh in is tomorrow ... but after a sneaky peak today, I'm not expecting much of a loss if anything at all .... so that's only 1.5lbs in 3 weeks .... I have around 5 stone to lose, so that really isn't enough.

My fast day's are fine, I have around 490-500 cals in a 38 hr period. Maybe I'm eating too much on my up days? This week I don't feel I've been that bad (except a party on Saturday night followed by a big hungover fried breakfast).

How much do people watch what they eat on non-fast days? My TDEE is 2056 ... should I be sticking to 2056 on non fast days, or less or more or what?

Help - I'm becoming disillusioned, and I want to love this diet again especially as I'm now used to the fast days

You could always spend a couple of days counting how much you eat just to see. But it could be that it's just natural that your weight shifts slowly. Mine used to be the exact same. This diet is the first that has worked for me so maybe it's a matter of finding what works for you.

I calculated my tdee and it came out at 2160 but I don't count my calories on non-fast days. I eat as I normally would before I started the diet, I don't binge but I do have treats (i baked a low fat carrot cake the other day, 200cals/slice ).

elletee

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my moan .. i mean post!

Yes I may be pleasantly surprised - i will keep my fingers crossed, but my hopes are low.

Luckily i don't have much going on this weekend for a change (such a social bunny I am lol) so will try and cut back and count my calories to see what difference that makes

I think i have been taking advantage of the 'eat what you like' so need a week to pull back and get back in control

Thank again for your replies - it really makes a difference

xx

jomo70

elletee wrote: »

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my moan .. i mean post!

Yes I may be pleasantly surprised - i will keep my fingers crossed, but my hopes are low.

Luckily i don't have much going on this weekend for a change (such a social bunny I am lol) so will try and cut back and count my calories to see what difference that makes

I think i have been taking advantage of the 'eat what you like' so need a week to pull back and get back in control

Thank again for your replies - it really makes a difference

xx

I've been having the same problem but I'm determined to stick to it! I too am going to do 4:3 and see if it makes a difference.

After having a bad day yesterday (1lb gain!!) somebody asked if I'd lost weight today, so that but me in a good mood again!! How shallow am I!!:rotfl:

Gloomendoom

jomo70 wrote: »

After having a bad day yesterday (1lb gain!!) somebody asked if I'd lost weight today, so that but me in a good mood again!! How shallow am I!!:rotfl:

I once innocently asked a colleague if she'd lost weight. We are now married, so be careful.

ashleymack

Jei70 wrote: »

If you're not overweight, how about trying a 6:1 regime? That should still give you some health benefits.

I wouldn't worry about how you'd feel on 400-500 kcals, as long as you eat normally (i.e. 4 times that) on regular days, and as long as you're not already exhausted/weak/rundown from your activities. If you're healthy now, the intermittent fasting should make it even better and give you more energy! However, if you have any doubts, do talk to your GP.

BTW, on my fast days I do heavy weights training or HIIT with kettlebells before my meal, and I feel strong and energetic. On the other hand, I can afford to use up a lot of calories as I'm still overweight (although going down nicely thanks to this way of eating).

Thanks for this! I think i may try my first fast day on my ''rest day'' from exercise at the weekend (Sunday) and see how it goes before i try it on an active day. I'll post how i get on! xx

Kaz2904

It might be worth counting your calories for a few weeks elletee just to make sure that you're not going way over what you should be having. It could be that you have lost sight of how much food is really needed and are eating far too much on a daily basis or it could just be that you're going to shift weight slowly and then have a drop.
It's also possible that your weight is not what you're expecting/ hoping for because your are nearing your TOTM? Not sure of your age so could be way out there though .
Enjoying eating tonight