The FastDay Forum

So I have been doing 5:2 for about 3 weeks now, and have lost some weight but not sure how much as I don't own scales. I will do my 500 cal day fine, but then the day after (also the day before) I seem to overeat so much! In sort of a panicked way, as if to think, oh I know I won't be eating this tomorrow so even though I'm not hungry I'll eat it now anyway. I'm starting to get into a bad habit of it.. tonight for example I feel physically sick because I have eaten so much
Does anyone else have this problem? Or does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with it?

hi there sweet21

I am sure you will get some replies soon with ideas and suggestions, but I just wanted to reassure you that what you are experiencing is quite normal and 3 weeks isn't that long yet and you are probably still adjusting I don't overeat on non fast days but I am sure I have more sweet things than I did before! its like we compensate which is mad really because its only 2 days out of 7 grrr, do you drink enough liquids? I drink lots of water every day to keep me from snacking too much, but I love chocolate too much lol, still the weight has come off so I don't worry too much about it. And maybe what you think its over eating isn't at all! make a list of what you eat on a non fast day, have you worked out your TDEE? I hate counting calories on non fast days but I am careful not to go over...
good luck hun, please don't worry too much, its early days yet, and you'll get there am sure! xx

Most people find that the urge to overeat goes away as they get into the 5:2 habit. When I started I calorie counted on Fast and Non- Fast days until I got a better feel for what a "normal" day should look like. I find it harder to over eat when I know I have to account for it. I use MyFitnesPal, although there are other calorie counting resources out there

It does change over time and your appetite will reduce naturally. I still track my calories on non fast days because I don't trust myself and unless I'm dining out, I often struggle to eat the whole TDEE.

When I first began, several months ago, I was overeating on my normal days. Then I realised that I actually could not eat the he breakfast I'd prepared and so I stopped rushing food, like Polly Fielding suggests in the Mindful Eating chapterin her book and began to eat more slowly and found that my appetite had shrunk a lot! I don't and can't eat anything like the amount I used to before I began this diet. But I do enjoy what I eat.

I used to be a bit like that on a Tuesday as it was the day in between my two fasts, so I can sympathise.

Have you considered using something like MyFitnessPal to log everything you eat so that you can see the calories you are consuming? Although it takes a little time to get used to doing it, I find it very useful to see in black and white what I've consumed and the calorific value. Even if you aren't weighing yourself, you can still stick to your TDEE on the screen and I'm sure you'll start to see results with your fasting....