The FastDay Forum

Ok, so my husband and I are starting 5:2 today. One of the reasons we have both left Weight Watchers to do this, is because we just can't count up calories (Weight Watchers points) every single day. We just hate it.

In The Fast Diet by Dr. Mosley, he clearly recommended counting twice a week and eating normally the other five. But I've read a review of the new fasting book by his co-author Mimi Spencer, The Fast Beach Diet. I realize this is just an accelerated version of 5:2ing for summer, but she does recommend counting calories every day. I just refuse to do this, and I know if my husband has to, he'll just quit altogether!

So are you guys counting your calories every single day? Is anyone out there just counting twice a week like us? I'm new here, so my apology if this has already been asked, but I do find it a bit alarming that 5:2 might be turning into just another calorie counting diet.

[carorees]

Hi there @daisysunshine

Most people are not counting calories on their non-fast days. Indeed, IMHO it is only necessary to count calories on non-fast days if you find you are not losing weight, and then only for a week to see whether you are massively over-eating on your non-fast days. Many people don't even count calories on their fast days as they choose meals which will be almost certain to be below the 500/600 cal limit. If you do find the weight loss slows down you can choose to add another fast day (so 4:3 rather than 5:2) and still not count calories.

Worry not!

Hi @daisysunshine

I also cannot abide counting calories, points or anything else so I understand how you feel. As you are just starting out I would recommend that you go with the 5:2 that Dr Moseley advocated until you get used to the notion of fasting. Once you've found your feet and feel confident then it may be time to look at some of the other ways of fasting. In the meantime, good luck, and let us know how it is going

Ballerina x

Oh thank you so much Carorees! I really appreciate your reply. Twice a week counting it is!

Thank you Ballerina! We really hate counting up numbers all day long.

Hi Daisy, after many many monotonous years of doing it, i hate cal counting, but i feel i have to on my replenish ( feed) days..i know what my TDEE is and have to keep to it/ mainly below it.
I know it isnt a requirement of the 5:2 diet as long as you're eat to or below target cals on fast days,but i also know several members like me do cal count most days.
I am over sixty and have an underactive thyroid,plus other health probs that mean my physical activity is limited,so i don' t lose weight easily. Would love the freedom of not counting cals but it doesnt seem feasible for me,tho i know the magic of 5:2 for many is that wonderful freedom from cal counting!
Altho i need to cal count,this WOE is much more productive for me than WW,SW etc etc..i love the health benefits and i love how good i feel post fast and also have gained much more knowledge on this forum about nutrition and how the body works than i ever did on any other regime x

When i first started i wrote down every morsel i ate and stuck below my TDEE but now i have a rough guess.
I find if i'm not too careful a biscuit here a slice of cake there etc soon puts me over and i am trying to lose. Once i'm at my goal i will just try to eat sensibly and fast once a week. Thats the plan although i am very aware that it's trial and error and i will find the path that works for me.
It would be easy to take" eating normally" to mean eating anything you fancy in any quantity which obviously won't work. A little bit of what you fancy does you good though

Having sworn to never go on a diet that meant weighing and measuring again I was attracted to this plan because of the freedom it gives me most of the time. I count calories religiously on my fast days but not at all on the others. My appetite and eating habits have changed naturally but I have not denied myself anything. To be fair I was always more of a picker than a binge eater. My weight loss has been slower than some but over the 18 months I have been following this WOL it has gradually built up. I am in no hurry if doing it my way means I can stick to it long term

I would like to echo what @caroees said: You don't need to count on non-fast days. If you find yourself not losing weight or even gaining weight (after a month or so on the plan. You need to give your body time to adjust. I wouldn't start monkeying around with 5:2 until you are used to it, which is also what @Ballerina suggests.), then just add another fast day and do 4:3. I did that very thing for 2 or 3 weeks when I was in a 3-month (yes, 3-month!!!) plateau. I got frustrated and lots of people said, "Track! Count!" but I couldn't bear to do that after my experiences with Weight Watchers. So I added another fast day to be 4:3 for 2-3 weeks, and the weight went down. I have to laugh at myself that I would rather fast another day a week than count calories on my eating days! ha ha

I had many years of ww and am also sick of counting points and worrying about everything I put in my mouth. I also lost and gained many stones over the years. I now do 4:3 as this enables me to eat what I like on feed days. I am six weeks in now and am slowly reducing what I eat on feed days, not wanting the amounts I previously ate. My weight is going down and I have gone from a size 14 to size 12. I do not count anything or weigh often either as have been obsessed by the scales in the past. I am really enjoying this WOE and the lack of pressure and hope to make this my way of life. There is a lot of support here and all questions are answered!

I often count calories on my non-fast days, but not always. I could easily over-eat (too often) otherwise. For me it's about being honest with myself. If I'm going to over-eat, and I do, I want to own it. And I want it to be worth it.

Welcome @daisysunshine I never count calories on any day except as an experiment now and again, just as reassurance really that I am eating under my TDEE. I rarely eat bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. I never have to count because I know that I can eat a huge pile of salad or vegetables with chicken or fish for very little calories so that is what I choose. More bang for my buck! I do weigh daily and track my weight in the true weight app. This might not suit you but I did this and reached my goal weight (loss of 21lb) in 9 1/2 months. I have been easily maintaining my goal weight now for another 3 1/2 months.

You have to change your dieting mindset to realise that this is not a diet, neither is it fast. It is just a really fresh, healthy, mindful way of eating. Just think before you eat anything 'do I need this?' Not counting calories on a non fast day is not licence to eat unrestrained. You can eat whatever you like but not as much as you like!

Good luck to you both. Stick around and let us know how you get on.

Appreciate all the insights on this thread. I am also tired of counting, points, restrictions & rules. That said, I log what I eat in my fitness pal to keep myself honest & allow myself to relearn what my TDEE looks like. I have suffered from major portion distortion for too long & am still learning to trust my appetite. It will decrease over time & as I experience the same phenomenon of not being as hungry & feeling full earlier as others mention, I know I won"t have to worry about it. I am also grateful that I am noticing my taste preferences change for the better, liking more fruits & veg, passing up the chips & crisps. I do so like this WoE!

Me too Mary Lyn. Its the best! I counted calories on my fitness pal in early Feb to see what I was actually eating as I was on a plateau and surprise surprise! I was going over my TDEE regularly. I realized that when you lose a lot of weight we the need less food than we were used to. The calorie counting only lasted 2 weeks but it was interesting for a short while as I educated myself about the carb content of foods. As I don't eat much white carbs I know I'll be under 100 grams of carbs if they mainly come from veges. So I don't count calories anymore. I worked out that I have lost 5 KGS in the last 5 months so its slow but I don't mind as I don't want to change the way I eat now. I love it!

Ooh, love that phrase "portion distortion"!!!!!

I've obviously been suffering from it for great chunks of my adult life! Good to finally have a label - it really made me smile!!