The FastDay Forum

You have to see what works for you. If you are fasting and not losing weight, you might want to track what you are eating on those non-fast days. I typically track them with MFP on non-fast days during the week. I don't mind it, because it still isn't as restrictive as if I were on a regular low calorie diet and it's really easy to track them on MFP, but it helps keep me in line. I'll think twice about what I eat if I'm tracking it. I tend to eat a couple hundred calories lower than my TDEE during the week and then on the weekends I don't track and splurge a little. But, if you are fasting and losing without tracking then that's great!

Why counting calories is pointless: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/ ... ng-part-9/

Interesting read and I agree with it however, that isn't actually about fasters that stick to their TDEE on none fast days or reduce it to what their maintenance cals would be. That is about reducing calories daily and NOT fasting at all. It's the fasting that has been proven to reduce your appitite on none fast days plus the actual fast sticking to very low cal plus if you can a long fast (i.e. 24hrs or longer) all the better.

I count calories for all the reasons I gave in my earlier post. When you read this article keep in mind that it's actually talking about a daily intake of reduced calories continuously. I.e an old fashioned calorie control diet, and we all know that doesn't work. This article backs up fasting very nicely though we are talking about counting calories as fasters.

I have never counted calories on my normal days. That is what makes this doable for me.Being able to have a drink at the weekend and to still have some sweets and treats means I can do this long term. Like others I had been 'dieting' in one way or another for an awfully long time so that is the sort of pattern I still follow on my normal days. I know it's not trendy but I still tend to eat and cook low fat and have small carb portions. The fasting days definitely have changed how I eat the rest of the time and when and if I ever get to maintenance I will still fast but just increase my fast day calories slightly. I currently try and stick to under 400 cals and I still meticulously weigh and measure and write down everything I eat in a book on fast days even though I have been at this a long time. I suspect I will only be able to go up to 500 - 600 cals to maintain.

I guess I'm the odd one in here. I find it necessary to count calories. It's when I don't that I gain weight. I also have a poor sense of estimating calories though so I need to use MyFitnessPal. Even before 5:2, when I lost 35 pounds on my own it was because I exercised and counted all of my calories. When I'm counting, I usually find that I'll think twice about my food choices. But that's just me. Lately, I've been ditching MFP on Sundays and let that be a cheat day, but I still try to be aware of how much I'm eating. Just do what works for you.

I'm still entering all the information on a food tracker as I am interested in the nutritional information and not just the amount of calories I ingest. I started off counting calories daily to make sure I wasn't underestimating portion sizes and to get a better idea of how many calories are in them. Then I started looking at the vitamin and mineral values and the ratios of protein:carbs:fat and was surprised at how high my saturated fat levels were when averaged out over a few weeks. Just had a comprehensive blood test and my LDL and Total Cholesterol levels are still over the normal range - perhaps because I lost a lot of weight in a short time - so I plan to continue recording everything and reducing my saturated fats for a follow up blood test in three months time. Must say I am fascinate by the analysis and various graphs and statistics produced by Calorie Count which is similar to My Fitness Pal.

[carorees]

Hi @galexinda
The best way to reduce your blood fat content is to cut down on carbs. Carbs are turned to sugar in digestion and any sugar not needed immediately for energy is stored. A little can be stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver but most is converted to fat by the liver. To get the fat to the fat stores, groups of three fat molecules are attached to a lipoprotein making a very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle (aka triglyceride in some tests), the VLDL travel to the fat stores where they give up their fat and become LDLs (the so-called bad cholesterol).

The saturated fat that you eat does not get turned into VLDL or LDL but is absorbed directly into your fat stores from particles called chylomicrons.

Here's a better explanation of how carbs raise LDL levels and how eating saturated fat has no effect on them: http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2015/06/23 ... the-carbs/

Thanks Carorees. This is probably the closest I will ever come to understanding the process. Now if I can just hold it in my little pea brain long enough to put it to work.

@Bordergirl I pea brain it too. I have a wonderful life but I can't count - and I won't, despite my Father's amazing achievements as mathematician.
@Carorees thanks for keeping me on track and the conversation open. x

@Lil, you can have wine and sweets and still count calories. You may even still be under your TDEE. Counting calories isn't necessarily reducing calories. It just keeps you honest.

In the times when I've counted carefully on non-fast days, I still went over my TDEE if I was hungry. I just tried not to go too far over....

Why counting calories is pointless: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/ ... ng-part-9/

I agree with JayeGirl. This article, while interesting, isn't really relevant to the thread. We're talking about counting calories while intermittent fasting. I don't think it's pointless at all. It may not be necessary in all cases.

Thank you Carorees.
I wouldn't have thought carbs would have an effect on LDL.
Excellent article - particularly the last few paragraphs. Definitely makes more sense than keeping on being advised to cut down on saturated fats when my food tracker records of the past 8 weeks show I have never been anywhere close to the upper level of 13g/day according to my Nutrition Settings.
Shall definitely concentrate on lowering my carb intake now.

Hi @galexinda
The best way to reduce your blood fat content is to cut down on carbs. Carbs are turned to sugar in digestion and any sugar not needed immediately for energy is stored. A little can be stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver but most is converted to fat by the liver. To get the fat to the fat stores, groups of three fat molecules are attached to a lipoprotein making a very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle (aka triglyceride in some tests), the VLDL travel to the fat stores where they give up their fat and become LDLs (the so-called bad cholesterol).

The saturated fat that you eat does not get turned into VLDL or LDL but is absorbed directly into your fat stores from particles called chylomicrons.

Here's a better explanation of how carbs raise LDL levels and how eating saturated fat has no effect on them: http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2015/06/23 ... the-carbs/

P
Oh I like this article. I firmly believe that carbs of all kinds were a big part of my weight spiralling out of control. I was a carb junkie! I now eat low carb as much as possible. Also it cut all my cravings for all things 'carb and sugary' lol. The less you eat, the less your body asks for it

I have never counted calories on 'normal' days and I eat 500 cals (not 25 % of my TDEE, which would be 400 or less ) on my fast days. In fact I pay no attention to my TDEE value whatsoever!
Not counting calories for 5 days of the week was what attracted me to the 5:2 WoE in the first place, so if I had to start counting them every day I expect I would give up altogether pretty quickly. I do count the 500 cals on fasting days very strictly though.