The FastDay Forum

The first time I did 5:2 I only counted on my fast days. I absolutely refuse to count on my remaining five days. If I'm going to do that, my reasoning is, I may as well go back to Weight Watchers.

So, please share your successes with only counting on your fasting days. I know it can be done! My first go-round (before I fell off the wagon), I lost 7 lbs. in one month only counting 2 days a week.

Please share your successes!

Oh I'm of the same thinking as you @Sheryl in that if you worry about the calories on the non-fast days you may as well count points...and thats just not sustainable is it. I only count calories on fast days and then am currently trying 16:8 on other days. Are you naturally a healthy eater though?

nursebean, thank you for answering. This time around, I'm really going to make 5:2 work for me. I fell off the wagon because after the first month of losing 7 lbs., I got lazy with fasting two days a week. So this time I'm doing two consecutive days to ensure I get them both done and out of the way. I got that great tip from a fasting book I read.

Also, great question about healthy eating! I am returning to being a lacto ovo vegetarian, because I was much healthier and slimmer when I was vegetarian. Along with healthy eating, I'm also starting to practice mindful eating - not intentionally overeating (just because I can!), slowing down my eating pace, etc.

So I'm pretty confident I will do ok. I have to be confident, because the alternative of going back to Weight Watchers just won't work for me anymore. I am really committing to this as a lifetime commitment.

Hi@Sheryl I have been fasting for nigh on 2 years and have always stuck to plain and simple 5:2. I have continued to lose weight albeit slower in the second year than the 1st. It also takes longer to recover from breaks in fasting for holidays etc but when I am on plan the weight does slowly come off. I have done a couple of back to back fasts when circumstances dictate but for me 'you can have it tomorrow ' is what sometimes keeps me going. If you have 2 regular fast days and make that your way of life it is more difficult to find excuses not to fast. I don't think you should expect to be able to consistently lose weight at the rate you did last year - this is a long game. Good luck !

Hi @Sheryl, I'm another one who doesn't count calories on non-fast days, at first I used to check the calories to make sure I knew what 500 calories looked like but not until the day after. I don't count calories on fast days either now, I've been doing 5:2 since January 2013, I usually tend to eat roughly the same food on fast days so I know how many calories are in my meals, and I try to eat less than 500 - 'just in case'.

[carieoates]

I wish you all well.
I am however guilty of over doing it on non fast fays. That's why I'm a 4.3 er so that I can't have any wine on Fridays.

Hi @Sheryl - welcome and best wishes for a successful journey.

I'm maybe a bit sad but I count my calories every day - if I didn't I wouldn't be losing weight as quickly as I am and - call me impatient - but I want to get to my target as quickly as possible - I've spent too long being fat!

Keep us posted as to how you are getting on xx

Hi there x
I echo @madcatlady's point of view..tho i cheat too often to be as successful as her!
I wd really love it if i could only cal count twice a week...it does take the shine off fasting a bit for us counters..but still,it doesn't feel as restrictive as WW/ SW..plus unlike WW etc,its free.
The BIGGEST PLUS of 5:2 and its variations? ...hopefully fasting has long term health benefits x

Thanks for all the feedback.

I think the important thing is to find what works for us individually and is sustainable in the end.

I'm just so grateful to be back on 5:2 period! All the rest will fall into place.

I have never counted on non fast days. On fast days, initially I counted to make sure I was under 400-500cal, but now I mostly just drink tea and water and that's it for the 36 hours, or occasionally have a small protein/salad dinner which would be under. I did this all of last year, and lost 11kg, slow but steady. This year has been full of upheavals, so I haven't fasted regularly, but I'm back into it again now, and doing it the same.
This is the only reason 5:2 works for me. If I had to count calories, it would be no different to just counting calories to keep them at a losing weight amount.
*Of course, it is different for everyone - this is just what works for me. There is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to eating/nutrition. No diet or way of eating is the magic formula which will work for everyone. There is no ideal.

When I had a lot to lose, I didn't need to count on nonfast days (though I did keep a food diary). As I neared my goal, though, with my reduced TDEE (mostly because of lower weight), I started counting on nonfast days for awhile to get a good feel for how much I was taking in. Is it really such an onerous task? With apps like My Fitness Pal, I thought it was pretty easy.

I don't find it onerous MaryAnn, it's a mental head game for me. As soon as I count calories, I start obsessing about food and think about it WAY too much. And then I burn out, pig out and that's it, overeating happens. I do have a pretty good idea of calorie density of food, so probably do it subconsciously to a certain extent, but as soon as I start plugging the food into MyFitnessPal, something switches in my brain.

I never counted calories on non-fast days (and only roughly on fast days) last year while I was on the downward journey, and reached goal very easily compared with many. However, maintenance has been another issue. Really don't know why. It is partly to do with having lots of time away from home when I can't weigh myself and have found that a bit of weight goes on because I am out of routine and will tend to have different foods to when at home.
Experience showed me that the only way I was able to control how much I ate - so as to stop my weight gradually increasing - was to keep a record of what I ate and very rough calorie count - ie I round everything to multiples of 50 and ignore the low cal foods in my calculations. I do agree tho with earlier comments that it does result in me spending more time that I would like thinking about food and eating. But it only takes a minute of my day to make that record - I tried MFP but because I don't weigh my foods, it was too much of a pain to use.
Totally agree with the comment that it is about finding what works for you. And at least no WW etc fees with this WOL.

I have been doing 5:2 since April '13. I have lost 13kg. I lost all of it in the first year and this year I have plateaued. However, that's over 2 winters, and I did stall over winter in '13 as well. I am hoping for more weight loss this summer. I only do 5:2 and don't count calories or try to restrict my eating on other days at all. I do have a healthy diet and never have take aways for example. I don't want to diet, like you. That's the point of 5:2 for me. I just take the long view. I am still over weight, but not obese as I was when I started so I'm happy. So good luck to you.

@Sheryl, fellow lacto-ovo veggie here, and I count only on light (fast) days (I often eat the same thing on fast days, so don't always count...). For more about why I don't want to/can't count daily, see my blog. As my signature says, I do consider this my Way of Life--NOT a "diet"--and thus losing weight is not a "goal." Doing it this way, I find 5:2 very doable and can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. I could never have said that about The Zone or Atkins or raw foods or food combining or gluten free etc etc....