The FastDay Forum

Strange that so many of you seemingly Calorie Restrict according to your TDEE on non-Fast Days ??

What specifically drew me to the ease of the 5:2 plan, was its simplicity of operation, ie 2 Fast Days, and 5 days where you dont have to think about what you eat.
Michael's programme specifically stated that in their tests, people 'couldnt' (within reason), eat more on their non-fast days to negate the positive effects of the 2 Fast Days, and that simplicity was fantastic as far as I am concerned.
So on my 'normal days', sure - I'll have a bag of crisps, or a snickers, but I certainly dont 'overeat' to an unusual extent.

If I am to now start 'Calorie Counting' on every day, it'l do my head in, and I'll lose interest, so that route isnt for me.

Perhaps my own Plateau is just a temporary thing, or perhaps i've reached my optimum, I dont know, but as the main reason I started the 5:2 was more for the Health Benefits than Weight Loss per-se, I'll just carry on as I am and see where it leads I think......

Hi Chris I don't count calories on my feed days but I do make healthier choices, I do eat more salads + veg and I do have ''treats'' every day
I was stuck for 2/3 weeks so probably not a plateau, so I don't want to waste my precious time/weeks on not losing weight because I have a shed load to get rid of so I took stock and looked at what I was eating Alas a few extra treats have crept in so I went back to basics and stopped them, I eat treats probably daily but don't calorie count ( that would make it the same as any other diet, I've even become complacent on fast days so when I need to I can take stock and pull my socks well and truly up, Good Luck with ridding the plateau Sue

Hi Sue,

Yes I guess if anyone wants to be very motivated, then 'careful' eating is good.
I've just re-watched the certain parts of the program where Michael talks to the people who have run the trials, and their experience was that people just dont overeat by 175% on Feed days, - but more like 110%, which over the week, is enough for the 5:2 to work.

Another thing that I have just reminded myself of from the program - Michael meets the 101yr old Indian Marathon runner at the start of the film, who says one of his main things is to only eat 'small portions' of any meal, - which is something all of us should perhaps take heed of, we just eat too much food generally dont we ??

And - he also makes a very valid point......
In Poor countries.......people die of not enough food.....
In Rich Countries....... people die of too much food.......

How true.

Hiya!
Not all of us are lucky to lose on 5:2 without adding a little something. Also, not all of us are familiar with calories. When I started, I knew I had to eat 500 calories on fast days and around 1500 on non-fast days but I had no idea how many calories are in what.
Many people in here are experienced calorie counters or point counters, I wasn't. So how was I supposed to know that I was eating within/around my TDEE or under 500 cals?
Personally, I'm grateful that I went in the process of calorie counting for a short while, because I am now more aware of how much I eat and how much I can eat. Set me free and I will eat 6000 calories in a day, without even trying, LOL!!!

Plenty of us don't calorie count. I think people only count on feed days if they hit a plateau or something.

I'm in the group that doesn't count calories on feed days. But like TML13, I can eat a lot of calories in one day if I let myself. So I set aside the weekends to eat whatever and however much I like...the way I first heard 5:2 to be. The other feed days I try to stick to healthy foods and reasonable amounts. For me that means no sweets (once I start I don't stop) and little or no snacking (especially after dinner). That cuts quite a few calories from my weekly diet without any actual counting.

I've chosen 5:2 for the health benefits and calorie counting on my 5 eating days for the weight loss benefits. They complement each other perfectly

I'm probably a little unusual on this forum, I haven't weighed myself in neatly 5 months (have been 5:2ing almost 4 months), I have no intention of working out my TDEE and I don't calorie count. I fast by estimating what I assume is under 500 cals and I have lost a dress size and almost 2. I just cope on feeds days by eating sensibly. Was out at a function today for lunch and got myself a nice big plate of food from the buffet but just made good choices and stayed clear of the white bread and sugary drinks.

I really don't think it has to be as hard as some people make it. Yes I know some people have medical issues of mobility issues that affect weight loss. I'm one of them, I have no thyroid gland after losing it 2 years ago 2 cancer and am still trying to reach a stable level of daily thyroxine. I still think that if people move more, even just through incidental exercise, and make sensible good choices 5:2 can be done without worrying about obsessing over TDEE and calorie counting.

I really don't think it has to be as hard as some people make it.

I don't think it is a case of being hard or difficult. For me, part of the enjoyment is logging everything that passes my lips and all the activities that I do and seeing it in black and white on the screen. It helps me analyse and learn. The same way I used Endomondo each time to log how far and fast I have run. I like numbers and I like to keep "lists" I suppose. I weigh myself every morning and write down what the figure is. I suppose it boils down to whatever floats your boat. We just all have the 5:2 plan as a common goal

And Waratah.... sounds like you are DEFINITELY on the right track, regardless...

Chris,

I haven't read all your replies yet, but I just had to respond. What an excellent post! I totally agree with everything you say. If I had to count calories on my 5 "eat" days, that would defeat the whole purpose of why I'm doing this.

I am returning to 5:2 after taking a stupid, and I do mean "stupid" vacation from it (gained back all the weight I lost). I counted to 500 on my 2 fast days and just ate regular on the other 5 days. Did I overeat? Yeah, maybe one or two times for that entire month I was on the plan. Did I still lose weight? Yeah, I lost 7 lbs. in one month which was amazing for me considering I'm in menopause.

So I'm back doing what worked. I have a lot to lose, but I will do it. I realize I'll have to do this for the rest of my life, and that's o.k. too. One (when I'm on maintenance) or even two days out of a week of counting to 500 is more than doable. Who knows; if I stall down the road I might flirt with 4:3. But if I had to count calories every day like I used to...no way!

Thanks for reminding me why I am doing this!

Generally most of us don't calorie count unless we have plateaued. But it is recommended that if you were still gaining before you started your 5:2 it would be a good idea to count up what you actually were eating to learn what you should actually be eating.

Studies have shown that overweight people who said they didn't eat much and were asked to jot down their calories for the day, always missed out on the snacks, and the nibbles.
After a few weeks of being sat down every day or week and asked about what they really had eaten they started to be honest with the researchers and themselves. They were usually shocked at how much they were actually eating. So calorie counting for a few weeks gets you used to what 2,000 calories actually is.

An example is a friend of mine said she would like to join in with the 5:2. Her meal plan for the fast day was :- Breakfast - a bannana.a pot of yogurt and a glass of orange juice. Lunch - 3 slices of ryvita with 6 tablespoons of cottage cheese and an apple. Then for dinner she was going to have a grilled chicken breast, rice, a salad and some low fat dressing. She thought that lot was 500kcals.

That is actually more than I eat some days on a feed day. Yet she honestly thought that it was only 500kcals. Another friend thought that she had probably only had 500kcals as she had only eaten a large chicken and salsa tortilla wrap, a slice of homemade cake with cream and 3 cans of coke (not diet) at her friends.

These examples show that most people who haven't calorie counted before don't know what they should be eating in a day and if they are putting on weight they will more readily blame hormones than sit down at a PC or with a book and a set of scales and work out what is passing their lips.

As reported on earlier topics about counting calories and TDEE, when I started 5:2 for four weeks I recorded my daily calorie intake in order to get a good idea of portion size and calorie content. I also went along with various TDEE calculations for my age, height and weight and soon found the figure that works for me. Now no calorie counting on any day of the week - apart from when I consume a new item, just to find out its nutritional value. I only weigh myself once every 4-5 weeks just as a guide as I am doing 5:2 for the overall health benefits. If my waistband feels tight, I know to eat less for the next day or so and that's my only guideline!

I really don't think it has to be as hard as some people make it.

I don't think it is a case of being hard or difficult. For me, part of the enjoyment is logging everything that passes my lips and all the activities that I do and seeing it in black and white on the screen. It helps me analyse and learn. The same way I used Endomondo each time to log how far and fast I have run. I like numbers and I like to keep "lists" I suppose. I weigh myself every morning and write down what the figure is. I suppose it boils down to whatever floats your boat. We just all have the 5:2 plan as a common goal

And Waratah.... sounds like you are DEFINITELY on the right track, regardless...

Ditto!!!
Although I don't calorie count anymore on non-fast days, I keep a fast days record, I weigh daily and keep a fast&weight diary. I did calorie count for 2 months and it helped me a lot to realise what I was eating and what kind of impact it had on my weight.

I was fiddling around with my TDEE, which I don't bother with but simply curious, and it states that I should consume over 3000 kcal on feed days.
I bloody don't think I can eat that much food. I mean I'm a big guy, 190.5cm, and quite big boned but come on.
I vigorously exercise for one hour, five days each week and consume (on feed days) roughly 2200-2500 kcal. That seems to work swimmingly.

I think I'll just take that TDEE, look at it and smile.

Thanks for starting this discussion. I do check in on my calorie count on feast days. I am not saying that's what anyone else should do, but there are times I am just oblivious about what I put in my mouth - I am a definite stress eater. The fast days help me keep this in check and then if I notice on a feast day that I am snacking a bit too much, well then I have to put on the brakes and think about what I am doing. But this is just for me - and everyone here seems like they've found techniques that work for them and help. I learn a lot from what other people are doing!