The FastDay Forum

So many people here do 4:3

I'm contemplating 3:4 (4 fast days a week maybe with an extra 100 or 200 calories on fast days to what I would do on 5:2; I find limiting to 500 hard but not 600 or 700)

I love fast days and I like the concept of another day of cleansing

Assuming calories are all a good balance of protein carbs and fat should I be worried about anything?

Weird idea?

[janeg]

Alternate day fasting works out to be four fasts a week. I'm not sure if anyone is doing ADF but plenty do 4:3.
As long as the days aren't consecutive can't see any problem.

[Moogie]

We do have a handful of members doing ADF if you look at the tracker As long as you have a day between each fast it's fine. I think ADF is generally about 800-1000 calories for a fast day.

My days are now Sunday Tuesday and Friday

I was going to add Thursday.

Alternate day fasting is not the same as I need it to be the same days in each week fir fasting and the week is an odd number

Thus 2 fast days will always be consecutive

Reason why it has to be same dat is sanity as I find associating fast days with days of week is easier than remembering what I did the day before

Plus Saturday is "gourmet night" here a tradition I cannot break

Indeed it's after two proposed fast days so well timed

Hi julieanna I've done the occasional 3:4 + ADF when maybe I've a heavy
week eating out. I'm doing 4:3 and that suits me best but some weeks today included I slip in extra full 24 he fast then go on to eat whatever I want for evening meal this works for me because I've no problems doing it but other people wouldn't touch it because it apparently doesn't give you the extra weight loss but I'm doing ok I think and until things change I'll carry on with 4:3 perhaps the winter months will change things for me
Good Luck if you do give it a go Sue
Edit:-) 2 of my days are back to back not sure if that wasn't meant to be allowed, but with me its the sort of ''semi'' fast

Do you mean you want to fast on 4 days and have 3 days off? That seems rather a lot.

I am doing the 4:3 diet for some time now. I started fasting after the Horizon programme last year, when I understood that we were meant to fast on 3 days. Since Michael Mosley's book was not published yet, I bought the book: "The Alternate Day Fasting" by James Johnson which recommends alternate day fasting and to consume approximately 25% of our daily TDEE. I am like you, I prefer set days of fasting and for me fasting during the week whilst in the office is the easiest. 25% of my TDEE only amounts to around 350 calories. I got used to this and now love the Monday, Wednesday and Friday rhythm with the weekend free to splurge. As I have reached my goal weight I wonder if I should maintain my weight by increasing the calories on feeding days, or if I should increase the calories on Wednesdays to 800 which should be very easy as I tend to consume my calories on fast days in one meal in the evening. I want to keep two fasting days per week definitely for health reasons but am willing to experiment upting the calories on other days (not a problem at all).

Whilst I am very happy with the 4:3 way of fasting I look forward to experimenting a little, changing things about a bit.

Quick calcs on a 2000 cal/day TDEE:

700*4 + 2000*3 = 8800 cal/week

Creates a (7*2000 - 8800) 5200 cal/week deficit, which seems kind of high, especially since you are on the high end of a healthy BMI and there's probably no reason for you to shoot for more than a pound a week loss from a 3500 cal/week deficit.

Short of raising your feed-day calorie intake by 500-600 calories per day (you may have trouble putting down that much food), maybe you should consider doing something like the 16:8 where you get the repair/fast experience every single day?

Just a thought -- of course try anything out and see how it works for you.

We do have a handful of members doing ADF if you look at the tracker As long as you have a day between each fast it's fine. I think ADF is generally about 800-1000 calories for a fast day.

800-1000 calories on alternate days would almost certainly lead to weight loss, but what about the other benefits of fasting? Krista Varady's ADF studies were done with 500 calories or 25% of TDEE.

I agree, wouldn't it just be another very low calorie diet, not 5:2?

But if that what works for you, rather than 5:2, why would it matter?

I've been doing 4:3 since the second week of starting this WOE.
It suits me as I have a lot of pregnancy weight as well as extra "fluff" that I have been carrying around
My husband works 2 jobs, so its easy for me to fast M,W,F and to not be tempted as much. On Tuesday and Thursday, I eat around 1200-1600 calories and then on the Weekends I just enjoy myself! I exercise 4 times a week as well. This has really kick started my weight loss again as it wasn't budging on traditional diet and exercise

Can speak more highly of the 16:8 method Julianna. Even with 5 kgs for me to yet reach a healthy BMI range 16:8 offers a consistent solution with slow and steady losses and a very easy way to structure most of your days. Time constraint rather than calories, and the beauty you get to fast every day that you do 16:8 and then you have an 8 hour window in which to eat what you want

I do 4:3 as well and I just can't imagine doing 3:4. I'm really afraid of consecutive days. But everybody's different.

Thanks for comments and ideas about 16:8.

Should I pursue this 3:4 I will let you know how i go but i would stop it at that (not do 2:5)

Re benefits not weight associated, im thinking that 700 calories comparied to 2000 calories is still 35% of TDEE so there may still be benefits.

Maybe i can make Tuesday, Friday and Sunday as standard 500's - 600's and then make Thursday the 700 one.

I guess flexibility is what empowers people here.

I have sort of fallen into a combination of 16.8 and ADF
I skip breakfast most says unless I wake up very hungry i which case I have fruit
I have a salad for lunch,on fast days salad is mostly greens and nonfast I make more interesting salads with nuts and veggies
What I have found tho is tht I seem to be eating around 600 to 800 calories on fast days and I don't chose the day I fast but rather go with what my body wants so some days I am hungry and eat a bit more
But,I am not loosing like this.iam maintaining easily and I admit my weight is low,lower than its been for years and I am beginning to accept that it is unrealistic to try loose more
My bmi is around 20 and I would have liked to be under 20 but just can't do it
I love however that I can follow what my body wants and can maintain so easily

I have sort of fallen into a combination of 16.8 and ADF
I skip breakfast most says unless I wake up very hungry i which case I have fruit
I have a salad for lunch,on fast days salad is mostly greens and nonfast I make more interesting salads with nuts and veggies
What I have found tho is tht I seem to be eating around 600 to 800 calories on fast days and I don't chose the day I fast but rather go with what my body wants so some days I am hungry and eat a bit more
But,I am not loosing like this.iam maintaining easily and I admit my weight is low,lower than its been for years and I am beginning to accept that it is unrealistic to try loose more
My bmi is around 20 and I would have liked to be under 20 but just can't do it
I love however that I can follow what my body wants and can maintain so easily

Sarahq.. You may have "hit the nail on the head" .. follow what your body wants given that you have reached 20 BMI.

I'm certainly finding 600 to 800 a kind of "natural" amount of calories to consume if i am thinking of "restriction" for a day. I realise it is 100 to 300 more than the "prescribed amount" so for long term sustainability of a better diet plan, and as long as we dont have 20kg or more to lose to be in a "healthy zone" it might just be ok to run with that range on 2,3 or even 4 days a week.