The FastDay Forum

Hi

Was just wondering how long everybody has been doing to 5:2 diet and did you loose much weight in first few weeks.. how much have you lost in total??

I'm on my second week (3rd) fast day.

I started last Monday at 10st 7 and I weighed in at 10st 4 this Monday so I lost 3lb. I did drop to 10st 2 during last week but seemed to put those 2lb back on over the weekend.

I fast on a Monday and a Thursday...

Would love to hear from you

[carorees]

I didn't weigh for a while, two weeks I think. Once I started monitoring my weight I seemed to be losing 1kg a week for the first 8 weeks or so (apart from over xmas), for the last few weeks it has been about 0.5kg a week. Had a big eating weekend so not expecting any weight loss this week. I had lost 13kg but I might have put a bit back on this week

This is only my fifth week doing this so not been doing it all that long. Have had a loss each week so far, even on a week when ive overeaten on non-fast days. I do have a lot to lose though.

I have been doing this for 4 weeks now and have only lost 1lb am quite disheartened as I a, being really good and not going mad on feast days. I have lost just over a cm on my waist but really expected a bit more movement on my weight, any advice? I am 60kgs wanting to get to nearer 54...

I have been doing the 5:2 Fast since 4 February - so just over four weeks and did my eighth fast day yesterday. I only weigh myself once a week and am REALLY disappointed with the lack of progress. 2lbs dropped in first week, then gained one of them, then lost it again, now gained it again. I'm maybe eating a few more calories on Feed days that I would have done before starting this but the lack of need to count calories on these days is what attracted me in the first place. I stick religiously to 500 calories on a fast day, splitting it between breakfast at about 8am and dinner at about 8pm. For the last two weeks I have also been continuing the fast the day after until about noon. This gives me a calorie intake of 500 for approximately 40 hours. My husband is following the same routine and he's lost nothing either. My waist measurement hasn't changed either. Can anybody help, suggest what I'm doing wrong, PLEASE?!

[carorees]

Hi Olivia

The first thing to do is to work out your TDEE (link in FAQ). Then estimate how many calories you're eating on feed days. Once we know that we can decide if some tweaking is needed. Next, have you measured your waist? Some people who were not losing weight found they had lost inches and so must have lost fat but gained water or muscle.

Thanks Caroline, I've used an online calculator for my TDEE and it comes out at about 2100. However, it's not very accurate as I don't really have a set daily pattern that I can apply - I've used what I think are averages. I reckon on a non fast day I would eat about 1500 twice a week and nearer 2200 on the remaining three days. By my calculation if you round the TDEE down to 2000 a day which is average then I'm consuming around 3400 fewer calories per week than the 14000 calories per week 'allowance' and therefore should be losing weight! My waist measurement hasn't changed at all!

[carorees]

Unfortunately the TDEE calculators are not very accurate. It could be that due to various errors in the system (TDEE, calorie calculations, exercise etc etc) you are not below your TDEE by as many calories as you think. You can either wait and see, because you probably have cut calories by something, or you can add another fast day or even half fast. A few people are having a go at doing a normal fast on Mon and Weds and then skipping breakfast and lunch on Friday. And of course adding more exercise will help!

Thanks, though it seems that the 5:2 FastDiet is not as simple as it sounds - at least for some of us. I have a friend who has been very successful splitting her 500 throughout the day, she does very little exercise generally but as she has more to lose than me she's tried to limit calories on non Fast days too - again seems to go against the ethos.....

Hi,

Whats TDEE? I track my calories on 'my fitness pal' app on my phone but I am only tracking on my fast days.. Saying that I have found that although im not counting my calories on my feast days I am definitely more aware of what I am eating and I would maybe look at the calories on something before I ate it.

Since weighing myself on Monday, I have lost another 2lb and this is also after having two feast days - I am really pleased

However, this diet seems to work differently for different people. My mum started the week before me and she has only lost 3lb. My husband lost in the first week but has since put the weight back on BUT he is definietly over compensating on his feast days!

Many people have been sucsessful on the 5:2 diet but it seems to be different for everybody and everybody loosing different amounts at different speeds.

I think you need to give this diet a good few months to make a decision as to whether it works for you or not but for me its probably the easiest 'diet' ive ever done!

xxx

Hi,

I would agree that it obviously seems to work better/faster for some than others. I'm reluctant to give up as I do like the concept, and like you find it not too difficult on Fast days. I've never stuck to something this long without seeing results though. TDEE is a personal calculation, according to various factors such as current weight, height, activity that works out how many calories you might burn in a day thus giving you a guide as to how many you need to drop in order to lose weight (or conversely to increase to gain weight, or to maintain weight). It's quite tricky though if you don't have a strict routine as you just get back to averages again! Olivia

I wanted to lose 6kgs and have lost 4 in the last 4,5 weeks. However, I was ill for a few days with a fever so didn't eat much then which probably added a kg or so to my overall weight loss. I don't over eat on the non fast days and am doing plenty of exercise (running and walking.
Good luck to everyone who is stuggling with losing weight. I don't think it is a quick weight loss for many people, but it is an easy and sustainable WOE.

I have just started this week (Fasted Monday and Wednesday). I weighed myself before starting Monday morning. I have a bad habit of weighing myself every day and I am seeing the scale go up and down all week. My question is - when should you weigh yourself to get an accurate respresentation of how the program is working? Should I just wait until the next Monday morning - before fasting? Or wait until Tuesday morning, after fasting Monday? I realize it will all 'average out' over time, but I feel if I weigh Monday (after non fast days Fri/Sat/Sun) it may show a very small weight loss, and I would find that dis-heartening. Any opinions?

[carorees]

I don't think it really matters once the first week is out of the way, as long as you choose the same interval between fasting and weighing each time. Anyhow, I suggest you weigh tomorrow (2nd) so you can join in our official monthly weigh in !