The FastDay Forum

Personally, I don't exactly "deduct", I just try to balance things up on the next day with eating a light lunch or not eating anything sweet or both.

Thank you!
Prob best to decide tmw when I'm sober!!!

Thank you!
Prob best to decide tmw when I'm sober!!!

Good call, LOL!
Although I don't think that you had way too many calories today...

I have one literal 'feast' day per week (pizza, burgers, chocolate, the works), the rest I'm either fasting or eating just bellow TDEE.

Hi, MGM. I neither count calories, or eat everything! There is a middle road which is working for me. I have calorie counted, recording everything for years (I'm 64) as I have yo-yo dieted. When I decided to lose my one and a half stone excess (again!) at the end of January, I started back in the old way, weighing and recording everything on spreadsheets etc and strictly controlling my calories on the days when I wasn't fasting, as well as when I was. After three weeks of this I was losing weight but I went away on holiday and couldn't weigh and record everything, so I decided that if this WOE was for life, then the calorie counting had to stop!

Since then, seven weeks on, the only thing I weigh is my morning muesli because it is very easy to underestimate it and eat a lot more that you think you are. My food choices are based on what I would like to eat, rather than what I should eat. Of course I am pretty good at 'guesstimating' the calories in things after all these years but generally I am finding that I just don't bother.

What I have discovered is that my food choices are much better than when I was strictly counting and I am much better at feeling the difference between 'wanting' to eat and 'needing' to eat! I am not perfect though and have had the occasional binge when the 'munchies' strike, usually after a glass or two of wine! I don't let is bother me though, I just get back to eating properly and put it behind me. Usually I find that it is no big deal and, if it slows my weight loss for the week, it doesn't really matter because I have the rest of my life to lose weight!

This WOE is working for me and my husband and I really think that this time I may lose my weight and keep it off for good!

Good luck to all of you on your weight loss journey.

I have a lot of weight to lose so I am roughly tracking my calories for the whole week. I do still have some binge eating days up to about 3000 cals or so but I also have some days where it is more like 1700 plus of course my fast days which have been between 550-750 cals... I have lost about 15lb in 4.5 weeks.... It has got slower the last 2 weeks but that is normal. I am exercising on top too.... I think if you don't have a lot to lose then you can "get away" with not calorie counting.... If you easily over-eat like me and would otherwise have too much chocolate etc it is safer to calorie count.... There have been studies that suggest that just be keeping a food diary you will eat less....

I keep track of my calories so I can learn to eat to my TDEE. As I am becoming more confident that I am keeping within my daily limit I don't count everything but once every so often I just do a daily calorie count to make sure I am still eating around my TDEE as it is very easy for me to underestimate my intake and find that if left unchecked my daily calorie intake slowly creeps up.

So overall I am finding that I calorie count on my two fast days and maybe once a week or so to ensure I stay on track. On top of this I allow ne meal a week when nothing is off limits, cake, chocolate, pasta, I am free to enjoy with no guilt.

Hi Frog we have similar stats, bmi, start date, weight loss. I am very strict on fast days always 500 or less. I tried to count calories on feed days but I gave up. I've counted calories for sooooooo long that I just don't want to anymore. I just eat reasonably healthy and try not to drink too much. My biggest problem this weekend is that I'm baking a lot of bread and keep wanting to eat the hot crusty ends with loads of butter.

I don't count calories on my feed days as such but I do log all my food on My Fitness Pal, mainly because I wanted to get an idea of the number of calories I consume. Interestingly it seems to naturally vary from one day to the next, more or less averaging out to my TDEE over the five days. In three and a bit weeks on 5:2 I have lost almost five kilos which I'm very happy about! I have noticed that I'm more mindful of my eating now, and have almost totally stopped snacking between meals without consciously deciding to do so.

G'day Wine, nice to see another Aussie on the forum (I have noticed there are a few of us). I bake bread too (I am a big fan of Peter Reinhart). What I tend to do on days where I have overindulged on a normal eating day is I tend to not eat breakfast the following morning - my thinking being that I ate my "breakfast" the night before when I was eating all that yummy fresh bread.

My thinking is along the lines that I am trying to eat an average of my TDEE on my eating days. So on my one meal a week where I eat whatever I want I usually have a small breakfast, no lunch or maybe a piece of fruit and a small serve of yoghurt and then a large dinner. If I calorie count for the day I am usually pretty close to TDEE.

My next experiment will be to eat 400cals on my fasting day. I was eating 500 but my TDEE is about 1650 so to eat about 1/4 of my daily calorie intake I need to reduce my fasting intake a little. I am going to give it a month and see how I go.

Hi Frog we have similar stats, bmi, start date, weight loss. I am very strict on fast days always 500 or less. I tried to count calories on feed days but I gave up. I've counted calories for sooooooo long that I just don't want to anymore. I just eat reasonably healthy and try not to drink too much. My biggest problem this weekend is that I'm baking a lot of bread and keep wanting to eat the hot crusty ends with loads of butter.

Hi MGM. I think your plan sounds good. I fast twice a week on Mondays and Thursday. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday I tend to eat a little below TDEE and stick to whole, clean foods but on weekends I tend to truly feast with lots of eating out and treats Have lost 15 lbs in 10 weeks doing it this way.

It means I'm eating roughly 500 cals on fast days, under 2000 cals (but not too much under!) on non-fast weekdays and then often as much as 3000 cals on both weekend days (as we go out / socialise alot on weekends).

I feel absolutely no guilt around food anymore even if I pig out on ice cream and garlic bread because now I now it's all about balance and besides, my metabolism is constantly kept guessing and is firing on all cylinders as a result.

I don't count calories on 5:2 because that's all I did when on a calorie controlled diet last year and so now I have a good idea of correct/normal portion sizes. But fasting has improved my appetite for healthier, cleaner foods and also reduced my appetite so I think I'm now naturally eating like a naturally slim person.

I don't count calories on my feed days as such but I do log all my food on My Fitness Pal, mainly because I wanted to get an idea of the number of calories I consume. Interestingly it seems to naturally vary from one day to the next, more or less averaging out to my TDEE over the five days. In three and a bit weeks on 5:2 I have lost almost five kilos which I'm very happy about! I have noticed that I'm more mindful of my eating now, and have almost totally stopped snacking between meals without consciously deciding to do so.

AirR - I'm doing the same. I'm finding MyFitnessPal really useful in educating myself re calories in all the little snacks (eg handful of pistachios) as well as meals. Until I feel confident in knowing how much I can eat to stay within my TDEE over the week, I'm going to carry on counting! I'm sure it's a real chore for people who've been cal counting or point watching for years, but it's new to me - I think that's why my weight has crept up!

Good luck everyone, whether you count or not!

I counted calories on non fast days for a couple of weeks when my weight stayed the same.
The weight moved and I'm losing the average 1lb a week.
I don't count calories now. If I've really had a lot of socializing without constraint I will do the odd 4:3 or mini fast i.e no breakfast or lunch and normal dinner....no seconds. Lol.
It has helped me to not weigh myself too often. Every 2 weeks or more as I was becoming obsessed about the scales and a bit discouraged.

My interpretation is it's all about averages. If it takes a 35,000 kal reduction to lose a lb of fat then that's what it takes. You either have to adjust the amount of kcals on you next fast or feed day, or add in another fast day, or up your exercise. I personally hate calorie counting, it takes all the joy out of food for me when I have to spend ages working out how much this and that are going to cost me, so my aim is to 4:3 it when I'm able until I've got to my target weight.

Hi MGM,
I completely agree with Stowgate Resident, I could have written the post myself. I also never count calories, but just try to eat a healthier balanced diet most of the time. Although the weight loss is slow for me, I know I'll be able to stick to this, as it's so easy, so I'm quite happy if it takes a bit longer.

Rufus, you're absolutely right. I don't think any us are overweight because of 'hunger', we just enjoy the tastes, the sensations, feelings etc of nice food a bit too much. I can be completely stuffed after a nice meal, but if I wasn't mindful, I could still manage to put away a huge bag of crisps, as they're not at all filling, but I just love that salty crunch!!
I am finding though, that being on 5:2, my tastes and habits are slowly improving. I never thought I'd miss vegetables for example, but I do find myself making better choices most of the time. I hope this happens for you too, as it's so much easier than relying on willpower alone!