The FastDay Forum

I've been doing 5:2 for almost two months now (started on 22 Feb). In that time I've managed to put on 8 pounds! My problem is that I;ve been overcompensating on feed days (more like feast days to me lol). I'd hoped the desire to do this would have wained but it hasn't. So. For the past week I've been caloreie counting using My Fitness Pal online. And a week later I've lost a pound! Not a lot but any loss is motivating after such a shambolic 2 months.

I just wanted to flag this up in case there's anyone in the same boat. I'd hoped that I would not have to calorie count on feed days. However on the good side I don't have to go rock bottom on the calories every day. I've been experimenting on wildly varying my intake. For example in the past week I've had two days fasting,three days at approx 1650 cals and two days at approx 1000 cals. This brings me in at almost 1200 cals a day averaged over the week.

This is working for me and although it's a faff counting cals I don't feel deprived as there are a number of days a week that my caloric intake is high enough to allow for some treats. I guess as we're all pioneers for this woe then it's a case of trial and error in deciding what suits.

I haven't lost any weight in over a month. Just remember the other five days are "feed" days, not "feast" days. You can't go crazy and eat everything you want. The fast days give you a boost but in order for the diet to work, you have to eat responsibly and in moderation. You know how to do it... keep trying.

Thanks Rufus - yes you're right for the diet to work you simply cannot afford to overeat on feed days. I have difficulty eating in moderation which is what made me fat in the first place lol! So it's calore counting for now me so I eat around my TDEE averaged over the week.

This is working for me and although it's a faff counting cals I don't feel deprived as there are a number of days a week that my caloric intake is high enough to allow for some treats. I guess as we're all pioneers for this woe then it's a case of trial and error in deciding what suits.

Thinks this sums it up Esmeralda - you hopefully have found what will work for you - follow this regime for a while and then you'll just get the hang of calorific values and won't have to count so specifically. Good luck - hope the next 2 months are better for you

I think I am going to have to start calorie counting a bit on feast days, I haven't gained, but I haven't lost either, and I am worried I might be overcompensating a bit.

[Moogie]

I've only lost half a pound in the last 3 weeks, but I'm not too worried for now - a plateau was sort of inevitable after so long. Regarding the weight gain, I always say that feed days should be however you would normally eat before doing 5:2, assuming you weren't already losing weight or putting it on. If you were gaining before you were probably overeating, and a couple of days of low cal isn't going to make up for a massive weekly overeat enough to lose weight.

This is working for me and although it's a faff counting cals I don't feel deprived as there are a number of days a week that my caloric intake is high enough to allow for some treats. I guess as we're all pioneers for this woe then it's a case of trial and error in deciding what suits.

Thinks this sums it up Esmeralda - you hopefully have found what will work for you - follow this regime for a while and then you'll just get the hang of calorific values and won't have to count so specifically. Good luck - hope the next 2 months are better for you

Thankyou Suchard. I think it's going to work for me now and as you say I might be better able to gauge my intake without counting as the weeks go by. I really hope so anyway - this is the only fly in the ointment for me since I find the actual fasting days are fine. Thanks to all for your comments.

same here, I was definitely over compensating and put on after an initial loss. I also worked out that my two fast days i only really achieve a calorie deficit of about 2,500 which doesn't equate to much if I over eat on other days. It's not enough to loose weight. Although I have done other diets I have never really calorie counted so I am finding it a real faff and confusing but I will get used to it.
I have not lost since I cut back but it hasn't been long enough yet I don't think.
Good luck!

Thankyou Mrs H-R. Have you tried My Fitness Pal? It's very useful for counting calories and logging them in a daily diary. It has a range of tools and a huge database of foods and provides shortcuts to logging your frequently chosen meals. Here's the link -

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

I found an interesting article in the Canadian Medicine Asociation journal in which it shows that compensatory overeating has been shown in mice who fasted for 24 hours twice a week:

"Caloric restriction, undernutrition without malnutrition, is the only experimental approach consistently shown to prolong survival in animal models," Freedland and colleagues stated in a study on the effects of intermittent fasting on prostate cancer growth in mice (Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2010;13:350-5). In the study, mice fasted twice a week for 24 hours, but were otherwise permitted to eat at liberty. During nonfasting days, the mice overate. Overall, they did not lose weight, counteracting whatever benefits they might have seen from fasting. Intermittent fasting with compensatory overeating "did not improve mouse survival nor did it delay prostrate tumor growth," the study concluded.

[carorees]

The problem with all the studies in rodents are that 24 hours for a mouse with a lifespan of a couple of years is a huge length of time compared with a human! After 24 his without food a mouse is starving...we are weeks away from starving by contrast.

I found a good article that explains this here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2311

[Tracieknits]

I think I am going to have to start calorie counting a bit on feast days, I haven't gained, but I haven't lost either, and I am worried I might be overcompensating a bit.

I would start by not calling them feast days. I am not trying to be snarky, I just want to point out how powerful our words are. We shouldn't be looking at our normal days as feasting days because the term really gives license to overeat.

I suspect that it's easier to control your eating on a feed day than it is to control your eating on a feast day. So simply changing the words you use might help a lot.

Edited to add - I don't even use the term "fast days" myself. I call them repair days. I think it makes me feel less deprived.

Or maybe I'm just a little nuts

Oh Es, thats a real bummer.

Good though that you can make calorie counting work.

I have always logged my calories, and I am kinda getting the hang of it, even yesterday with homemade pizza and scooby snacks for the 11 year old sons birthday tea! (3025 cals OMG!!) and that was with me choosing to base my pizza with egg and courgette!!!

It's been nearly 11 weeks of this, with one week off, and I think I get it allot more now.

I like fasting, but on it's own, for me, I will put on weight as I am likely to overeat on a "normal" day.

I am at a bit of an impasse now, do I fast every other day, and have a drink on a couple of days, or just eat properly every day, and not have a drink. To me the later is sensible and doable, and more consistent.

Hmm not sure.

The problem with all the studies in rodents are that 24 hours for a mouse with a lifespan of a couple of years is a huge length of time compared with a human! After 24 his without food a mouse is starving...we are weeks away from starving by contrast.

I found a good article that explains this here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2311

Thanks Carorees - interesting stuff. Makes it very difficult to extrapolate from rodents to humans in relation to these issues.

Hi Boboff - oooh decisions decisions. Why isn't life ever simple hey lol! So you do ADF at the moment? How is that working out for you in relation to feed days? Do you find it a sustainable woe?

No it's not sustainable, it takes allot of mental "commitment" which i haven't always got. I am only doing it as I over did it over Easter. In fact today I was pondering still further, in the end I opted for 40 minutes in the Gym, 45 minutes swimming, then popped and got a 14oz Rump Steak, had it with carrots and ratatouille, low carbs, low fat, two glasses of Rioja... I feel full, warm muscles, still not eaten more calories than I have exercised (just) I fasted for 19 hours as well..