The FastDay Forum

Hi to everyone, this is my first post on the forum, but I have been doing this WOE since 3 August 2012 - I started by combining fasting with a 1200 calorie a day diet. I was very highly motivated, and as part of the 1200 calorie restriction, I also eliminated as much sugar as seemed feasible, and tried to eliminate as much snacking as I could achieve. This was very effective, and i lost 2 stone in 9 weeks, but I found it very restrictive and after reaching that milestone, I relaxed the regime, aiming at, but sometimes exceeding 1400-1500 on eating days and sticking to the 5:2 500s. Weightloss slowed significantly and after 9 weeks I still had 5 lbs of the next stone to lose, so I moved to 4:3, and allowed myself a little more on eating days. That had a dramatic effect and I reached 18 stone in around 2 weeks. I relaxed a bit over Christmas, but did fast on some days, and was back to 18 stone by 7 January - where I am now still afterover three weeks, because I found fasting when it was really cold very difficult and my discipline has slipped a bit. I want to get back to fasting 4:3, and hopefully to losing more weight as the spring gets hold. I also plan to add cycling to my minimal exercise programme of dog walking and occasional swimming. I don't know if my experience sheds any more light - I hope so.

[carorees]

Hi Liz

Welcome to the forum.

We really welcome your insights an old hand at this fasting thing!

I'm interested to know whether your big slow down occurred after losing about 10% of your body weight? That is what I have read is a big hurdle and I've reached the 10% mark and had the first slight gain last week, so I'm thinking of going to 4:3 if I don't get a decrease again soon!

Hi Caroline - coincidentally the big slow down was after 2 stone-ish, which was about 10% of my original body weight. So there might be something in your theory. Losing 2 stone does affect the amount of calories your metabolism uses too. The calculators reckon I need about 400 less a day, so the diet deficit which was close to 10,000 calories a week would have dropped - even before I started to relax my discipline somewhat.
There's still so much to find out about how this works and the best ways to achieve our goals.
Liz

[carorees]

Yes, that is interesting. 10% is though a 'magic figure' for seeing improvements in blood chemistry too, so reaching that point is great at least! Oddly, I noticed that last week my daily average had dropped a lot from around 1500 to 1600 a day (averaged out including the fast days) to 1300 and that coincided with no weight loss. I am trying to eat a bit more on feed days this week to see if there is any link. I don't really mind how long it takes to get the weight off as long as I know it will come off eventually. Trouble is, there's not many who have completed the journey before us so we're walking in the dark!

I have been eating around 1900 cals on feast days. I have wondered if its too much .This is my first week so I'd really like to know whcih way to go.I assumed 1900 would be ok since 2000 seems to be the recommended amount for a woman.
Barbara

I have been eating around 1900 cals on feast days. I have wondered if its too much .This is my first week so I'd really like to know whcih way to go.I assumed 1900 would be ok since 2000 seems to be the recommended amount for a woman.
Barbara

2000 is "average" or typical. If your short and have small frame or low activity level it may need to be less.

Example a basal metabolic rate around 1400 is possible, 30% extra energy used in a sedentary job etc takes you to 1820 calories.

[carorees]

Barbara, why not check out your daily requirements using the TDEE calculator? You'll find a link to it in the Essential links post within the Resources section. If you find your TDEE is less than 2000, you are supposed to drop your fast day cals accordingly (should be ¼ of TDEE)

Hi Caroline and PhilT,I have done this on a 'full body analysis calculator.
What came up (shortened version )
Frame large
body fat 33%
lean mass 67%
resting metabolism 1370 cals/day (57 cals per hour)
average actual metabolism 2124 cals /day
I have a physical job and also walk alot but dont do gymn stuff.
Just for interest I'll try that again in the Essential links.
thanks, Barbara

[carorees]

Hi Barbara

Well that calculation shows that around 2000 is right for you, so you should be fine to carry on as you are and not worry if you have a bit more on feast days I would think.

Warning - long ramble follows!

It hadn't occurred to me to count calories on feed days until it was mentioned so often on this forum, since this approach didn't crop up in my background reading as being relevant to 5:2. I have been thinking long and hard about it, and I have decided that I will definitely not be counting calories on feed days. I have counted calories before (and points, and syns, and carbs, and fat units, and dear knows what else) and I know that is not a viable long term solution for me. Starting counting calories with the aim of ceasing counting sounds just like all those weight maintenance/consolidation plans I have failed to follow over the past three decades. One day I will stop counting, and the weight will creep on again.

Most of the women I know have dieted on and off throughout their adult lives -- and of these women, how many have kept off the weight for a period longer than a couple of years? One. That's it, out of all my friends and acquaintances. And that friend achieves her weight maintenance by continuing to count the points of everything she eats, six or seven years after reaching her target weight. She never lets go, never looks at food without assessing it, and simply doesn't enjoy food guiltlessly even on special occasions. I don't want to have to count things for ever.

Yes, by deliberately lowering my calorie intake below normal on feed days, I could lose weight faster, and clearly I would need to count calories if I wanted to be sure that I was doing that -- but I struggle to see how that approach is any different to calorie restriction diets that I undertook in the past (yes, I have dieted on 500 calories a day before, a long time ago). And I know that although I lose weight on such diets, they don't work for me as an ongoing lifestyle.

Obviously, I need to take my feed-day eating in hand somehow, but I plan to do that just by trying to eat more responsibly and not being so greedy. I have read that appetite settles into a normal, reduced pattern after three weeks or so of 5:2, which should help. But if I never stop counting calories, I will never give my body the opportunity to do make this change naturally.

Will my approach work? Time will tell. I think it's worth a try, though.

This is my approach too. I rebel against rules so endlessly restricting calls drives me barmy & sets me up to fail. We need to see what happens with the different ways.

Barbara, why not check out your daily requirements using the TDEE calculator? You'll find a link to it in the Essential links post within the Resources section. If you find your TDEE is less than 2000, you are supposed to drop your fast day cals accordingly (should be ¼ of TDEE)

Having just done this i discover my feast days should consist of 955 calories. That seems very little as im only having 500 on my fast days! However i've a lot of weight to shift and not yet finished my 1st week im already 3lbs lighter. And i certainly dont overeat on my fast days.

I'm happy with the way things are going at the moment. Not sure how i will feel if i suddenly stop loosing the weight. Its certainly a roller coaster ride. But im sticking to it.

[carorees]

Are you sure about that? The calculator gives you your BMR and TDEE. the BMR might be under 1000 (but I doubt it), can't see how TDEE could be so low!

A good topic and one I've been thinking about for a while now. I think its the notion that you can "eat what you want" on your feed days that causes the confusion. My understanding is that the original study in America was on true Alternate Day Fasting where the subjects literally ate anything and everything on alternate days. My guess is that you are in such a calorie deficit that this would be ok, however as most of us are on the far less restrictive 2 days out of 7 regime then its sensible to limit yourself to what feels right on the feed days.
However, what feels right to one person will feel like pigging out to another, and vice versa. If, like me, you have spent most of your adult life avoiding high fat, high sugar type foods then its nigh on impossible to let yourself go and eat whatever you fancy on feed days.

I am wondering if I am making a mistake by having three small meals on fast day , should I go for a long period without eating ?not sure I could manage that !