The FastDay Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm a new poster, though long time watcher and a few months of 52ing!

I'm getting married at the end of the year and was at my wits end at trying to lose a few lbs in preparation! Calorie counting every single day just seemed impossible for me. My future husband and I love our red wine, cheese and meals out (don't we all?!) which was why I wanted to try this out as it seemed more "sustainable". I'd heard all the hype about this and thought "what have I got to lose".

So, I tried it! And Wow!! I'm 8lbs lighter (3 and a bit Kg) with minimal effort! I love it!!!!! Most of it has come of my mid section which never usually happens which is fantastic as my wedding dress is quite tight around that area!

However, what I don't understand is all this TDEE stuff, watching what you eat on feed days etc. The whole point is that it's sustainable and easy by only calorie counting on 2 days of the week? Obviously not going massively overboard on feast days but still, not getting worked up if you go out to dinner. I have read so many posts about people getting upset and worrying that they've sabotaged their efforts by eating 510 calories on fast days, or had seconds of their favourite dinner on feed days, or many websites/apps giving them different TDEE's and they don't know what to do. I'm no expert by any means, but my advise KEEP IT SIMPLE!! That's the point!!

Didn't Dr M just say if you're F eat 500 cals on fast days and if you're M eat 600? Where has all this confusing hype come from? If I'd have thought I had to calculate my TDEE and watch what I eat everyday, I wouldn't have started this diet!

On my feast days, I eat what I want and drink..well that's another story!!

So to all you newbies, please try keeping it simple first! And if you feel you're over indulging on feed days (like I do ) then maybe re-think. But I definitely wouldn't advise working out to the exact calorie what you can eat on feed days! Come on.. this is a guilt free WOL! Lets live a little and not end up having eating disorders!

Princess

[Tracieknits]

I'm really happy it's working for you Princess! Welcome to the forums!

I do think, however, that it's not quite that easy for some of us. As you get older, your metabolism slows down a LOT, so what worked really well at 20 or 25 suddenly doesn't work so well. And then others of us have other issues we are dealing with, such as thyroid issues, which impact our ability to lose weight.

So yes, that simple does work for quite a few people and that's FANTASTIC! But some of us need to figure out our TDEE or what have you, and that's okay too

[Betsysgr8]

Welcome to the forum Princess! Congrats on your upcoming wedding. What you have said is so true! Keep it simple, then and only when it isn't working, re-think. So many take the 'fast' part to heart and expect something to happen quickly or they have a really great initial week and wonder what happened when they gain something back. That is when the patience and TDEE and re-thinking come into play. I really think it is important to try and maintain what you had been doing prior to fasting but it is very difficult for serial dieter's to adjust to 'normal'. It's always great to hear from those that adjust and succeed so quickly, it makes me realize I have to relax a little and just let it happen if i'm doing everything else to plan. Looking forward to hearing more of your progress and seeing a couple of pics in your wedding dress.

Hi Princess. Congrats on your wedding and on your weight loss. Like you, I don't bother with calorie counting except on fast days. It has worked for me, but depending on people's idea of "normal", it might not work for them. In that case, the TDEE is useful.

Another reason the TDEE is useful, especially for those of us with alot to lose, is that TDEE goes down as your weight goes down. It's important to be reminded of that.

Thanks Guys!

Yes, I understand to a certain extent, but still, it's slightly off putting for people who are lazy like me and folks new to all this to think that they have to count calories every day. Which is certainly not the point in this (from what I can gather).

Any who, everyone is different, so if counting calories every day works then go for it!! I just know I would fall straight off the wagon and really it wouldn't be any different to any other calorie counting diet!

I will keep you updated on the wedding..*STRESS!!*

Princess

Hi Princess. I agree with the simple bit. I don't want to calorie count forever except on fast days. It probably means my weight loss is slower than it might be but it is a loss and I don't want to lose heaps. I guess if it helps some people and they don't mind then go for it.
Good luck with all the wedding plans and don't stress over that either

Don't forget that old adage that stressed is just desserts backwards.

If it works for you go with it. The only way you will keep on this plan is to find what works and stick to it. It doesn't matter what the rest of the world is doing -if it works don't change anything.

I agree with everyone! The simplicity is appealing, but for some of us (thyroid again!) things are a bit slower.

In my opinion the value of working out TDEE and calorie counting on Non-Fast days is that Dr M talks about them as "Feast days" and about eating "normally" which for some people means going crazy and eating everything you can lay your hands on.
Personally I am careful with my calories on Non-Fast week-days but much more relaxed about weekends, although it does make me stop and think when I look how many calories alcohol has added to my day at weekends.
A friend's OH describes it as "banking" 4000 calories for use at weekends - now that's what I call a simple approach.

Hi princess I m glad it's working for you we all like to keep it simple BUT when you stop losing and you still want to lose it is suggested you look at yourTDEE none of us like counting calories but you need to at times to see how much you are over eating .Good luck with your wedding

I'm with you Princess - I am an old bag have under active thyroid, but meds now have that normal and I am losing weight, but I do mostly 4:3....however...if people stop losing, they have a few options,among them is TDEE & 7 day a week calorie counting, to keep the weight loss going...I choose to add more fast days and watch drinks/food on feed days (as suggested by Dr M). The thing is - you have to do what suits you - the thought of 3 fasts a week is abhorrent to some people, where cal counting 7 days a week and being extra cautious all the time is abhorrent to people like me, who live with the all or nothing approach Which is I am sure why this WOL suits my personality

BUT to start with I agree with the simple approach and see how you get on, before making it more complicated.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding Princess!

I'm with you on keeping it simple, I eat around 600 cals on fast days (I'm breastfeeding a toddler) and what I like on the other days, and to be honest I only roughly count calories on fast days, if I had to calorie count every day I couldn't do it!

That said, I'm losing weight like this at a steady rate, and if I stopped losing I guess I would have to tweak things a bit, first by counting calories properly on my fast days, then either by looking at my TDEE or adding in a third fast day. What I love about this though is that everyone does what they like, it's quite refreshing to read everyones way of doing things and then taking the ideas you like from it and not worrying about the rest!

Hi princess,
I actually find all the extra info and variations to the concept people are following fascinating and food for thought if you find your weight loss stalls. It seems to be there is a pattern where for a few people there comes a time to rethink 5:2.
If you don't feel the need to do anything other than 5:2 it's a wonderful way to go, absolutely agree with you that

Hi Princess, you are right butim guilty of counting cals on feast days too. I've been on too many diets where I don't lose weight. So far I've lost 3 kgs since I started in April. Are you losing weight eating as you like on non fast days?
Curious

Hi! I'm one of those people who had to re-think 5:2 when my weight loss stalled after 2 months on "simple" 5:2. It just stopped working for me. After some trials and errors I decided I don't want to count calories on any day and decided I need to simply eat less overall and eat a little less carbs. I cut down snacking to a minimum and reduced portion sizes in order to still lose weight. And it worked for me. At the moment I'm trying out 4:3 to see how that's working for me.

The beauty of fasting is that one can tweak it in order to suit their needs. And if one's desire to lose weight is much greater than their love of chocolate one will achieve their goal even if one has to make small sacrifices.