The FastDay Forum

Hi there everyone,

I'm fasting today... so thinking a lot about the whole 5.2 thing (and also about the home-made granola I'll be having for breakfast tomorrow).

Anyway, my question regards calories on feast days. I calorie count on myfitnesspal.com and I also log in the "real" exercise I take (like an hour of zumba). My net calorie intake on feast days is between 1800 and 2500 (even had a special day at 3600!!!! ).

I haven't seen any progress since I started on 5.2 (early in June) and I wondered if I should be more careful on feast days ? What do you think ? For those of you calorie counting, how much do you eat on a typical fast day ?

I read in Kate's recipe book of one lady (whose name I can't remember) who was eating 1200 calories on feast days... I'm sorry that's not what I call a "feast" ! I mean it's very little food... isn't it ? (I do eat healthy, organic and mainly homemade food every day of the week)

Thanks !

Oh and I also stick to 500 calories on fast days !

Hi and welcome:

You cannot eat all of anything you want on 'feast' days and expect to lose weight.

You need to figure out your TDEE and eat around that number on 'feast' days and 500 or fewer on 'fast' days to lose weight on 5:2.

This will help you with TDEE: 5-2-diet-chat-f6/topic6600.html

Bottom line is my signature.

What simcoeluv said - and he has a wonderful way of writing things! I found my TDEE and basically eat around it. TBH, some days I eat under (usually after a fast day), others I can eat WAYYYY over (weekends, usually). I figure if I average my TDEE over the 5 food days, I am doing well. If you check my chart, I have trended down with a couple of up blips.

Hiya!

I've lost 3kg in 2 weeks. I eat 500 on fast days. On a feast day it varies, I've been using myfitnesspal app, which allows shows the average daily calorie consumption over the week. Week 1 I ate on average 1,311 calories a day week 2 I ate on average 1,296 daily. This is including my fast days. I try to aim for 1500 calories on feast days I'm well of 1500 and other below....I eat when I'm hungry.

I would like to add I've loads of weight to lose and so far I've found this the only diet I've stuck to longer than a week!

I hope this helps.

Thanks, I will check that TDEE more seriously then !

Hi when I first started I looked into calorie counting to see how many there was In few select items chicken fillet etc and make each fast day similar, Cajun chicken with massive salad or loads of steamed veg.
I'm doing 4:3 and save my calories for evening meal on each of my 3 fastdays now consists of a 2 course meal this is to make it feel like a reward for going the 24hrs * over the weekend I eat + drink what I want But one of these 3 nights I include a semi fast where I go the 24hrs and eat whatever I want knowing it will come in under my TDEE. Leaving one more night where I eat as normal, all my feed days I'm careful what I eat making more healthier choices and trying to reduce my Carb intake as this was a big portion of my meals all these are ideas that I've learned along the way with the help of this forum and they work for me personally, when they stop to work I shall take stock again and start to calorie count instead of my guestimation. Good Luck Sue

I don't count calories, but I also don't weigh myself, so I'm not much for measuring anything it seems! The one thing I do is try to eat like I normally eat and not overdo it too much. I also added a 1/2 fast on Friday, and that has seemed to pick up the pace a little... as far as I can tell by measuring my waist (the thickest belly button measurement part of my waist). I'm between 3-4 good inches off there! So obviously there are changes - and less calories when I'm not eating.