The FastDay Forum

I haven't read all the replies but I will tell you how I see it.
First of all, there is no way to lose weight unless somehow you restrict what goes in your body. In order to get fat, one has probably eaten their way to being overweight/obese. And they have to not eat their way back to normal BMI.
Secondly, the amount of calories we eat on non-fast days is basically instructed by our TDEE. In order for someone to have a TDEE of 1300, they probably are either short or thin or both, which means that they probably want to lose weight while they are already within the healthy BMI range and that is not an easy task. You need to restrict more in order to do that.
Third, why is fasting a misery? OK, it is not the best pleasure of life but it is not a misery either.
And, last -but not least- each to their own. If a person decides to eat 1300 calories for 5 days and 500/600 calories for 2 days and by that they lose weight and they are happy... who are we to judge???

Dear TML
Did you try a diet of 1200-1300 cals a day with some exercise? i'm short and thin and would lose weight on such a diet w/o fasting.

Speaking as 5ft 3in and currently 10st 4lbs with a BMI as you can see in my tracker. I am 54 years old do 30 mins a day on a cross trainer every day apart from days when I run 5km. - I am with TML, if a strategy works for you it works for you

I'll add my two cents to this thread, as I just saw it today. I have found that I eat less calories than I used too, on days of normal eating, as long as I am home and not eating out with my wife or others. We just don't feel that hungry it seems. Both being retired, we don't have the temptations at a work environment anymore. We are both on 5:2 and found the fast days to be quite tolerable. It helps to keep busy, especially in the evening, where the temptation and thoughts of food get stronger. The knowedge that you can eat what you want on non fast days helps me mentally on fast days. We seem to be satisfied with less food on regular eating days. As I digress, I am still amazed how this 5:2 fasting really seems like a forever way of eating. The deprivation factor isn't there! It is fun to find foods and recipes to try and keep within the allotted calories but yet get satisfed with some bulk.

Dear TML
Did you try a diet of 1200-1300 cals a day with some exercise? i'm short and thin and would lose weight on such a diet w/o fasting.

Personally I got on starvation mode with a 1200 calories diet but my TDEE is 1500. My mum who is very short and thin and has a TDEE of 1250, now that she does 5:2, she has to eat that amount on her non-fast days.
It's really simple...

Einatbl
One question ,are you short ,thin and middle aged?
I am short and thin and older
When I was young I could lose weight by exercising a lot but now ,I don't feel like running and although I do yoga( power) and Pilates almost every day and am quite an active person ,the only way for me to lose weight is to cut my calories
Mind you,my husband has been telling me for years that being shorter means I have to,eat less than larger people,sigh
I don't mind fasting ,and am enjoying skipping breakfast and eating less.enjoying the weight loss too

Sarahg. I'm short, thin and 46 years old. Unfortunately your hubby is probably right, we, small people can't eat the same as larger people and maintain or lose weight. It took me years of excercising to get to the point that I enjoy it and on the one day a week that i don't, I feel like I'm missing something...I'm happy for you that you found the right formula for losing weight.

It isn't just small people. I'm 5'8" and don't think I'm thin (even with a low BMI°, but I find it just as hard to maintain weight as you smaller people. And I run 5kms and walk a few more every day. I just like food too much....and not just vegetables.

TML. Your short thin mum... Is she trying to lose weight? Did she try other diets?
Really, Most people, even the short type will lose weight doing WW, CR etc...and she is already doing CR (1250 cals) so why add the fasting to that. Did it not work w/o the fast days?
I think that 1250+5:2 might bring somebody into starvation mode... I have to say that I do love 5:2 but only if you could eat reasonably on feed days and I think that whatever diet you do to lose weight you can maintain it with 5:2 which is sustainable in contrast to other diets.

Hi
I see that many in the forum decide to restrict their calorie intake in non- fasting days and it puzzles me. why? Because this is much much worse than any regular diet such as WW or any other regime of eating less and exercising more since you don't just do that you also have 2 fasting days every week, so I ask why do people who have to do this to lose weight stick with this WOL, which is unsustainable. The idea of eating regularly with some indulgence from time to time is appealing and it make sense then to have 2 days of relative misery every week, but to fast 2 days and to be on a diet for the rest of the week, how is this sustainable? I wonder how many people do that and for how long? Do you lose more weight than you did on other diets?

I'm a calorie-counter, so I thought I'd add my experience to answer this question. I suppose there are as many different answers as there are people who are 5:2-ing.

I love my fast days. They are not 'miserable' for me - though they are challenging at times. I LOVE the challenge. I love learning to recognise my body's hunger signals - something I've ignored for years! I love how easy it is (as far as meal preparation goes) to manage my fast days. I get up half an hour later because I don't have to make anything to take with me for lunch. Supper is easy-peasey because I do some sort of protein in the crock pot - chicken breast, pork chops, pot roast - and a huge veggie salad. I eat only at supper time, and aside from the occasional hunger pangs that are easily managed with a big glass of water and keeping busy, I feel great all day. I go for a walk during my lunch break at work. I feel strong and energetic and when I feel and manage the hunger pangs, I feel empowered. I can finally - FINALLY - control food/my eating patterns without letting them control ME.

It's thrilling.

On my "feed" days, I still keep track of my calories and try to be cautious. My TDEE is roughly 2,000 based on my activity level, so I try to eat under 1700 calories per day on my feed days because I do still want to loose weight. This is much better than the 1200 calories 'My Fitness Pal' says I should stay under.

I do this because I want to 'eat normally' at a maintenance level for the weight loss I want to achieve and I want to lose weight as quickly as I can while being safe and healthy. If I let myself 'eat normally' for what was my old 'normal', I doubt I would lose weight very quickly at all. My old 'normal' was causing me to *gain* at a slow but terrifyingly steady pace.

I will never stop fasting now that I've learned how great it makes me feel - I will do the 6:1 or perhaps 16:8 that people have mentioned for maintenance. But I am a person who can consume thousands of calories in a day - even sometimes at one *meal*! Counting calories helps me be aware of my various 'weak spots' so I can develop a healthier relationship with food every day, not just fast days.

But I am not miserable. And on days when I go over my self-selected 1700 calorie mark, I don't beat myself up over it. I'm finding this way of life far more sustainable than any other 'weight loss plan' I've ever tried.

Why continue? Because I feel great!!

Shanti, of course you are not miserable. you are eating 1700 cals in feed days. I'm talking about less than 1300. I am too an avid calorie counter and happy about this WOL, which I'm doing now to maintain my weight.

Einatbl what exercise do you do?i used to love the gym ,did lots of aerobics and running but for the past year have really got into my power yoga.i love it and then do 2pilates sessions a week so that doesn't leave time for the gym bit keep promising myself I should at least go for a walk.

Seems for this to work for me I have to still count calories on nonfast days
This weekend I ate normally ,no junk and put on the pound I had lost last week
So fasting today .i think it looks like a plateau but I almost at goal so as long a I don't put on weight I am happy
Franglaise,you are right I think some people just put on weight more easily
My husband is not tall(compared to me he is huge) only walks twice a week ,eats a fortune and is skinny.his Mum is the same
But one thing with both of them ,they never eat between meals ,just huge meals
Something to think about

Sarahg, I wouldn't be too worried about 1 pound . You should expect fluctuations in your weight on any diet and more so on the 5:2. As for excercise, I do aerobics- cross training and jogging for 180 min a week and twice a week 30 min of weight training.i workout 6 days a week and this is the first thing I do in the morning ( after a coffee and a small breakfast). I have a threadmill, an elliptical and a weight training machine in my basement, so I'm not dependent on the weather and don't have to waste time getting to the gym. Occasionally when I feel like it i run outside.

So impressed with your motivation.i find it hard to exercise at home
I bought a skipping rope thinking it would be good cardio but its still in its box.
Off to yoga now

TML. Your short thin mum... Is she trying to lose weight? Did she try other diets?
Really, Most people, even the short type will lose weight doing WW, CR etc...and she is already doing CR (1250 cals) so why add the fasting to that. Did it not work w/o the fast days?
I think that 1250+5:2 might bring somebody into starvation mode... I have to say that I do love 5:2 but only if you could eat reasonably on feed days and I think that whatever diet you do to lose weight you can maintain it with 5:2 which is sustainable in contrast to other diets.

WW is a joke and 1250 is not CR if it is your TDEE...