The FastDay Forum

Hello

Einatbl is right fasting and 1300 calories isn't sustainable!

I have had about 6 weeks of not fasting, and I have put on 10lb!

I was calorie counting and netting after exercise ala MFP probably less than 1300, with a TDEE of 2400 it just wasn't enough, I got fed up, and actually a tad depressed so have knocked it on the head for a bit. However today starting again, and going to fast on Weds and Sat this week, see how I get on!

Hi Boboff, was wondering where you'd got to. Good luck with the re-fasting this week

Hi Boboff
I wish you good luck. I hope you'll find a sustainable way to lose weight and keep it away.
Hi TML
WW is not a joke. It was shown time and again to be effective for losing weight, maintaining of course is another story as with many other diets.
1250 cals is CR and if that is what somebody eats 5 days a week and 500 cals in the other 2 days, I'm not sure that they get all the required nutrients.
I would aim to increase my TDEE by adding some physical activity.
Of course you can do what you want but I don't see how you can sustain that.

As I previously said, each to their own.
We don't all have the same TDEE, we aren't all capable of exercising and some of us think that turning food into points is a good joke.


Bob, good to see you again! Don't go MIA again on us, OK?

I agree I love the fast days, find it all quite relaxing if I want something I know I can have it another day rather than crave it, then I find on non fast days I dont eat as much because I know I can have it if I want so I tend not to want it.

That is exactly how I feel and, I think, is the essence of what makes this way of living different.

Another good discussion worth reading/contributing to from mid 2013 if you are new.

i just think there was a lot in the early part of 2013 discussed that is valuable.

Some people are lucky. Others like me have a TDEE of around 1400. To lose weight I need to stick to this AND fast twice a week. I might shave a few grams, but to show a bigger difference I need to 4:3 and add 16:8 into the mix.

If I go over my TDEE I gain.

But it is more than about losing weight. I fast for the health benefits.

Mine is just a bit higher than yours, rawkaren. I wouldn't be surprised if it's even lower than the calculator says, given that I've lost almost 30% of my starting weight (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magaz ... wanted=all ). I don't count on non-fast days, but to lose I was doing 4:3, and trying not to go too crazy on the 4. I'm curious to find out what it will take to maintain!

To lose weight doing 5:2 I needed to stick to TDEE (using MFP) on my normal days. When I hit target I stopped counting and started 6:1- obv I was eating too much because I was putting weight back on even before Christmas. Finding the right personal formula for maintenance, WITHOUT having to constantly calorie count is going to be the key for me.

I put on weight because I ate too much! I have also been over many years a yo yo dieter losing weight on one of the popular "diets" in my case mostly low fat calorie controlled diets. I have never managed to maintain that weight loss because I enjoy food.
Since starting 5:2 ing nearly a year ago now I have completely re-educated myself regarding the type of food I eat which is now largely natural unprocessed food with a higher fat content that includes butter, olive oil & coconut oil. The trans fat, preservatives & high sugar in many so called low cal foods worry me so if I do eat a ready meal I carefully check the ingredients just to make sure I recognise they are less adulterated & processed. I still do eat some M & S & Waitrose ready foods such as fish pie or Fuller Longer meals sometimes to keep me out of the kitchen.
On eating days I do keep a running calorie total of what I do eat to keep within my TDEE but do not regard that as calorie counting but rather a continuing re-education process to keep me on track to lose weight. I enjoy fast days as a control for me to listen to my body & to emphasise to myself that I really can go all day on fluids until supper & not collapse in a heap or feel uncontrolled hunger, it still amazes me I can easily do this!!
This WOE still amazes me because it is so simple & enables me to still enjoy food, socialise with food & not feel guilty about eating what I like, but in more reasonable portions now. My appetite has much reduced although I can still be seduced into eating more than my 5ft 3inches petite frame will tolerate & I am still fat & needing to continue to lose weight. However this WOE has become a way of life for me that I am currently tweaking trying 4:3 to speed my slow weight loss. Everyone can learn to listen to their body & re-educate their eating by following 5:2 & it's variations but for me I do need to record what I eat to keep on track & lose to weight. After all eating just what I wanted every day before is what made me FAT!

[carorees]

I have been doing this since the beginning of March mostly for maintenance and I find it nice to be able to indulge myself from time to time and eat reasonably on feed days, but I can't say I enjoy fasting, although I don't suffer much either, however if I had to choose between a regular diet of eating 1200-1300 cals 7 days a week with some excercise and fasting 2 days (500 cals) and eating 5 days 1200-1300 calories ( or even less as I see in some posts) I would have to choose the first.

I haven't bothered to re-read all the posts in this thread, but the above is the main crux of the OP.

My answer is that if someone has to fast 2 days a week and then eat 1200-1300cal on feed days in order to lose weight, then if they just dropped the fasting days they would likely gain weight, they would have to drop to 1100cal every day to lose weight so the logic in the question was slightly flawed. I think that Einatbl's premise is that the exercise would replace the fasting but unfortunately, this is unlikely as many studies have shown that exercise does not affect weight loss very much.

Having said that, if the person needs to eat so little because they have thyroid or other metabolic problems then they should probably see their doctor. Of course if their TDEE is so low because they are very short, then there is no other option...gain weight or use fasting to lower the calorie intake.

And, of course, there are the potential added benefits of using fasting to lower calorie intake that you don't get by just eating very small amounts 5 times a day which is the current 'official' health advice!

A lot of familiar names on this thread - but where are they now? I would really love to know if they are still following this WOE, maintaining or have just thrown in the towel.
After a year, I'm still here and very happy with my WOE.

Mine is just a bit higher than yours, rawkaren. I wouldn't be surprised if it's even lower than the calculator says, given that I've lost almost 30% of my starting weight (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magaz ... wanted=all ). I don't count on non-fast days, but to lose I was doing 4:3, and trying not to go too crazy on the 4. I'm curious to find out what it will take to maintain!

thanks for highlighting that link MaryAnn

im somewhat confused though and please enlighten me

the article says clearly

But their eating and exercise habits appear to reflect what researchers find in the lab: to lose weight and keep it off, a person must eat fewer calories and exercise far more than a person who maintains the same weight naturally.



I know ive read somewhere that excercising doesnt help you to lose weight yet throughout that article and elsewhere with people on maintenance it appears that exercise activity is crucial
so my questions are

a) is the need for exercise MORE important when you have reach a good proportion of your targetted weight loss or close to maintenance, than in your initial journey of weight loss

b) should we all be exercising more even from day one (health aside) in order to get a better rate of weight loss.

ive been working to this day (8 months in) basically with a perception that its teh calorie intake more important than me doing situps, walking, going to gym or whatever exercise i could undertake.

A lot of familiar names on this thread - but where are they now? I would really love to know if they are still following this WOE, maintaining or have just thrown in the towel.
After a year, I'm still here and very happy with my WOE.

me too. is there any way to track them and hunt them down (kidding ) ..

Thanks for your post Juliana...I just want to say that I am REALLY lazy, I hate exercise and always have, I don't mind going for a walk, but that's it for me! Taking that into account (the only exercise being a walk now and again every week) I am losing weight following this WOE without a lot of grief. The grief being going to the gym or some other dreadful sweaty place. I know some of you LOVE exercise but you can succeed without too much of it. That's my opinion for those of you who are like me. A walk in the fresh air is really nice too....even when it's raining.