The FastDay Forum

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?

Others can reply to your main question - I'm not qualified to comment - but I did want to address your opinion that fasting is two days of 'relative misery'.

Have you tried it? Misery is so far from the truth! I look forward to fast days. I feel so energetic, my mood is lifted, I enjoy not having to think about food for an entire day. I feel virtuous lol because I know I'm doing such a good thing for my body now and in the future. Fast days are happy days! They are far from miserable.

I'm not fasting today as I normally would on a Monday because there is a birthday dinner tonight; I'm slightly annoyed that I have to wait until tomorrow to fast. I think if you're miserable, you're doing it wrong. Or are perhaps very new to this way of eating - I'll be honest and say the first couple of fast days were tough. But not miserable, just hungry.

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.

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.

Ok, I'll add my opinion here too.
I can't truthfully say I enjoy fast days.
I like the feeling of doing a good thing for my body, and I do certainly prefer this WOE to being on a diet every day of the week with all the feelings of deprivation, guilt if you overeat, and boredom with the monotony.
For me fast days are a way of still losing weight whilst enjoying a large variety of foods other days. I do not count calories on "feed" days.

Einatbl- I agree with you as to not understanding why people would do this WOE if they are seriously restricting calories other days as well.
I do try not to Binge but have enjoyed many dinners out, parties etc since I started in March and am very happy with my weight loss.

Tara25, that's fabulous that you enjoy fasting so much. As we find with so many other posts, we are all different! Enjoy your dinner out tonight.

Yes, I absolutely agree. What's the point? The whole attraction of this WOE is that you don't have to diet on 5 days of the week. Only 2. I know it wouldn't be sustainable for me. I think some people are just addicted to dieting and they can't cope with the idea and practice of eating without worrying about it. Maybe they will lose weight quicker than me, but will they keep it off?

I suppose it all comes back to "there are many ways to skin a cat". We all find the way that works for us.

I fast 2 days a week and don't think about food the other 5 days other than how nice good foods tastes. Suits me perfectly.

However, I know that my way wouldn't suit a lot of people, and I love just how varied people doing 5:2 are. So very many different ways of doing it.

Thanks guys
You have given me lots to think about
I started this 5-2 cos I am sick of dieting and thinking about dieting.then I didn't loose any weight after 6 weeks so got caught up in the diet talk again.
But I am re thinking ,for me it's about the health benefits and loosing only a few pounds as I am not really over weight
I am seriously thinking of going back to 5-2 ,knowing that its goin to just take longer for me to lose those last few pounds but at least I can enjoy the nonfast days ,not thinking about dieting.

Hi Einatbl

I think you got a lot of us thinking. If I may answer, this is how I see it.

The original diet is 5.2 on this forum. But it is evolving into something bigger and better. We all started on it, got initial results. The biggest and best result I would say is that great feeling the day after a fast, not only in the body, but mind too.

As people get stuck and not seeing changes on the scales, they ask why and what can they do to make this way of eating even better. Counting calories is one of these steps.

We adjust the eating around our social lives. And eat what we enjoy eating.
Once one have lost enough weight and feel the difference in clothes, that will be motivation enough to keep doing this. With or without counting calories.

Counting calories educate you for the rest of your life. No it will not be necessary to keep doing that. No you don't have to go as low as 1300 to get results, but it might be the next chapter for someone else to get to their goals quicker. Or break through a plateau. Without feeling deprived on days they want to eat more due to socials.

I won't say I love fast days, some days are easier than others. Some days I fast and did not plan it ahead. Other days, like today, I just can't do it. And that's allright on this eating plan, because I don't feel like a failure as I would have on other eating plans.

It is taking me longer to loose than what I thought, but I've gained much more in knowledge. Because I know it is possible for me to fast.

Some days I eat 1200 cal, other days I couldn't be bothered. And it is a sense of freedom I have. After many years of dieting myself.

In the end we are here to support each other, share our experience what works for us, and it is your decision what is YOUR next step. You build your ways of eating around your lifestyle.

I think in a year maybe less, they can write a new book based on everyone's experiences here, because the benefits are way more than just what you see on the scales. And we still enjoy all our food, even more than before! It seems we are more picky of what we do eat on feast days, the longer one have beenn following it.

All the best for you!

Einatbl for me if I had only done 5:2 I believe I would have given in by now. I had a really big weight drop to start but I hit a stall/ rebound around about the time I found the forum. I had already known that there were variations such ADF, no food fast for 36 hrs etc. Hearing how people went with the variations to the theme and the details I was able to undertand from the journey of others and emboldened me to be more adventurous as well.

Happy to relate scales show weight dropping with my efforts and even though having to be unexpectedly my feet for a short while. I did not expect to have such slow progress and I have found counting the calories has really given me a better understanding of where the calories are in food as UN2NET has already mentioned.

Also is the estimation of 1300 calories on a regular day bit low or am I mistaken. Hope you have some nice low cal meals in mind that makes the fast days more tolerable along with some tasty low/no cal drinks to turn too. All the best with it

This is really interesting! I started 5:2 had really positive results slow but positive. I then stared getting a bit to hung up about the days inbetween and really have been trying to hard if that make any sense..then few changes at home, work and so on and I have not been doing 5:2 for about 3 weeks. Weight has gone on by about 5lbs but I have been struggling with the thought of going back to 5:2. This was not the case after my holidays and weekends away...so I am back to basics from today and going to follow 5:2 as I did originally, eat sensibly on normal days but not get myself into the diet mode!! Thanks for this thread it's helped me this morning!!

The fast days are relaxing days for me. They put me in a zen mood and they make me feel great, even on very bad days.

For the days inbetween, I counted calories at the beginning, just to have an idea of what I was eating on a "normal" day, and it was a big big surprise. Some days I ate as little as 1000 calories, some days around 1300 but my average take is around 1500 and it's without dieting or restricting myself.

I have a small appetite and, since I began to fast, it is even smaller. I can't even eat all the 500 calories on fast days (I only eat a meal, at dinner) but not because I think I will lose more quickly, just because I feel "full" and I do believe that we should listen to our bodies and stop eating when we feel "full".

And the 5:2 (4:3 in my case) is my first diet ever and I don't even know exactly how much I lost, and don't care, I don't plan to go on a scale before july.

Great post UN2NET!

Einatbl, I find 5:2 easily sustainable, have been on it now for 13 weeks and can easily imagine myself doing some form of it (6:1) for life. I don't restrict my calories on feed days but am mindful of staying around my TDEE (currently 1561 according to the Progress Tracker). As an example, I had lasagna for dinner last night, with some chocolate for dessert, after my usual breakfast and lunch and afternoon snack (all of which I thoroughly enjoyed), and I stayed comfortably within my TDEE. I feel fantastic and have recorded an average loss of one kg a week. I can't believe I'm the only one with such success either. Of course there are all kinds of factors that contribute to weight loss (or lack of it) but maybe a lot of previous dieting history (which I for one don't have) can be a hindrance as people move away from the simplicity of 5:2 and start worrying about all sorts of things? For me this is a way of life that lets me enjoy food and stay healthy, and I love it.

I understand this may not be for everyone, and if you feel it's not right for you, you should find something else that you can sustain. Your health is worth it.

Well, I guess everybody is different, but I don't count calories on fast days at all, though I do try to be sensible.

Thinking about the people who eat 1300 5 days a week and fast for 2 mathmatically they are eating fewer calories than they would be eating 1300 daily so they should lose weight faster. Personally I'm not tempted just because I know that it wouldn't work for me long term.

Well I agree there is no way I would eat 12/1300 cals a day and fast for 2 days as well - rather kill myself now - or be fat and happy! However I have lost weight slowly but easily this last 14 weeks. I have shed 6 years of weight gain in that time - pretty amazing. I am a hedonist - I drink red wine, I eat cakes, I do what I please and I have lost weight...no watching anything on feed days. I usually do 4:3 but there have been some fast days that I go over, so really 5:2 with the 3rd fast over on cals sometimes. I don't find the fast days difficult, but sometimes I get indulgent on fast 3. My attitude is: the weight will come off eventually and no point in being really strict as I intend to keep doing this...until I get bored with it ;>) I look amazing compared to 14 weeks ago, I might add....apart from the face - it's still old