The FastDay Forum

Is there anyone (Female)who is definitely doing a 5:2 Feed to Fast, but who is regularly managing between 500-650 cals rather than a strict 500? And NB still losing weight?
I have a friend who says she manages around 700 cals on a 5:2 basis and she has dropped a dress size in less than 2 months. (Pause for a self-pitying groan)

Does the body still repair on a slightly higher calorie count?

I'm not trying to get out of 500 cals actually! Just interested in how it works and how the 500/600 was arrived at.

I think the 500 is quite arbitrary based on dropping th average daily calorie intake by about 20 percent. A really big person will find that a huge drop where's a person with less to lose or a smaller person won't.
I have lost at a steady rate on about 600. My friend who has quite a punishing exercise routine is having about 800 on her fast days as she is not really doing it for weight loss.
I suggest you take it as a guide only.

[carorees]

Hi Lisa

The 20% figure quoted by Caro is in fact for the week; the fast day should be 25% of TDEE. The 25% figure was based on the studies by Dr Krista Varady on ADF. Dr M says the big drop in calories is what is needed for the greatest benefits and it seems that many of his experts feel that a total fast (apart from fluids) is best for autophagy etc but that Dr M felt such an approach would not be palatable for most people. So, it may depend on how you eat the 600 or 800 or whatever. If you fast for 20+ hours and then have all your calories in one meal, you will likely get the same health benefits whether you have 500 or 800, but probably (but not certainly) less weight loss. If however, you split the 800 calories into several meals that will be less beneficial as splitting 500 calories into several meals.

Everyone is different and the biology is very complicated indeed so it is not really possible to extrapolate from one person to the next as to what method is best. However, as weight loss is the most important health benefit for anyone who is overweight, any regime that results in weight loss and that is sustainable so that the weight does not go back on is going to be massively better than one which does not result in weight loss or is not sustainable. As Caro says, for a big person the difference between feed days and fast days will be bigger than for a smaller person, so they can certainly get away with eating more on fast days and still lose weight.

Am I making any sense? I just reread it and thought it might be gobbledegook!