The FastDay Forum

Hello everyone!

I am Claire
Today is only my 2nd fast day but its going surprisingly well!
I started the diet on Wednesday.

I have tried eating healthy (about 1200 cals) and exercising 3-4 times a week but didn't lose any weight

But hopefully this will workout for me as I felt really good after the 1st fast day!

[Moogie]

Hi Claire & welcome!
I think most people are pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to fast compared with what we might expect, and just how well it goes.

I know every weigh day I'm amazed that I've enjoyed my food all well, not felt at all deprived and yet lost weight. This week I was sure I'd gain a little (time of the month and haven't been easy at all on the treats this week!) and yet 300g came off, best part of a pound

I had the same problem as you, I think now I'm in my 30's the old 1200-1400cals + exercise just doesn't work as well for me as it did 5-10 years ago! 5:2 has changed everything and I'm so much happier now.

I really hope it does the same for you!

Hi Claire! I'm glad you're giving this WOE a try. I have counted calories for years and when I started 5:2 I tried keeping to the 1200c per day and fasting! It wasn't easy and certainly wasn't how 5:2 is supposed to work. However, after three weeks I embraced the spirit of 5:2 and threw away the calorie book! It has completely changed my way of eating and my relationship with food and I have lost 10 lb too. Hope it works for you!

Hi Claire! I'm glad you're giving this WOE a try. I have counted calories for years and when I started 5:2 I tried keeping to the 1200c per day and fasting! It wasn't easy and certainly wasn't how 5:2 is supposed to work. However, after three weeks I embraced the spirit of 5:2 and threw away the calorie book! It has completely changed my way of eating and my relationship with food and I have lost 10 lb too. Hope it works for you!

Stowgate Resident,

Congrats! I'm new also and an hoping and praying this WOE will work for me also. I'm just completing 2nd week now and haven't lost any. Did you find that you lost more when you were not counting your calories on feast days? Now that you don't count at all, do you think that you are staying under 2000 on the feast days, though?

Helful hints welcomed!

CAD66. First hint: Check your TDEE. There is a link in FAQ which will take you to a website where you answer a few simple questions and it tells you what your calorie intake should be. I am not suggesting that you count and record everything that you eat or drink, although this can be a useful exercise if you have no idea of the calorie values of food and, as importantly, drink (alcoholic or otherwise!)

If you are aiming for 2000 calories on non-fasting days, this may be too high, as it is only a generalisation. For example, my TDEE - because of my height, starting weight, age and activity level is only 1550 so, if I ate 2000 calories on five days a week my weight would probably stay the same and might even gradually increase!

Second hint: Don't go too low on food on your non-fasting days. There have been some posts on this forum where people have cut down too much and their bodies go into a type of 'starvation mode' where it slows the metabolism to the point where little fat burning is taking place.

Third hint: Don't look on this as a 'diet'! It is a Way Of Eating (WOE) which could change your relationship with food forever. Nothing is forbidden but remember that if you have gained weight it is because you have eaten too much for the amount of energy that you expend. In Dr Mosley's book they refer to eating 'normally' on non-fasting days but, if you're like me, it's your 'normal' that has made you gain weight, so you need to adjust your 'normal'.

In answer to your questions about counting v. not-counting calories, you are very welcome to view my Progress Tracker which should give you the information or below is a record showing dates and loses/gains. (Sorry this is cut from an Excel Spreadsheet and I can't make it format any better than this!) In my first week I lost 5.25 pounds but most of this would have been fluid. In my fourth week I was in Germany for a week, didn't count calories or fast while I was away but found myself making some very sensible food choices (never previously heard of!) I was delighted to have only put on only .25 of a pound. Last week I also gained a quarter of a pound but we had a big party on the Friday, visitors on the Saturday and ate out on the Thursday, so I thought that a quarter of a pound was a small price to pay, especially as I had not deprived myself of anything, including alcohol, cakes, desserts and cream!

27/01/13 12.2¼
03/02/13 11.11 -5.25
10/02/13 11.8¾ -2.25
17/02/13 11.7½ -1.25
24/02/13 11.7¾ 0.25
03/03/13 11.5½ -2.25
10/03/13 11.5¾ 0.25

I suppose my forty plus years of calorie counting have given me a good handle on the rough calorie value of a plateful of food but the difference now is that if I want a previously 'forbidden' food then I have it with no feelings of guilt and I couldn't say that about any other weight-loss regime that I have ever tried!

Good luck to you and Claire. This forum is full of help and support so make the most of it. I wish you every success in your new WOE.