The FastDay Forum

Hi.

I'm now in my 2nd week of trying the 5:2 diet and I'm wondering if anyone is in the same position as me.

I've already lost 18 pounds since January by using MyFitnessPal to watch my daily calorie intake (which I had reduced quite substantially - from 2k plus to 1200 + extra to compensate for exercise) and doing extra exercise - mainly running. I have a sedentary job but I do 40 minutes brisk walking everyday to get to work and back, plus 20 minutes at lunchtime when I get chance.

Now you may say "what you've been doing obviously works - why change?!" however I've now reached a weight where in the past I've plateaued by just doing what I've been doing. 13 stone bang on. I know I still need to shift at least half a stone to get myself to a healthy weight/BMI so this is why I decided to try 5:2.

This is my second week and third fast day and so far I haven't seemed to be able to shift any more weight. I've read the FAQs and I'm aware this can be normal, so I'm going to keep to the plan for at least another week and see what happens, but just wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing when moving from another eating plan?

Since I started 5:2 I've upped my intake on non-fast days to what I was eating before I started trying to lose weight, which is generally over 2k calories a day - so I think my body maybe just readjusting to the changes, but it would be reassuring to hear if anyone has experienced the same thing.

[Moogie]

Perhaps a more gradual increase back to your normal intake on your feed days would be better than going straight back up to 2k+?

I started out having been on around 1400 cals a day (albeit failing to lose anything) and over time increased this back to a more normal amount for my feed days, and continued to lose weight.

My other suggestion would be to stop dieting completely for a few weeks so that your body can adjust to the higher intake (yes, you might regain a few lbs!) and then swap on to 5:2.

That said, it's still early days and you may well yet find your body settles into the new lifestyle in a week or two anyway.

Fasting is a great way to get rid of stubborn fat! I find that if you get really good at the fasting, the rest will take care of itself. Your stomach shrinks and the mad cravings start to go away. Stay focused on the fast days is my suggestion (but don't go mad on the feed days either). Try going full 12 hours periods without food. I find I get the most hungry in the morning, because that is when my body expects food. But if I sit it out, drink coffee, and keep busy (a long walk helps!), the hunger goes away.

[carorees]

I'd give it 6 weeks as you have so little to lose! Giving up after 3 weeks is way too soon IMHO. Have you worked out your TDEE? That is the right amount to eat on fast days! You can go over on some days as long as you go under on others! In fact going over and under seems to work better than having the same intake every day even allowing for the fast days.

My wife came to this from slimming world, lost 3lb at the end of her last slimming world week and then lost a grand total of half a pound over the next 4 weeks. I conclude from that that you can't go from being on a diet to eating normally and expect to lose weight on 5:2. She is sticking with 5:2 for now but with reduced calories on the 5 days and the occasional treat.

Thanks for the replies.

Carorees - I worked out my TDEE using one of the calculators and it gives me roughly 700 calories a day on my fast days (take the daily total from the calc and divide it by 4 right?).

To be fair, I've had quite a bad week on non-fast days as I've had a day where I've been travelling all day and just snacked and eaten rubbish (McDonalds - very naughty), a birthday party and a pub lunch, so it probably not been the best week to judge whether 5:2 is working for me or not anyway! Until this last week I've been eating very healthily since Christmas and today I've found I'm staring to be able to control my hunger pangs on fast days now ,so it is getting easier and I should be able to keep the calories down again a bit on non-fast days for the next few weeks.

Like you say, I haven't much more weight to lose and as long as I'm rid of it by the summer I'll be happy.

I'll keep at it for the next few weeks and make a judgement then.

Moving to this diet as v.bored with counting fats/proteins/syns/points you name it... Surely this must be one of the best advantages?

The best advice I read on this site is to stay at around 90% TDEE on most days but allow yourself treats, then stick with the 500/600 on the fast days. I'm pleased to report that my wife has finally recorded a 3lb loss this week and I have also lost a couple of pounds just on a 6:1 maintenance regime

Glad to hear your wife is starting to see results insx.

I think I may well be seeing the same. Today is my 4th fast day and I've managed to resist the temptations on offer as a I walked through the new shopping centre in Leeds on opening day today!

I don't feel that hungry and I'm looking forwards to a great low cal dhal recipe for dinner which was passed to me by a colleague.

I have a good feeling that when I get weighed tomorrow I'll see some weight loss - taking me to the lightest I've been since I was 17.

Well unfortunately the loss I anticipated didn't happen and I'm going into my 3rd week having not lost a single pound.

By the end of a fast day, despite coping well for most of the day I tend to go to bed feeling generally miserable and on feast days I'm so hungry I'm now eating twice as much as I did before. It seems to be getting worse and I'm not experiencing the loss of appetite people say does happen.

Not really sure what I'm doing wrong.

When I was sticking to 1200 calories every day, I felt happier, was losing weight an didn't feel that hungry, so maybe I have made a mistake switching from something that was clearly working for me.

[carorees]

I'm sure that if you are happy with 1200 cals every day it will work but you do know you will have to continue on this forever? It is well documented that stopping calorie counting after dieting leads to weight regain. I couldn't do it.

However, why not tot up your calories for the week and divide by 7. Then take that figure as your target for feed days and a quarter of that for fast days.

"I'm so hungry I'm now eating twice as much as I did before...
Not really sure what I'm doing wrong."

You just can't overcompensate on feed days. Although the TV programme and book can leave you with the impression that you can eat what you like, you can't go from a strict diet to consuming lots more calories on 5:2 and expect to lose weight. If you were truly happy and losing weight on a low calorie diet, this might not be a great idea.