The FastDay Forum

Well I actually started the 5:2 in March, and lost on average a little over a pound a week such that I had lost 15 pounds in 15 weeks.

I then became complacent, it was so easy I figured I could just do it.

Well I can't. I gained back about half of the weight.

So here I am to stay. I will keep track of my progress, not just scale and measurements, and I will be tracking most days and weighing my food on my fast days.

I have been back on track about a week now and have lost back 3 pounds so far, 5 more and I will be right back in my original que.

Don't be demotivated, we are all on this journey together, sometimes the road is bumpy, that's all!

thanks. I actually feel excited again. This is probably the only weight loss program I have ever been on that I know I can jump back on and get the same results. I think because there isn't a food I have to do without forever, I don't have that awful I used to get when I realized I would have to do it for life to keep the results. Here, I actually feel really good on my fasting days, I just have to keep honest with myself about how many I have done this week, and what I am doing on my non-fasting days. Almost too easy, which is how I fell off this past time. No worries, I am back!

I have been doing a 3:2:2 as opposed to a 5:2. This is 2 days at 550 calories or less, then 2 days of 1500 calories or less then 3 days of up to my TDEE which is 2100.

I decided this morning that since my fasting days are actually easier than those middle days that I am switching it up. I will be doing a 4:3. So 4 days of normal eating, up to my TDEE, and 3 fasts up to 550. My weight is high enough that it allows for a few more calories on my fasting days, for now.

My fast days will be Tuesday, Thursday, and either Saturday or Sunday.

All of this will be with an emphasis on fresh/real foods, simply prepared, and mindfully enjoyed.

Hello, good luck with the new approach and let us know how it goes! It's funny how easy fast days can feel when you get into the flow. Both mine this week were a doddle.

thanks, I am pretty excited about it right now.

Love the British accent (doddle, is not a word I have heard before)

Sounds like a good plan, there are quite a few people on 4:3 and it is working well for them. Good luck but your mind is in a good place so the only way is down for you now

the funny thing is I started this journey with ADF, and I could not pull it off because the days kept changing every week and didn't necessarily fall on days that worked for me. Then when I started the 5:2, it happened at the same time that my half work days got changed to full days and I just don't eat at work (I work 4 days a week). I have only been doing fast days on my work days, but then a couple of weeks ago I did one on a day off and it was quite doable.

Just goes to show it is process/progress not perfection that will get me to my goal.

So this weekend I proved to myself that I don't have to be at work to do a successful fast! This is important to me since I go to 3 days a week at work starting January, and I do eventually plan to retire but will keep up the 5:2 or some version of it to keep the weight off.

This past week I did 3 fasts and 4 days non-fast. 2 of those non-fast days were pretty high. I forgot to get on the scale this morning though, so not sure what if any damage those days did. I am hoping that doing 3 fasting days will allow for those sorts of situations and still have the scale slowly but surely marching downward.

p.s. saw a dermatologist on Monday, she said the best way to help ensure that you don't end up with sagging skin when you lose weight is to go slow and allow the body time to recover. Another plus for this style of eating!

Hi deM Lovely that even if you fall off the wagon, you can just get right back on, with this diet. Sounds like you're off to a great start. What do you eat on your fast days? X

Hi there DeMuralist

Like you i fell off the wagon of 5:2 over a month ago due to illness but am back on it as of last Thursday.

I've changed a few things this time round in that I do all day fasts instead of 3 tiny meals in the past and i am finding its soo much easier

My weight loss was less than 1.5 lb's in 4weeks before so i am hoping this method improves on that!

I'm liking your idea of 3.2.2 may give that a go in the future once i'm fully into the swing of it all again.

best of luck with your 4:3 too x

Hi guys, thanks for the encouragement.

On my fast days (well everyday) I have a cup of coffee, iced in the summer, with 2T Half&Half, and 2 ounces of coconut milk (this is actually a can of lite I get from Trader Joes and add enough water to it to make a half gallon, cheap and no preservatives). Then I mix up a cup of green tea and add 2 T of Half&Half to that, then put it in a bottle and fill with water to 50 ounces. And drink that for the rest of the morning.

Then in the afternoon I put lemon in a 50 ounce bottle of water and drink that.

When I sweeten, I use liquid stevia.

Then for dinner I eat a large salad and add a protein source. Some days this takes me over the 550, but I feel like I can have a bit of leeway until I get back into the swing and since I am doing 3 instead of 2 fast days.

@TracE, I really liked the 3.2.2, I did the low days on days I was at work, so it was easy. The problem I had was that I was doing the 3 non-fasting days in a row and they started to get out of hand. So I decided to go with the 4.3 for a while, and I actually like it better, for now.

What's half & half?
Your drinks to keep you.going sound lovely, I'll have to try it, always wanted to.make my own iced coffee, and haven't had green tea in years!

Half&Half is half heavy cream and half whole milk. It is about 40calories for 2T (30g), I think most heavy creams are twice that. To make the iced coffee really good, use leftover coffee to make the ice cubes, then it doesn't water down. I make it in a 24oz cup!

To make the green tea I use Powdered Matcha. Mine is from the Republic of Tea, I order online direct from the company. It has a less grassy flavor than most other green teas and more anti-oxidant power because you are actually drinking the powdered leaves. So I put a teaspoon of the powder in 2T of the half&half and add the hot water. Then I use a stick blender to stir it all in, and add a few ice cubes. Then I put that and some liquid stevia in a bottle that holds 50oz of water and fill it up.

These 2 drinks give me 74oz of fluids and just less than 100 calories of fat. Carbs tend to make me go looking for food.

Then you add in the other 50oz drink, and that takes me till I get home from work or about 4:30 in the afternoon. So that is 124oz or almost 4 liters (I think).

The rest of the calories are for dinner.

I do those fluids on all the days that I go to work and most of my days off, I am not as good as drinking fluids at home.

yesterday's fast day went surprisingly well, mentally and physically.

I am slowly getting back to my low on the 5:2, before I took my break. It feels good to be back on it. And it was easier to fall back in line than I anticipated and than it has been on any other program I have ever tried. That is very encouraging.