The FastDay Forum

Just to counter the scenic route thread and because I'm curious why some people lose weight more quickly than others on 5:2. I lost 0,7kgs per week on average and found the diet easy. I stuck to the diet and didn't change my eating habits on non fast days, and the only things I can think of in reading the other thread is that even on non fast days I rarely eat many carbohydrates (except for breakfast, toasted baguette) and hardly ever in the evening.
Does anyone else who lost weight easily have any clues as to why the weight came off relatively easily?

Hi Franglaise,
Unfortunately I fall into the other category of slow losers, but I'm really interested in your post, to see if all you fast losers have something in common, that the rest of us can learn from.
I wonder if carb intake does make the difference, as I must admit to liking my carbs. I also wonder if any other 'oldies' like me have managed a fast loss, as I'm very good at blaming my lower metabolism these days!!!

[carorees]

Got all these questions in the questionnaire so fingers crossed it shows something!

I have lost 16 lb since Jan 27th and I do eat carbs, even on a fast day! On non-fast days I have 40g muesli and semi-skimmed milk for breakfast and a sandwich made of two slices wholemeal bread plus a choice of filling for lunch. With my evening meal I always have potatoes or pasta or rice, about 150g - although I don't weigh it every time. I don't eat many snacks but if I do they are likely to be something 'carby' eg doughnut, biscuit, crisps. I also eat fruit.

On fast days I only have an evening meal. It is usually lots of vegetables, some protein and some starchy carbs. I don't count calories on any day and I don't exercise either!

Hope this info helps but, as it is so different from Franglaise's, it may just muddy the water even more!

Just wanted to say how much you have motivated me Franglaise. I am about same age and height as you and have a reasonable BMI at the start of my 5:2 journey. Started well but then weight fluctuated all over the place so have vowed not to weigh for an entire month just in case a gain makes me decide to throw in the towel too soon.

Hope I can be as successful as you even if it's via the scenic route!

Not sure if it is a short cut, but I find cutting carbs works for me (female age 53). Partly it is that eating bread/rice/pasta makes me feel full in the short term but then makes me feel hungrier, and partly because carbs are easy to identify and avoid.

I did lose reasonably and although trying to maintain still losing and I love my carbs but eat lots of complex carbs- whole grains, legumes etc...not so much cakes and white bread or refined sugars

SianS, this is what happens when you eat refined carbs, but if you go for the brown rice, whole wheat pasta and bread etc... It takes longer to absorb the glucose into your blood so you don't get the Glucose surge followed by the Insulin surge that sent the glucose into the cells and make you hungry after a couple of hours as your blood glucose level declines.

I understand that and find it easier to just cut back on carbs and concentrate on lean protein and vegetables or salad

I'd also be looking at what people are drinking. Really easy to consume sugar with juice/smoothies/fizzy sodas etc. & often people forget about what they drink & concentrate on what they eat.

Good point about drinks, esp smoothies.
What about fruit though? I went way over the recommended sugar intake yesterday (not a fast-day) because I had half a melon and some other fruit as well as cereal for breakfast and a biscuit mid morning. At least fruit isn't empty calories though.

Good point about drinks, esp smoothies.
What about fruit though? I went way over the recommended sugar intake yesterday (not a fast-day) because I had half a melon and some other fruit as well as cereal for breakfast and a biscuit mid morning. At least fruit isn't empty calories though.

From what I can tell there is good fruit and bad fruit. The good fruit is the high-fiber fruit like berries (raspberries are usually high on the list) and the bad fruit is low-fiber fruit like bananas. Fruit juices are also bad because juicing a fruit usually takes out most or all of the fiber that was there in the first place.

Any fruit is better for you than getting your sugar from table-sugar or HFCS, but the calories stack pretty quickly if they are not hiding behind fiber.

Any fruit is better for you than getting your sugar from table-sugar or HFCS, but the calories stack pretty quickly if they are not hiding behind fiber.

That is debatable... Fructose (from juice) is much worse than glucose due to the way it is metabolised. Whole fruit better than juice - eat the orange/apple/carrot/celery, don't drink the juice.

More here:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2424

& here:
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Chance-Beatin ... 159463100X

Well I guess we all have different metabolisms. I know from previous diets that cutting carbs makes me lose weight quickly, but I can't maintain it. I consider I have lost at an average rate on 5:2, except I have been doing 4:3 mostly, however a lot depends on how much weight u need to lose, DNA, plus what u eat. I eat quite a lot of carb on feast days - some days bircher muesli (or omelette), lunch is usually a Lebanese spinach and cheese 'pocket' (bread) but don't eat high GI carbs for dinner, but do drink red carbs ;>)(wine) often I will have a cake or muffin or some other sweet thing during the day. I do eat protein bars being a vego I think I need to get extra protein as I eat only eggs/cheese and not that much cheese. Never drink fizzy drinks

The drinks thing is interesting too (I will fill in your questionnaire Caroline!) I never drink fizzy drinks, smoothies or fruit juice, just water, black coffee or tea with skimmed milk. If I drink alcohol it is a couple of glasses of wine with an evening meal. I eat cakes and biscuits occasionally, but skip a meal if I do so. I don't like eating pasta, potatoes, rice (even brown rice) in the evening because they fill me up too much, so like Sian I prefer to avoid them and eat protein and veg or salad.