The FastDay Forum

I've just started, and today I'm over my 500 calorie limit by 150.

Is this a big deal?
Should I freak out?

Yikes!

No need to freak out @ohMagpie!
In the great scheme of things it's fine. 500 calls is an arbitrary amount chosen as a quarter of a 'normal' TDEE. You have significantly cut your calorie intake for the day. It can be useful to look at the week for intake and calorie reduction and average it out. I think that's complicated as I don't do numbers but suffice to say you're doing fine! @Pennyforthem has had a very successful loss over time and says she has probably had 700 calls on fast days (I think)
The amount of time you have gone without eating will also have (hopefully) given you some of the health benefits too.
Look on it as a success. Well done and see how you get on next fast

Like janeg says, you've still gone into a great calorie deficit.
Keep up the good work.

Hi Ohmagpie, no freaking out allowed As the other have said that's still a great start, well done.

Quick reply. NO. I doubt if I ever really stuck to a strict 500 calories and I've still reached my goal.(I only guesstimate calories)

Panic is not required for all of the above reasons, you are doing very well

Ballerina x

Nope, I wouldn't panic either - my TDEE thingy says I should be eating 385-500 on fast days because I'm lighter now. Most times it's nearer the 500 and I still seem to be losing (and even when I've gone over occasionally). Sounds like you're doing well - as someone said - stress not allowed with 5 2

@OhMagpie Welcome to this fantastic forum.
Freak out NO never that a very good low calorie day some of my earlier fastdays were over by that amount or more but because of my start weight I was allowed more calories.
Learn from this and just tweak here and there to try and bring the calorie total down a little.
You make this WOL "Fit" you and your lifestyle.
Good luck with your fasting journey and keep forum motivated popping back to let us all know how you're doing, shout when you need help, all the members are so lovely and always on hand to help whenever needed or wanted.

If it helps, today I'm about 300 over and it's okay. I'm in this for the long haul, and I know that my next fast day will be different. I may start to get a bit stricter if I find a few fasts in a row start to stretch the figures, but I know that I will get there eventually, and life is more than one fast.

So, don't sweat it...it's still a great calorie deficit and in the long term it will still contribute. In fact - well done for the restraint you showed to fast as much as you did - the early days are the hardest as your body gets used to fasting. Give yourself a pat on the back instead of freaking and tell yourself that you can achieve the 500 next fast day.

Welcome Magpie! No need to worry ..like others have already said! X

Well I don't know about that... According to my handy-dandy calculator and by following 5:2, if you continued to eat an extra 150 calories on every fast day for the next 12 weeks you would delay losing one additional pound.

So yeah, I agree with the rest; no big deal. Especially when you realize that we all gain 1-2kg (2-4 pounds) every day and lose the same overnight!

exact thing happened to me a few weeks after i started (15 months ago).. and i posted the same thing pretty much.

5-2-diet-chat-f6/topic4280.html

as everyone now and then says.. not a problem keep going and even if you are over by 150 almost every fast day thats still a significant calorie deficit and in my opinion from a weight loss point of view, it will not be detrimental.

150? I would not worry. For me anyway the best weight loss came from the length of time without food. In other words 6p-6p was much more effective then spreading cals throughout the day. So if my dinner was a bit over it didn't matter.

I wish I had read this thread yesterday I was so hungry by dinner time after having tried to divide my 500 calories up in to three very small and unsatisfying meals that I completely lost it and ordered a pizza In reflection I would have been better off sitting down and having a poached egg on toast or something similar and adding 200 calories or so to my day rather than completely blowing out and adding a bottle of wine to the pizza which totalled my day at about 3000 calories I guess it is all a learning curve and I need to spend more time on here getting advice from people who have been doing this longer rather than beating myself up about my failures.

Hello @princessstarburst- you've really said it yourself! This way of eating is trial and error to begin with. There are lots of trials and errors on here to look at! One of the things that a lot of people tend to do is start off with two or three small meals and cut back to one meal of all the calories at the end of the day. This may have better health benefits (notice 'may'! ) but what it does seem to do is not waken up the hunger monster. Once we have eaten, it can be hard to rein it in.
However, having said this, and doing the full day fast myself, our esteemed Dr M has had two meals a day since he started.
It's about finding what's best for you.
I would say try not to mix and match too much too quickly though. Give each attempt a good couple of weeks before tweaking.
Good luck