The FastDay Forum

Hi every one
I have been doing the WOE for almost a year now and wanted to get down to 10 stone which i have now done so and thought lets try another half a stone well only managed to get to 9' 10 (whoop) but had a lot of things going on with my father in law who was in hospital in September with chest infection etc and got worse and died 2weeks ago. Been very stressful for myself and hubby and still a lot to sort out his house and other things which is still on going and he has brother and sisters who helping with things. But my 5:2 went out the window and have just been eating rubbish sweets,chocolate,cakes etc so my weight has been creeping up not much but enough for me to decide that its time to get back on this WOE and today is a fast day which will end with 850 cals which is still a fast for me. My weight maintenance is 1456 cals which is fine on normal days but i just find it really hard to stick to 500 calories now so my question is how many others eat more than 500 calories on their fast days? I am thinking of just having about 750 cals instead and would like peoples opinions of that number.
Sorry for the long post

Sorry to hear about the difficult time you've been having.
The way I understand the 5:2 is that the 500 calorie figure was picked from the air, and actually a quarter of your TDEE is recommended. Thus does it matter if you have 750 calories if some of us have been exceeding the quarter figure already? It would clearly slow your weight loss, which is likely to be slow anyway because you have a good BMI. But if you are happy with that, why not give it a go for several months, and if it doesn't work, get stricter? Although it is frustrating when weight loss is very slow, I'd argue the method you can stick to is the better one!
However, I may well be shown to be wrong by those with more knowledge!

Condolences on your bereavement and all that it entails for you and your family.

I eat <300kcals on a sedentary FD and up to 500-600kcals on a very active one (e.g., paddling for >2 hrs, plus a strength-training session and a fair amount of walking during my commute). That said, my TDEE is a lot less than yours so not at all helpful as a point of comparison.

As Annurca suggests, there's no reason to suspect that eating up to 750kcals on your FD wouldn't achieve anything - it might just be a tad slower. It might even be the gateway to you reducing your food intake after a few weeks if you feel up to it.

Look after yourself during this fraught time.

[Tracieknits]

I'm really sorry to hear about your father-in-law.

Certainly any calorie restriction is better than no calorie restriction, and 750 calories is better than eating freely. Thing is, people are different, and an individual person's metabolism can change so much depending on all sorts of factors. So there's a lot of trial and error to be expected in things like this.

My thryoid has been a mess, and it's been much to fast for most of this year, which means fasting is impossible for me and my appetite is insane. So they things I've been trying to do to keep a handle on it are (1) weigh every day and (2) eat at least a small amount of the things I crave, and learn how to stop after a few bites when I'm just satisfied.

weighing every day isn't for everyone - if it's going to stress you out, don't do it. You have to be the type of person who can accept that there will be a small range (3 to 4 pounds) that your weight will fall into depending on all sorts of circumstances - for example if I eat salty food, I can expect to be near the top of my range the next morning. But when I see I'm near the top of my range, I make sure I drink extra water and other calorie free drinks the next day, and I try to be extra mindful of what I eat. For me, weighing daily is the only way I can keep a handle on myself and it's a good reminder. But if it will stress you out, that's not helpful and don't do it.

Also a big thing for me was the advice in Dr. Amanda Sainsbury-Salis' books -- basically, to really keep an eye on your appetite and to learn to stop eating when pleasantly satisfied as opposed to full. So if there are cupcakes or brownies or scones nearby, I don't decline and feel miserable - I've learned to eat 1/4 and ask myself if I really want more. Maybe eat another 1/4 and as myself if I really want more. I'm usually satisfied with half.

Hope this helps!!!

Very hard to not indulge in traditional comfort foods at such a difficult time @mariondot40. Hopefully family members will provide support for each other while you sort things out. Very sad for you all.

I would assume that ideally any calorie restricted days will help with weight loss, if you stick to TDEE on other days. The most important thing is to find something that is sustainable for you. So give the 750 a go! Theoretically this would then mean that you would need 5 fasts to lose one pound of fat - tho the body never works quite as simply as that!

Very thoughtful words @Tracieknits. Sorry to hear you have had a tough year too.

PS Marion - not a long post from you at ALL!

Hi again
Thanx for your replies I forgot to mention that Im on medication for under active Thyroid and take 75mg and also take a BP tablet used to be 2 but since loosing weight its only 1
I am also on cholesterol tablet as my last reading was 7.9 which shocked me but it was my own fault as I hate taking all these tablets and stopped taking the cholesterol one and doctor told me to start them again:-( and to be honest Im only taking them every other day :-p, and I'm on antidepressants just a low dose and taking them every other day as well.
I know medication got some side effects and could affect my weight, and I am 55 yrs old and I like walking so try to aim for 10,000 steps a day thats what helped me loose my weight and 5:2 of course.
One thing I hate about my body is my mummy tummy and if I had the money it would be a tummy tuck op for me but thats not going to happen any time soon and happy to carry on with my walking for now
I will have try and see how many calories on my fast days works for me and try to stick to my TDEE of 1456 and not sure wether to do 2 fasts a week now or just do one a week.

Do whatever you can manage comfortably! Looking after yourself is your first priority,
I know nothing about the impact of medications, but would expect they and the reasons you are taking them will impact on weight and its management Others here know more on this.
I understand how you feel about your mummy tummy, but I am not sure you would like the scarring from an operation either!! At our age (I am also 56) somehow we have to come to terms with not having youthful skin anymore
Anyway, best wishes for sorting out an eating plan that works for you.

Sorry to hear you're going through such tough times, mariondot40.

If you're in calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. The bigger the deficit, the faster you lose, but it's not a race. Do what you're comfortable with.

Condolences to you. I would not be able to fast given what you are dealing with, so just take it easy on yourself and do whatever you can when you feel like it. Take care.