The FastDay Forum

Thanks so much for this thread, Navwoman. Great idea! Thanks everyone for their answers so far.

I posted, prematurely, in the maintenance forum about my plan for maintenance when I get there (I think I jinxed myself), and mentioned a survey, but I never did it. TBH, maintenance is the thing that worries me most because it's what I always failed at in the past. I'm very interested in the different approaches people are taking.

I so so want to join this group..looks like March or April next year.. meaning 1 year to get there. thats always what ive been saying when ive been looking at figures for me and others.. that it takes approximately 12 months. or ever month you achieve on average 10% of your desired weight loss goal.

to be honest whilst it sounds long, when most of us here have had years or even decades of being overweight, 1 year is really quick and if we follow the maintenance route well you just cant knock this WOL!

Been maintaining since the end of March, and weight varies from 56 - 57.5kgs. I do 6:1 and a half day fast, or skip lunch on other days. I run a lot (but did so before doing 5:2) and weigh in everyday to keep a track of my weight. It works for me! Thanks for the study Caroline, it is good motivation for keeping to at least one fast day per week!

Hi everyone! I've been on hiatus from the forum for the last couple of months. We've been doing a "facelift" to our house, living in the motorhome with the scale packed away in a box, and I've not getting my usual zumba fix.
But, we finally got partially moved back in the day before Thanksgiving and hosted family for a big feast. Yesterday, I discovered the scale in a box and nervously hopped on. I discovered I was under goal by 2 pounds--wow! I think I'd probably been at least 2 lbs. lower than that, but the last 2 weeks have entailed fast food meals that we usually don't have. Oh well!
I've been on 5:2 in a flexible way since the end of March.
I've lost about 22.5 pounds overall.
I think I've been at maintenance level for about 4 weeks, judging by my clothing (really baggy) and comments from friends and acquaintances.
I probably have been fasting at about 600 calories one day per week with another half-fast. My feed days are pretty moderate because that's how I am feeling like eating these days.
I'm starting to get used to looking like I do (slim) and actually feel like I've gotten back to my "natural slim self" that I was back in my 20's and early 30's. It's sort of like I've shed an extra skin of pounds that I carried from my late 30's to age 65. I love it!
Now that I've access to my scale, I'll monitor things more closely and figure out how to keep this going, find my true healthy maintenance weight and see how the blood sugar and cholesterol numbers come out.
Thank you for the support that you offer to each of us.

[Betsysgr8]

Good to see you back @bordergirl! And well done on maintaining!

@Juliana.Rivers what I mean is I don't consider it fasting, eating 2 meals a day @ a total if 500 cals. Also my blood tests came back worse than when I started. However I do think 4:3 is a good way for me to lose weight.

I suppose I'm a bit of an exception on here as I was already slim and had maintained my ideal weight, give or take a few pounds, for about 20 years before I heard about 5:2.
I was unknowingly 'semi fasting' before I heard of Michael Mosley and his recommendations as I just never eat breakfast and don't miss it. Having said that, if I'm on holiday and breakfast is put before me I will eat (as long as it's not too early in the morning!), but would then always find I actually felt hungrier than if I'd just had my usual cups of coffee.
Since learning about this WOE and its possible health benefits I have tried fasting one day a week in addition to my normal 16:8 eating pattern and have cut back on white carbs.
If you check my signature you'll see I have lost more weight, about 2 lbs, but really not my intention , so have now decided to just fast one day a fortnight and possibly up my TDEE slightly as I don't want to get too skinny.
As for how I feel on maintenance, just great! I'm 65, very healthy, take no prescribed medication and exercise 3/4 times a week.
I've learned so much from this forum regarding nutrition and healthy eating and hope to continue benefitting from all the great advice for a long time to come.

@Juliana.Rivers what I mean is I don't consider it fasting, eating 2 meals a day @ a total if 500 cals. Also my blood tests came back worse than when I started. However I do think 4:3 is a good way for me to lose weight.

is what i do which is no food (other than some liquids like coffee) from 11pm to say 4pm the next day considered "fasting" i started the WOL with the meal through the day but quickly stopped after reading more about it all

Hi everyone

Good thread!
It took me a year on 4:3 to get my weight and waist down to the level I wanted. I've been maintaining for 2-3 months now.

I am still doing 4:3, skipping breakfast and then having a light lunch and evening meal but aiming for 800-1000 calories rather than under 500. Most of the time it is easy to do but I sometimes still get hunger pangs!

I am concerned that I might put all the weight back on (did this a few years ago after losing a lot) but this way of maintaining seems easy and much easier to stick to than low carb (the previous method I used to lose weight).

I feel more energetic than I used to and exercise is easier to do and I feel more like doing it. I'm doing lots of walking and I miss my walks if I don't get chance to go out. I'm also less likely to flop on to the sofa as soon as I get home.

Buying clothes is less traumatic too but some styles still look awful on me (your body shape doesn't change that much!).

Thanks for all your support everyone - this forum has been great to take part in.

How long it took from starting 5:2 to reaching your maintenance goal?
13 months to lose 31 pounds
How long have you been maintaining?Coming up to 2 months
Maintenance techniques
While losing, I didn't fast at all. My 5:2 was 2 days a week of low calorie (but not as low as 500) spread over three meals and snacks. This resulted in a slower than average rate of loss, but I was most concerned with finding something I could stick with. I am still doing that, as my rate of losing had almost plateaued as I reached goal. However, I have been influenced by the strong positive views on this forum about fasting, and now postpone my breakfast on the lean days until about noon. This is new for me, as I have always been someone who loves breakfast, and I've always previously believed in not letting myself get hungry. So far it seems to be working well.
Have you gone over your maintenance goal since you reached it
No.
How do you feel compared to before you started 5:2?
More energy. Pleased with what I see in the mirror (despite the crepe effect). But suffering more from constipation!

This is interesting kentishlass, I'm having a look at this thread because I'm trying to find a more managable way to fast. I can't say I'm ultra svelte but having fasted for the last couple of years I feel that I need to relax about the last few pounds and find a way of integrating more mini-fasts into my week in the hope of gradually over the next year or so losing down that last little bit of weight. To be honest, it's just a little bit of extra tummy fat but I'm finding the two fast days extremely hard going in this cold weather. Some days it's fine but others are tortuous, today I had a sick, raw stomach all day. I've never reached the situation where I feel I'm losing too much weight, just doesn't happen. I'm wondering now whether that extra stress on my system that I feel when fasting in the winter is causing me to hold onto belly fat instead of losing it. Fat in the stomach area is a curious thing-they do say that increased cortisol causes the body to hold onto fat in the tummy area. I need a period of some kind of fasting-even moving from very low calories to eating 500 calories my weight loss came to a screeching halt and I actually gained weight. However, I need to get to grips with some kind of a maintenance routine, the 2 day fast has always got that feeling of safety with it, so it's hard to let it go.

How long it took from starting 5:2 to reaching your maintenance goal? ............
Probably about 5 months but as I hadn't weighed before starting this is just a guess

How long have you been maintaining?..............
9 months now

Maintenance techniques.............
16/8 every day with no calorie restriction

Have you gone over your maintenance goal since you reached it and if so have you lost the weight since?................
Not really sure but I suppose I must have but am very stable

How do you feel compared to before you started 5:2?[/quote]...............
Absolutely wonderful this has changed my whole life, for the better

Ballerina x

How long it took from starting 5:2 to reaching your maintenance goal? About 5 months to lose 20 pounds.

How long have you been maintaining? About 2 months

[/quote]Maintenance techniques: 6:1

Have you gone over your maintenance goal since you reached it and if so have you lost the weight since? My weight bounces around +/- as much as five pounds, but has been creeping up, so its a couple of 5:2 weeks coming up.

How do you feel compared to before you started 5:2? Wonderful. Clothes fit, feel good, alcohol down, thumbs up from my doc. All good.

My trouble is once I went on maintenance, my commitment flagged and I cheated a little, hence adding a couple pounds. Do others find their weight varying by 2-3 pounds from week to week? I only weigh on Monday mornings.

I want to lose 5 more pounds after the holidays. I will then have to buy some new clothes and not outgrow them ! But aside from the weight, I believe in the health benefits of fasting, and that motivates me a lot.

Like CreakyPete, my old bones are appreciating less of a load to hold up!

Thanks for this Navwoman..so intriguing to read the replies
Like @Juliana.Rivers i long to be a member of the maintenance club
We will get there in 2014 Juliana! Onwards and downwards! X

How long it took from starting 5:2 to reaching your maintenance goal?
~3-4 months

How long have you been maintaining?
I've gone up and down. My original goal was 130, which I reached in June 2013 (6 months ago). By the end of the summer, though, I was up to about 132-134 because I was pigging out on feed days. Then I started school again and got sick, so I was down to 124 for a while but now I'm back right around 130.

Maintenance techniques
I still do 5:2. It's gotten harder to sleep at night on fast days though so sometimes I eat extra at night just so I can sleep. I also feel like I kind of pig out on feed days. I may be able to maintain on 6:1 if I were more even on feed days but right now I'd rather just be more free to eat what I want. Plus, it's winter and I always have a hard time keeping my weight down when it's cold, so I don't want to risk going to 6:1.


Have you gone over your maintenance goal since you reached it and if so have you lost the weight since?
So yes I've had some gains, as I said earlier. The summer gain I think was because I was in Norway and dating someone, so we would eat these elaborate meals on my feed days because we both liked to cook, and also I would snack on chocolate granola all day. I also have more baseline stress when I'm in school so I think I gained when I didn't have as much stress. The second gain was related to not being sick anymore and it being a little colder but now I'm trying not to go over 130. I will probably be able to get back to 125 once it starts getting lighter outside.


How do you feel compared to before you started 5:2?
I'm still loving it and the small clothes I get to wear . When I wear dresses to the grocery store I notice random men smiling at me, it's a subtle change but definitely not something that used to happen.