Not sure of keeping 5:2 as a weight loss method

This topic contains 3 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by Frosty 7 years, 5 months ago.

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_deleted account

8:56 pm
31 May 17
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Hello!

I’m a frequent lurker. Been doing 5:2 since february. I lost 13 pounds since then.( From 221 to 208.) It’s not even one pound per week, I know, but I had a huge slip-up around my birthday where during a little over a week, I had only one fast day and was eating way too much.

Really, it’s no miracle fix. I knew this from the start. It’s going very, very slowly. I don’t mind that part.

What bothers me is that Lately, I noticed that as soon as I stray a bit from around my TDEE on non-fast day, I’m gaining. Yes, I have recalculated my TDEE. It’s now around 1900.

I have come to realize that this is turning into yet another diet and TBH you cannot really eat whatever you want on the non-fast days even if you stay in Your TDEE. For it to work, I should probably give up all alcohol and probably bread and dessert completely (pasta is not an issue, I don’t eat lots of it.)

I find disheartening is that even if I eat very well all week and have only one day where I eat and drink whatever I want, I will gain. I’m discouraged that it still requires me to watch everything all the time. I did a test and for a full week I sticked around 1900 calories per day (which is a little below my tdee) and had one day at 3000 (you know, it can go fast. Bread, wine, cheese, add a starbucks frap during the day and you will bust your tdee very easily.) I gained 2.7 pounds.

I don’t think I’m willing to give up more than what I already do.

I dunno, maybe I,m just rambling. I don’t want to obsess over some arbitrary number I’d like to read on the salce. I also don’t want to be in a situation where I have to be always careful ALL the time. I picked 5:2 especially because it did not require me to be constantly careful and counting all the time. I can’t do this, I used to have an eating disorder and constant calorie computing does not agree with my mental health.

Maybe I should just stop for a while, I’m beginning to feel sick and tired of it already. Not sure what to do.

Some commiseration or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

bigbooty

11:06 pm
31 May 17
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There is no magic involved. You cant eat whatever you want and do 5:2 and think it will work. What diet book says that their diet is going to be hard work? They wouldn’t sell any books!! Im amazed at how many people say that they are eating healthy on this forum. If that was the case then why do you need to lose weight? What you are eating, either quality or quantity wise, is not healthy, it cant be. I was losing only 0.7 pound per week. Took me a year to go from 202 to 154 pounds. Its really up to you, no one can do it for you. I no longer eat sugar, and any grain based foods. No bread, pasta, breakfast cereal, biscuits, cakes, pizza etc. If its grain based I don’t have it.

You say you should probably give up bread, desert and alcohol? Yes. Well at least keep it as a sometimes treat. By sometimes Im meaning once per week and only a small portion. Otherwise its not a treat, they a food staples and very poor ones at that.

Good luck with it.

CalifDreamer

1:41 am
1 Jun 17
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I’m no expert on this way of eating since I started only 3 weeks ago. But I’ve lost 6.6 pounds and I don’t count calories on NF days but I carefully count them on FD. I’ve had a couple of NF days where I went hog wild but did a fast day the following day. Some days the scale went up and some days down, but it did inch lower. I try to eat mindfully on most NF days.

I started this plan at 155.8 pounds and was at 149.2 this morning. My thyroid is checked yearly and is normal. My only exercise right now is walking and I don’t do enough of it. I’m 68 which probably makes it a little harder to shed pounds.

You have to be realistic about this diet. If you eat like you always have and eat more to make up for fast days, you’ll stay at the same weight. But you’ve lost 13 pounds already. So you must be doing something right. In another 3 months you’ll lose another 13 pounds if you keep doing what you’re doing now. That’s not a bad amount of weight. And if you step it up a little, you’ll probably lose even more.

Frosty

2:29 am
1 Jun 17
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I’ve been doing and using this plan for the last 4 years. I have reached my goal weight for the first time in my adult life (175), down from 280 many years ago. I find the 5:2 plan eminently convenient and totally within my ability to manage. I don’t have to fast every week. I use it as needed. I weight 2x/wk to check in. I am also vegetarian/vegan at this point and mostly walk for exercise. I love food and love to it! I am 73 now and feel great. Be well all! Let food be your medicine and your medicine be food…