Determined Newbie hoping to become a part of this great community!

This topic contains 10 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by aglowworm 5 years, 8 months ago.

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aglowworm

8:07 am
27 Feb 19
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Hi All

I did my first fasting day yesterday and am 3/4 of my way through the Fast Diet book. I found fasting relatively easy on my first time and actually quite enjoyed it! I had about 540 cals which I know is a bit more than recommended. I’d be interested to hear how many cals people have found works for them on fast days – ie. actually loosing weight with that amount.

I’m a 40 year old woman who has always struggled with my weight, and I feel like I’ve been on some kind of weight loss regime forever. I’m excited by the claims of fasting – weight loss, lifestyle, health, and continuity. I want to lose around 30lbs/13kg, but any loss that I can sustain at this point would be great.

I am more nervous about my non fast days than my fast days!! I have calculated my TDEE for the weight I want to be which is around 1650cals per day.
Does that sound right to everyone?
As I understand it, I shouldn’t go over that on my ‘normal’ days. Is that right?
Also, as fast days should be around .25 of that, should I be cutting down to around 412 cals on fast day or is that not how it works?

Apologies if some of my questions are too simple. I’ve had a good look around the site and the book and thought it’d be nice to say hi! Thanks!

fasting_me

11:16 pm
27 Feb 19
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Hello, Aglow! Welcome to Fasting. I wish I’d found 5:2 when I was in my 40s…but here you are, diving in.
You ask about the TDEE that you calculated and is it correct. When you entered the numbers, did you use the WEIGHT YOU ARE NOW or the WEIGHT YOU’D LIKE TO BE. Makes a difference.
Whatever you calculate as your TDEE, eat up to that on your Slow Days. On Fast Days, eat between 500 and 600 calories/ day. Don’t bother that 600 calories is not 1/4 of your TDEE.[my husband and i both use the 600 calorie limit]
Sounds as if you are off to a good start. We started Fasting almost 6 years ago. We were in our mid-60s. My husband lost 45 pounds and kept it off. I had less to lose, and then lost more. 🙂 We still Fast twice/week.
Planning is important. We plan in advance what we will eat, on Fast and Slow Days. Then there are no surprises — like missing a vital ingredient and giving up and ordering out. We find that protein for breakfast keeps you full for hours: eggs vs porridge.
As for fretting about Slow Days. Get rid of the junk food and other temptations. If you aren’t losing weight the way you want, keep a Food Journal — keeps you honest and shows you what you could cut out without tears.
Good luck. Keep posting on this thread so we can see your progress.

cornish-jane

6:53 am
28 Feb 19
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Welcome @aglowworm. You are fortunate to have found 5:2 because if you are one of those lucky people who can fast one day at a time then you are very likely to be here a year later writing about your achievements.

Its easier to stick to 500cals on your fast days if you can do it without suffering. Increase up to 800cals if that is what you need to succeed. Keep an eye on your TDEE as you need to reduce your food consumption as you lose weight – as you will be maintaining a smaller body. This is one of the hardest long term challenges – to find a normal healthy eating pattern you really believe in and can continue long term. Otherwise the weight returns.

5:2 gives you the time to adopt new eating patterns while you lose weight.

I’ve lost 34kgs so far and just do 2 fast days a week at 500cals and do not calorie count on non fast days but i have radically changed my diet to Mediterranean. Did a lot of research on what it really is.

Good luck – its do-able – join the March challenge if you would like some support.

cornish-jane

7:14 am
28 Feb 19
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I also meant to say that i definately lose more weight if I’m active. Bizarrely – its walking more than any other activity, especially on a fast day, that seems to help me the most. But exercise, although obviously good for your health, is not required to lose weight. Hope that helps!

aglowworm

8:54 am
28 Feb 19
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Hi @fasting_me. It’s lovely to meet you and thanks for taking the time to respond.

When I calculated my TDEE, I did that for the weight that I WANT to be. Is that the correct way?

It’s good to hear that I don’t have to worry too much about sticking so strictly to my 500 or less on Fast Days. And it’s wonderful to hear you and your husband’s success stories – what an amazing achievement – congratulations!

Today is my 2nd fast day and I’m really quite looking forward to it. Having spent a lifetime thinking and worrying about what I’m going to eat, I’m finding it quite liberating to not have to think about it at all. As you say, I’ve planned things, so that I know exactly what I’m having later on.

My Slow Day yesterday surprised me in a few ways. I definitely felt more drawn to healthier foods which was interesting – and unusual – for me! But I will need to pay attention to things because I do have bad habits and like my junk food. I now recognise more than before that actually learning new habits for the Slow Days is a big part of the Fast Diet diet mentality. The weekends are a big challenge for me, especially when my hubby is around!

I also like your idea of keeping this thread so that I can post and record my progress on it. Thanks again for coming along and saying ‘hi’ 🙂

aglowworm

9:02 am
28 Feb 19
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Hi @cornish-jane. It’s lovely to meet you and thanks for taking the time to respond. And congratulations on your weight loss! To hear stories like yours is so inspiring for me.

It’s great to hear that there’s a bit of flexibility on cals on Fast Days. Today is my 2nd fast day and I’m really quite looking forward to it. I’ll report back later on about how it went.

I’m down on the sheet for the March challenge which looks great. I’m a bit worried about what goal to put because I don’t want to set it too high and fail, but at the same time, I want to feel like I’ve achieved something. Do you have any tips on this? Have you done the challenge lots of times before?

I definitely think that the non-fast days will possibly be more of a challenge for me than the fast days, especially weekends. The more I read about this diet and think about it, the more I understand that it’s about changing our attitudes to food on the non-fast days. I do have bad habits and need to retrain myself A LOT.

Thanks so much for saying ‘hi’. I really do appreciate all the support and tips.

cornish-jane

7:17 am
1 Mar 19
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No problem @aglowworm!

I’d say set yourself a target of losing 0.5kgs a week. That seems to be the average for people doing two 500cal fast days a week. I seemed to follow the average on regular weeks, but it does vary a lot. Some weeks are better than others for no obvious reason. And I’d get really mad if there was no loss or a small gain some weeks. I’ve toughened up a bit now. It helps to build some mental strength so you can ride the waves!💪

And take measurements for your waist. It seems to be as important as your weight from a health point of view. Some weeks your waist reduces even if your weight is sluggish and vice versa. You are aiming for your waist to be well below half your height.

I’ve been doing the challenges for about 18mths – they are very helpful and you soon get to know people. And you get lots of advice on TDEEs etc.

aglowworm

8:48 am
1 Mar 19
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@cornish-jane I did my waist/belly button measurement after reading about it in the book and I was really quite shocked at what it was. I think I’d really like to focus on that and getting it down to a healthy point. I’ve got a way to go.

I think .5kg is about 1lb which sounds sensible. I’d love things to move faster, but I know I need to tread carefully so that I don’t get disheartened. I look forward to seeing you over on the challenge thread! =D

aglowworm

8:55 am
1 Mar 19
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Update: I’ve now finished the Fast Diet book and also finished my 2nd FD yesterday. It went well and I had 560 cals, so I’ll see how this goes.

There were points in the day when I felt starving and like I couldn’t make it through, but these did pass – normally by distracting myself, having a big glass of water or a black tea. And by the time I left work at around 6pm, I actually didn’t feel hungry at all! And I really felt that I could leave or take food. I wasn’t bothered.

The body and especially the mind is an incredible thing and I’ve really learned that a lot of hunger and wanting to eat is mental. Hunger is nothing to be afraid of. And I don’t have to eat whenever my body – or probably more likely my mind – tells me to! All of this in my first week!

I am genuinely more worried about my non-fast days. I’m going to count to start with to find out what my TDEE looks and feels like and go from there. I may not count over the weekend and see what happens. I’m also doing the March challenge, so we’ll see how things progress.

I’d love to hear from anyone with thoughts/tips/advice etc. Thanks!

fasting_me

4:53 pm
1 Mar 19
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aglow, when you set goals, you can also look at behavioral goals. I was in a Christmas Challenge and one goal was ‘no snacking after dinner.’ That was a good goal for me, as I tend to ‘graze in the kitchen’ after dark. That goal showed me that I really didn’t have to have that behavior.

Counting during a Slow Day can be very instructive. It gives you a real handle on what and how you eat. Some would say it will lead to neurosis, but that’s not strictly true. See what happens. I’ve gotten to the point of knowing the food value of most everything I eat, so I can ‘do the count’ in my head. Planning on Slow Days can be as useful as it is on Fast Days.

have a good weekend.

aglowworm

9:49 am
2 Mar 19
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@fasting_me the nighttime snacking thing really struck a chord with me! That is definitely a danger zone for me.

Yesterday was a NFD and I did well. I am genuinely surprised at the different perspective just a short amount of time fasting can give you. I made healthy choices, left food when I felt satisfied, I wasn’t afraid of my hunger, and thought about having a snack after dinner, but chose not to!

If things can continue like this, I’m going to be a very happy bunny! But I’m mindful to take each day as it comes. I’m sure the tough days will come – especially after a night out! 😵😃