Worried about how much I am eating on non-fast days

This topic contains 15 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by betalean 11 years ago.

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)

plasticmouse

1:53 pm
8 Jul 13
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hi

I am new to the fast diet, this is only my 3rd week, my next fast day is tomorrow. Is it wrong that I thought I would lose weight straight away. My BMI at the moment is 24.2 (58kgs, 5ft1in) , which is at the high end of healthy and would like to to lose 5 lbs, but even though I have been following it religiously and doing quite a bit of exercise on non-fast days. however i have felt as if I have been splurging on my non-fast day, more than I did when I was just trying to cut down calories.
I have not lost any weight so far, even with the exercise, and I know the diet has benefits beyond just weight loss, but weight loss is one of the main reasons I decided to try this….I feel my bikini body is now where to be seen!!!! Should I eat a lot less than the 1700 kcal i am eating on average on my non-fast days? I am getting disheartened 🙁

TaraMaiden

3:29 pm
8 Jul 13
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Do you feel the need to splurge? What kinds of foods are you splurging on?

It depends also what your calorific intake of 1700 calories is made up of….

I have to say, even in the second week of this 5:2 regime, I had already begun to look closely at the foods I was eating on non-fast days, and deciding for myself that some things simply weren’t going to stick around. I’ve actually followed many of the recipes in the book, and expanded on them a little… adapted them to increase the portion, at times, but never to excess….or added other things to intensify the flavour experience….
As a complete personal choice, I’ve cut out all gluten/wheat products too. I haven’t eaten bread, pizza or ordinary durum wheat pasta in nearly 5 weeks now, and the difference to my whole system is quite marked…. I had a lovely portion of chips the other day though, and they were lush!

Try exercising more on your Fast days.
I know it’s explained in the book that actually, exercise on those days is not only easier, but more effective….

plasticmouse

12:12 pm
12 Jul 13
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Hi TaraMaiden. In the first two weeks I didn’t, I felt I did really well with controlling my intake, but for the past two weeks I have been eating almost 2000kcal a day. I was reading the book and doing the diet as Dr Mosley said: don’t need to count calories on non-fast days. That, in my mind, was my excuse to splurge, also because I told myself I was doing so well on fast days.
To be quite honest I don’t have the energy to exercise on fast days. I exercise every non-fast days, maybe go for a walk to the shops on fast days but don’t wanna push myself as I feel quite tired and weak on fast days.

It seems the diet is not sitting well with me 🙁

plasticmouse

12:13 pm
12 Jul 13
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And to answer your questions: splurging on cookies and chocolate mainly. Now I am using my fitness pal app o track calories on non-fast days too, because my BMR intake is 1700.

TaraMaiden

2:05 pm
26 Jul 13
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I’ll be honest with you. I have no idea what my proper Recommended Daily Intake should be. All I know is that I entered an approximate weight, at the beginning, because as I recall, that’s how much I weighed the last time I weighed myself – which was a year or so ago? Maybe? Not sure…. ‘MyFitnessPall’ tells me I’m down for 1,200 calories/day, with a 2-day fast.

Occasionally, I’ll end up eating more than my RDI, and frankly, I have no idea what my BMI is because (one) I’m petite (4’10” and they don’t recommend it for people under 5 feet in height) and two, muscle weighs more than fat, and frankly, I can’t be bothered with being so obsessed.
What tells me I’m doing ok is how I feel, how my clothes fit and what energy levels I have.

And I feel really great – even on days when I exceed my ‘recommended’ intake.

At the risk of sounding personal, do you find comfort in food?
Do you keep thinking about your next meal, what you can eat, can’t eat, and feel guilty after cookies and chocolate?

If yes, then perhaps you need to address your attitude to food and why you feel the way you do.
It may not be a problem with the diet not working for you (although I think the word ‘diet’ is a misnomer…..) It may be that you’re not happy with what the diet is asking you to do.
It’s not restrictive or constrictive, either.
You have to fit it round you….

fizzbang

9:06 pm
21 Aug 13
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If I can offer some help – don’t look at the 5:2 as a diet – that’s what has helped me – I look forward to my fasting days and enjoy my none fasting days. By doing the 2 fasting days you start to reduce your intake naturally but I still enjoy fizz and wine and calorific things on my none fasting days – then when it comes round to the fasting day again – its not an issue – and the reason being is that unlike dieting you are not depriving your body of the things that you like – so after fasting if you want a biscuit eat one! Every time I started a diet I used to crave for the things I knew I couldn’t eat – with the 5:2 this is not the case. So far I have lost 2 stone and have dropped 2 dress sizes. However, a girlfriend who happened to be thinner than I when she started, found it harder to lose weight – but she has stuck to it and now she is seeing the great results too. Keep at it! Its worth it.

chooky01

2:34 am
25 Aug 13
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I was shocked to find that my calorie intake on a normal day is around 2000 calories. I thought I don’t eat much – I was wrong. While the book says not to stress about calories on the non fast days I am using an app on my phone and just entering what I eat every day. From what I have read on this forum your tendancy to over eat will likely change as a result of the fast days. In the meantime I am still going to try and keep my calories to around 1500 on my 5 days because 2000 is just too much.
fizzbang is right – the word diet should be swapped for a word that does not envoke fear and anxiety in those of us who have dieted all our lives. So I am referring to it as a program or routine.

ljc1011

4:27 am
25 Aug 13
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Ive come to realise that cookies and cake and chocolate should be a rare and lovely treat not something we should eat on a daily basis. Get rid of them from the cupboards. When you do have one of them as a treat they will taste a whole lot better.

Bev123

2:49 pm
25 Aug 13
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Plasticmouse _ don’t give up. When the body is used to burning carbs for fuel the transition to burning fat can make one temporarily fatigued. On your fast day, maybe you might add a little carb (in case you are doing all protein.)

fast for life

5:01 pm
25 Aug 13
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i do belive confusion has come from the mix of plans on offer, heres how i understand it.

5:2 fast on 500 cals 2 days a week and eat what ever you like the other 5 not as much as you like. (eat normal size portions, this will take time after bad eating habbits formed over many years)

and the alt day fast plan.. eat as much as you want one day, fast, eat. fast. and so on. with the alt day fasting you can eat as much as you want on your eat days, in the studies most people on this form of fasting could only eat 110% on their eat days and could never make up the lost cals on the fast days hence good weight loss results.

many of us here have mixed it up between the two plans to suit our own personal needs, some count cals, others add an extra fast day and do the 4:3 plan, it will take some tweeking to find what suits you. xx

ljc1011

6:22 am
26 Aug 13
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The alternate fast came from the study that Michael went to view its in the horizon documentary. Hence they found that people could only eat 110% of their normal intake. I think Michael felt the alternate day fasting would be too difficult to keep up. I don’t think it matters really the principles the same and if the weight comes off and you feel ok then that’s good.

sabre19

6:09 am
22 Oct 13
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Hi Does anyone know in general how many calories a day a women should have when not on the Fast Diet?

Sassy

8:08 am
22 Oct 13
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Hi sabre19
I hope I have understood your query 🙂
The average quoted for women is 2000 Kcal per day, but it is best to calculate what the average is for someone of your age, height, weight and activity level.
You can do this using the TDEE calculator that is available under the ‘how?’ menu.
Cheers 😀
NB it doesn’t matter whether you are on the Fast Diet or not re the average number of calories needed per day. One of the premises of the Fast Diet is that you eat ‘normally’ on non-fast days.

betalean

10:15 pm
26 Oct 13
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Hi everyone, I don’t like the word diet either so like using words eating plan or new health routine. I have tried diets and always felt restricted and immediately wanted to eat everything I was not allowed to. I have only been on plan one week and already looking for to my next fast day. I am 5’2″ and I thought 2000 calories was a lot for me. Based on the TDEE calculator my intake should be 1662 per day so I have been having around that many calories. Some days it’s a lot less other days have just been over. But I don’t beat myself up about it. I know it evens out with the fast days. I did my first weigh in yesterday and actually put on 100 grams. Luckily I took my measurements and have lost centimetres from thighs and waist plus my body fat is down 1.2%. So I am happy with that and looking forward to more changes next week.

Sassy

12:02 pm
27 Oct 13
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Hi betalean
Sounds like you have a great approach to this new WOL (way of life) or WOE (way of eating).
I think that seeing the change in %body fat (which you can convert to amount of fat by multiplying by your weight), the measurement of ‘critical’ parts of your body, how clothes are fitting, and how you think you look in the mirror, can all be better indicators of what is happening with your body ‘weight’-wise’. It is quite possible that the extra 100g (and more) was just water, particularly given your body fat and other measurements went down. Remember that a glass of water is 200-250g!
I trust things are continuing well for you. 🙂
All the best
Sassy

betalean

8:03 am
19 Nov 13
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Hi Sassy,

Thanks for your support. I hope you are finding success each week. I have lost 2kg since last time I wrote. Didn’t weigh myself last week though as I was on holiday and only fasted the first day I was there. I came back last night so did first fast today. I’m hoping that I have put on too much over the holidays and will be back on track after fast days this week. Planning on doing 3 fast days to make up for last week. I love this WOE and WOL so easy to keep it up and not feel deprived. All the best for week ahead. Let me know how you go. It’s always great to hear of other people’s success helps keep me motivated.