Hi backtothefuture
Please add me to the November r challenge I’m sure the added accountability is keeping me focused

Hi back2thefuture. I found that doing the October challenge has been great. I would love to continue through November. Please add me in. Daily checking in keeps me accountable.

Hi back2thefuture, I’m a new to this (did my first fast on Monday) and think joining the November challenge will help me during the first few weeks 🙂

Finally a 30 day challenge I can commit to (I can’t give up alcohol sorry). I’ve just rejoined this forum and have been successfully 5:2ing since July. Will think about my goals for next week but for now have set myself a reminder each day to keep me accountable!

Looking forward to it

Please can I join too? I have been following 5:2 since Sept 1st and I can see how supportive the monthly challenge forums have been. I’ve not posted on a forum before and I think the process will keep me accountable. My goals for Nov are to loose 5lbs, walk at least 10,000 steps a day and keep on the c25k I started at the beginning of Sept. Looking forward to joining in and digitally meeting lots of new friends from around the globe. Regards Diigly.

Hi. I would like to join the November challenge. A bit uncertain about posting every single day…Lets see what happens. I have just started fasting this month – twice a week. Today is a fast day… got to go home and get some nourishment. Mona

B2TF – I’m in too! Thanks for taking on the leadership position! I plan to stay in 6:1 maintenance unless of course life gets in my way and I end up back on 5:2.

I’ve lost about a pound a week since mid-March and love this WOL. My goal will be to exercise more consistently than before.

Onward &downward!

Great! I am in. Goal – to complete 8 36-hours fasts, no refined carbs for November.

Please could I join the November challenge please.
Thanks
Sarah

Hi Claire and welcome:

Here is quite a bit of advice: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Hope it helps!

Good Luck!

Hi Claire:

I’ve done quite well (over 50 pounds lost), but that is irrelevant. The question is how will you do?

That depends entirely on whether you do 5:2 correctly, and whether you do it long enough to lose the weight you want to lose. To lose 50 pounds, plan on about a year to 18 months.

It is up to you!

Good Luck!

I hope i do it correctly i have done a bit of research . can i ask what sort of things you eat and do on your fasting days. its telling me to eat 1600 calories on a non fast day.

Hi Claire:

Follow TDEE. Your BMR is what your body uses if you are in a coma, is included within your TDEE and is generally useless for weight loss purposes.

For 5:2, you can eat 25% of your TDEE or less on your diet days. If your goal is to lose weight, and not eat as much as possibly allowed on the diet, then you can try 500 calories on your diet days, or, like some of us, eat nothing at all on your diet days. It takes awhile to get to water fasting on diet days for many people, both physically and mentally, so don’t think you have to start that way. Think of it as a goal to hit several months in.

It is also recommended that you eat your TDEE or less on your non diet days. The calculator really gives you an estimated TDEE – every one has a different TDEE even though they might seem similar. Some put in their goal weight when calculating their TDEE and eat to that. Over time it will acclimate you to the number of calories you will have to eat to maintain your goal weight once you arrive there. If you start with the calculator estimate of your TDEE be prepared to adjust if you find you are not losing weight, or not losing weight fast enough. The estimate might be high for you, and you might follow it diligently and not be as successful as you would like to be. It will not be the diet’s fault, it will be the inaccurate TDEE you will have been working with.

More information on TDEE is included in this thread: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/tdee-for-the-curious-or-why-dont-i-lose-weight-faster/

As for what to eat – that is the hardest part. You can eat anything you want as long as you stick to the calorie guidelines. There are people on this site that will strongly suggest to you to go on the Atkins diet – to cut out sugar, processed carbs like flour and pasta, potatoes, etc. Some still will advocate a low fat diet. Some seem to like protein diets, although they are ultimately very unhealthy.

To start, I simply suggest you focus on your diet days. You can experiment, but what you will find if you are like almost everyone else, is that eating high fat, moderate protein foods on your diet days works best. You can eat when you want, and as often as you want, but many find one evening meal works best. After you do this for a month or so you will probably find you are changing the types of foods you eat on your non diet days. But starting 5:2 is stressful enough without immediately overlaying change in the foods you normally eat.

Good Luck!

Hi Claire,

You can do 5:2 however you like. Not all variations will be as “good” as each other. the concept of eating 1/4 TDEE came about because Michael Mosley didn’t think most people could handle eating nothing on their fast days. The 5:2 concept was born out of the research work of Valter Luongo and Krista Vardy. certain foods tend to spike your blood glucose which then spikes your insulin levels. When you spike your insulin levels this causes the body to try and stored everything you eat as fat. Foods that cause an insulin spike? Sugar is a biggy. Also avoid grain based simple carbs like bread, pasta, pizza, cakes, biscuits. Fizzy drinks, sports drinks and fruit juice. Yes fruit juice is unhealthy for you!!!! You want fruit eat a whole piece of fruit. Try and get your carbs from veggies, and not processed grains. Avoid anything that says low fat!! The sugar content will be through the roof.

To make life easy for you on your fast days I would avoid all processed carbs. Try meals with a small serve of meat/fish and a lot of salad/veggies. Avoid starchy veggies like potatoes. Go for your cruciferous veggies. Im not a big fan of smoothies or any shake type foods. They destroy and sense of portion control which is not good. They remove and or destroy the fibre content within the food. You can easily drink a glass of fruit juice. Could you eat 6 to 8 oranges in one sitting? Doubt it.

5:2 works and is a eating lifestyle choice rather than a “diet”. Im a male and went from 202 pounds to 156 pounds over the course of one year, 46 pounds lost. Have been in maintenance since March of this year.

Hello.

I am new to the 5:2 forums. I just started the plan on Monday – second FD tomorrow. My goal for November is to walk 10,000 steps every day and to lose 8 pounds. Carbs and sugar are my downfall. I find reading the posts from everyone very encouraging.

How does the challenge work? My 1st fast day today. Do you all weigh weekly and see what results are at end of nov. Im hopeing to lose alot as its my first month.

I’ve not started the fast diet yet (in fact this is my first diet of any description) and a November Challenge sounds like a great way to start. I’m very interested in seeing what the results will be. I now have 5 days to read the book.

I’m in!

Good morning
I have been reading through all the posts for the November challenge and I would love to know where I can find the TDEE calculator.
I am anxious to start the November challenge.

Hi Reid go to the top of the page and click on home then click on how to do the diet/get started and the tdee calculator will appear on the right hand side. Hope that helps. Diggly

Hi b2tf, I’m new to 5:2 and new here. I’d like to join the November challenge please. I think it’ll help me stay focused and motivated during the first few weeks. Thanks!

Hi I would like to join the November Challenge, Merryme let me knew that I had replied to an old link and it was in 2015.