Advice needed

This topic contains 17 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by  Sberry1123 6 years, 6 months ago.

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  • Dear all,

    I m newbie in 5:2, and already aged 39. For this age, it is so hard to lose belly fat even exercising 5 times a week, and one hr cardio per session.I started this diet for three weeks, and I successfully lost 7 pounds without much exercise, and the waist loses two inches. However, I want to ask if it is even better to combine 5:2 together with 800 kcal meal per day for non fast day? Or it will slow down the metabolism?

    Hi,
    If you are worried about belly fat and are considering a max of 800 cal every day, I suggest you read about the blood sugar diet. (Michael Mosley published this after the 5:2 Fast Diet.) This program focuses not just on calories but food choices every day. If you are going to limit your calories severely, what you eat is quite important to maintaining good health.
    https://thebloodsugardiet.com/

    You may also want to try giving 5:2 a go as written and then researching a tougher option if it doesn’t work for you.

    Have been on the 5:2 for two weeks now. So… 4 days of the 500 calories. However, I have been unable to keep my calories that low, and usually end up with 700-800. Those days I have also walked 5 miles, so I’m hoping that the calorie expenditure for those days makes it okay to up my calories…

    Or, does this negate the positive effect of the Fast that day?

    Sherry, why not just try the 5:2 as written for a month or so and see how it works? I’m 68, exercise little, and lose about 1.5 pounds or .7 kg per week. I’ve been following the 5:2 for about 12 weeks. The belly fat is long gone. It’s pretty hard to lose fat in one specific area of the body at a time. (Except I always seem to lose 5 pounds in each boob, right off the top! 😁 ) It’s pretty much an overall weight loss from everywhere, or at least wherever your body seems to want to eliminate it first. The best you can hope for is strengthening muscles that support your belly to make it look a little firmer. Be patient and it will disappear.

    Eating 500 calories on FD and 800 calories on the other days sounds really tough. I would be hungry all the time and for me, that wouldn’t be sustainable for long. The idea is to find a plan you can stick with long term and allows you to still live your life normally. Everyone has lunches out, parties and celebrations. These fit in with the 5:2. You just plan them for a non-fast day and cut down a little on the other non-fast days. You do need to eat mindfully, but 800 calories on NFD’s sounds like punishment to me!

    HI S:

    Despite advertisements to the contrary, you cannot target fat loss – you will lose fat from various parts of the body at different times and at different rates Exercise does not help.

    Just keep doing 5:2 and you will be fine – no need for an extreme diet. Here are some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

    Good Luck!

    Great thanks for your supports, I will give it ago on 5:2 and see how it works. hopefully the stubborn belly fat will melt away, thanks again!

    Hi, sorry to border you again, I have been eating around
    1000 for non fast day and eating 500 for fast day, I drop seven pounds in total for last three week, but this week, I gained s
    1.5 pounds back.. so shall I fast more days or keep it two days? Please advice, many thanks!

    My suggestion is that you ignore the scales, and stay on course. I have found in any diet plan that my weight will fluctuate, and it can get discouraging if I see something on the scales that I don’t like:-) So, hang in there! I have been on the Fast 5:2 for two weeks now, and am thinking that this week I’ll push it up a notch and go for 5:3. If ur only having 1000 calories the rest of the week, I feel your pain. You are one tough nut!!

    Sberry – fluctuations in weight are not at all unusual and they don’t mean that you need to add even more fast days. My weight loss journey was definitely up and down and the weight on the scales bore little relationship to how careful I’s been. I found that I needed other guides in addition to the scales. For me it was taking measurements and I also used the fit of tight garments (eg tight jeans).

    Unfortunately many things can have an impact on the scales that have nothing to do with what you are eating – eg hormones, fluid retention, inflammation, medication.
    Before I reaches menopause, the hormonal changes in my monthly cycle could alter my weight by as much as 3kg. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and changes in my inflammation levels can also change my weight by 2-3 kg. It can be so difficult to work out whether it’s our food intake or other things that have cause a change in what we weight. The only real guide is to take a longer view – over time a trend in weight loss will be obvious if you are eating less than your body needs. I know that can be hard when we want the encouragement of frequent weight loss to spur us on. I eventually stopped weighing regularly and moved to only weighing monthly, which helped eliminate the stress of daily fluctuations.

    Thanks a lot for your support, I might ignore the scale for the time being and keep on, hopefully the belly fat will melt away soon. Thanks!

    Sberry1123 – first of all, stop saying that you can’t loose belly fat as you are 39. Man you can get 6 packs even if you are 79, by just grabbing correct knowledge on nutrition.

    The 5:2 plan works, and even the 16:8 per day, which I am on is a perfect path to move on 5:2 or even 4:3, which my sister is now on.

    For weight loss, you need to also do some (little) cardio, and thus I would suggest you to check out interval training on tread mill (twice a week – just for 20-25 mins) and compound exercise, 2-4 times a week (I am doing twice a week). Check this muscularstrength.com/beginners-guide

    So, connect with people who motivates you and as you can & will loose belly fat.

    Thanks for your tips, I have been doing three days fasting combining with five times 45 mins cardio exercises per week, however the weight didn’t drop for a week and gain a bit back instead, I am struggled. I just eat around 460-500 for fast day, 800-900kcal for non fast day, may be 1300 kcal for sat which is still under TDEE. I am not sure if I need to eat even less or fast for more days… struggling

    Two things. For your fast days Id try and go down to zero cals and up the non fast days by 400-500 cals. Basically you are not doing intermittent fasting, your just doing restricted calorie dieting. What you eat has a huge influence. 1300 calories of processed foods is not the same as 1300 calories of high fibre foods. So what are you eating? Avoid processed grains and sugar. No bread, cakes, biscuits, pizza, breakfast cereals (pure junk). Lots of cruciferous veggies, beans, lentils. Some fruit like berries, or a tart apple. Drink 2 tablespoons or apple cider vinegar before every meal. The vinegar decreases insulin spikes after a meal. This aids the use of fat as an energy source. Good luck.

    Sherry I’m 51 female and losing belly fat slowly by the odd fast day xercise NOT snacking and being mindful about what I eat.

    I m eating low carb , basically protein with vegetables, no snacking ,no sugar drink,, no grain , or pasta only one portion of fruit and vegetables. On fast day, just having lunch and dinner for 500 kcal, even non fast day eating 800-1300, mainly are protein and vegetables , may be half bowl of noodle for max for a day. So, maybe
    I need to cut down the fruits … and exercise less?

    I wouldn’t describe your diet as low carb. Don’t get me wrong I think its good, just not low carb. The half a bowl of noodles will take you way over 50g of carbs, so not low carb. What kind of veggies? Avoid potatoes at all costs. Some fruit is OK. What kind of fruit? Go for berry types fruits. Tart apples and unripened bananas. Try and go zero cals on your fast days and up the cals on your non fast days. It will help keep your metabolism higher.

    Are you doing exercise for weight loss? Doesn’t work. Don’t get me wrong, exercise has many benefits but weight loss is not really one of them. Muscle tone, physical and mental well being, yep. Lowering cortisol levels, yep.

    Sberry, perhaps you are over-managing this. Stick to the standard 5:2 diet for 2 months and see what happens. Weigh and measure before and after. Belly fat is difficult to lose but not impossible to reduce.
    I eat 600 calories on Fast Days and about 1450 calories on most non-Fast Days. I’ve been at or around my target weight for months by doing that.
    How much are you trying to lose?

    I want to try zero cal for fasting but I really cannot do it as I try a few times before and I fainted in street and get
    Stitch done on my forehead.

    Only five pounds left and I reach my target weight, may be I should got low carb idea wrong.
    I would eat greens leaves, apple, oranges , berries and carrots. Or I try cutting noodles as well and keep original 5:2 , keep exercise more and see how it goes.. hope it works..

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