@mamatales – You might want to join into the April group. You post daily but it can just be if you are fasting or not. You can write as much else as you want and people are supportive.
https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/30-day-april-2017-challenge/

Greetings. I’m in SoCal and coming at this from the Paleo/ancestral diet side. I’ve heard marvelous things about intermittent fasting and, at 40 pounds overweight and nearly 60 years old, what do I have to lose?

This isn’t my first rodeo after all. 🙂

Got a long road to hoe unfortunately as I also battle with being overly fond of wine and martinis.

But, I gave up smoking 9 years ago. I think I’ve been “allowing” myself a lot of leeway because of that. Probably time I pulled up my big girl panties and got over it.

Howdy!

Hi Mamatales
I have been doing 5:2 since November 2016 with varying degrees of ‘success’ weight wise which is why I started.
There are lots of benefits to fasting so I have stuck with it even when scales show I have not eaten mindfully.
I also ADORE carbs and it has been a bit difficult to cut down on them. But I have managed to do so. I won’t ever cut them out as I am not in favour of eliminating any food group entirely, so I do eat less carbs , fast, have cut back on my total food intake and over time it is working.
Lost weight more easily in November/December than now but still sticking with this WOL ( way of life) . I do like the feeling on fast days when my body feels like it is resting from having to constantly digest food.
Good luck!

My first 500 day is today!

Martyparty

Welcome and best wishes on the diet!

I’m 68 and doing well with intermittent fasting (I eat one meal a day so I suppose
I could call it a 23:1 fast). I’ve also tried fasts up to 48 hours which for me means
“skip a dinner (don’t eat one day)”. I notice that I feel much more energetic about
two to three days after a longer fast but, well, they are hard.
And I lost 1.1 pounds a week very regularly, since last September.

L

Hi everyone,

I’m a carb addict who’s been eating one meal a day (23:1) and losing weight at a rate of 1.1 pounds per week since last September.

I’ve been reading about metabolism a bit. It’s perfectly normal to go back and forth from metabolism based on ketones (fat derived) and metabolism based on glucose. Those of us who eat carbs tend to do so while sleeping.

So I’ve wondered if there would be any benefit to being able to go back and forth more rapidly. E.g. go into deep ketosis in 24 hours. Without severe glucose cravings?

Well, going from ketotic to glucose-based is easy: just thinking of a jelly donut is probably enough to release insulin. The other way is hard and some low-carb book suggest that it takes 3-4 weeks to get the full benefits. Bummer.
Especially since I doubt I’ll every be able to eat low-carb for a month. But what if I could return to ketosis in just a day or so?

Some of the factors to consider

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil — fats that must be burned immediately,
can’t be stored as fat (can anyone verify this?) Competes with glucolysis and
might lessen cravings …. speeds ketosis?

Drinkable ketones. Yuck. And I’m not sure how bioavailable they are but ….

Low-carb meals (no calory restriction) pushes toward ketosis.

High Intensity Interval Training. Strips glucose.

Resistance training to failure. Strips glucose.

Plain old low-intensity running, biking, kayak — burns glucose at a moderate pace.

SOOOO … start in the in morning with bulletproof coffee (MCT oil) and strip glucose as much as possible using the above. The cravings strike in late afternoon. You are willing to sell your mother for a candy bar.
BUT use drinkable ketones, tea, coffee (prayer?) to moderate cravings?
Get to bed somehow. An ambien might be a good idea though not generally recommended.

Wake up. Probably in mild, measurable ketosis. Feel fine, more bulletproof coffee (bulletproof coffee uses MCT oil) . The cravings start late afternoon but it is only a few hours until the fast ends.
.
And this wekeend I’m going to run four miles, do intense HIIT, resistance training, then lock myself into a closet for carb withdrawal. The combination of exercises should go a long way toward putting me into ketosis …

@larrynyc – Your weight loss is awesome, 2kg a month is a lot in my view. I’m lucky to lose 1kg a month. However I’m living in a very carb oriented country and probably don’t get that deep into ketosis. I’m also trying to build muscle.

You ask an interesting question about MCT. There are so many metabolic pathways in the body that what your saying might be true, I just don’t know. I would assume MCT can be packed away just as easily as any other fat. It might explain though why I keep seeing people talking about using MCT in coffee, etc.

Hi marty and welcome:

You did not do 5:2 by eating 300 cal. in 24 hours. 5:2 is a 36 hour ‘fast’. See the FAQ, above, for an explanation.

In short, you go to bed, get up, eat 5/600 during your waking hours, go to bed, get up and eat ‘normally.

Here is how 5:2 works and some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Martyparty, according to the simple 5:2 diet, you should eat the equivalent of your TDEE on your non-fast days. That can be found by accessing the site we are on.

Larry, it is possible to get to ketosis quickly by fasting and exercising (in one day). Once you burn all of your stored glycogen your body has to start burning ketones for energy. If you have never been in ketosis very much your body won’t have the enzymes cranked up to do it very effectively and you will feel crappy. It does take a while to adapt to a very low carb way of eating.

It’s been quiet here. How is everyone doing? I’ve been fasting once a week and slowly losing. I’m down 10 lbs from my cruise induced winter weight. 181 lbs & another 10 to go. I’ve been exercising regularly and feel great. Going to try to get in 2 fast days this week.

DYkask, there are conflicting studies about exercise and fat loss. My take through long term (20 years losing and keeping off 60 lbs) personal experience and study is that exercise done and low and moderate intensity levels has minimal effect on accelerating fat loss. However intense anaerobic exercise like HIIT does make a significant difference because of the increase in HGH and other hormone levels it promotes. Intense weight training to build muscle also results in a long term increase in resting and active metabolism by sparing and growing muscle tissue.

Although any movement / exercise is a good thing for health, most people are not willing to put in the effort required to improve hormone levels and build muscle.

Good morning! I’m just starting the 5:2. I lost 10 lbs.(daughter’s wedding) watching my carbs, but started putting the pounds back on with the first carb I put in my mouth! I’ve got to do something before all 10 lbs. come back. I got up to 143 and shouldn’t weigh more than 120 lbs. Today I’m already back to 136 after getting down to 130-133. I just want a plan that I don’t have to think about with every bite I put in my mouth. Is that even possible?

Coffeegirl, my last successful go round with this, I only counted calories twice a week and ate freely the other five. I lost well (and I’m no spring chicken), so it is possible.

Even as a 66 YO 180 lb man I find < 500 calories in a fast day is not difficult IF I stay away from high glycemic carbs and sugars. If you eat non starchy veggies and protein with a bit of fat it’s actually quite a large volume of food that digests slowly to control blood sugar spikes and the resulting cravings. A typical meal for me would be a piece of salmon and lots of steamed veggies with a bit of grass fed butter or olive oil or two eggs scrambled with sauteed onion and lots of spinach. Plenty of bulk and lots of nutrition without excessive calories. I usually eat my meal at ~4:00 PM with just black coffee to drink before.

I’ve lost >60 lbs and kept it off for 20 years. I find 5-2 / 5-1 are really great way to lose and or maintain fat loss.

I’m usually quite active on my fast days and will do a very intense HIIT workout with no issues. I also do a very intense weight workout but never on a fast day as I need lots of protein and eat ~ 3,000 calories to promote recovery and muscle growth.

Could anyone explain “drinkable ketones”?

@diverdog Thank-you for outlining your progress, is it ok if I copy your last post and share your post with the April Challenge group? I think your experience will inspire and guide the group.✨

Hi, I am Gail from Georgia. I started this plan two weeks ago and have lost 9 or 10 pounds. I would like to join the group, but hope it gets more active. I noticed that it has been 7 days since there was a post. I was wondering if there is a group that shares their food plans each week to help. Thanks, Gail

Gail0531, there is another more active forum on “April 2017 Challenge” which will be teh “May 2017 Challenge” soon enough, if you want to join. Just post something and get included!

Hi Ms:

There are over 140 24 hour periods in a week, but only 7 days. If you read the FAQ, at the top of the page, you will see that a diet day works like this – you go to bed, get up, eat 500 cal. during your waking hours, go to bed, get up and eat ‘normally’, which really means to your TDEE or less.

You are attempting an every day reduced calorie diet, but not 5:2.

This will answer many more of your questions: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Ugh I wish I could edit that post. I don’t then eat 2000 calories at 4pm. I probably eat less than 1000.

with that said, I found a post of yours on the newbie thread that says

“To explain, I see people not eating (fasting) for 24 hours (say, 2 pm to 2 pm the next day) and thinking they will automatically lose weight. But they eat their TDEE before 2 pm (because they will not be eating for a ‘day’) and eat their TDEE after 2 pm the following day (because they are hungry), often with 500/600 calories in between. ”

So from that, I gather that realistically the fasting period is more than 24 hours, closer to 36 hours. Eat dinner at 6pm, eat nothing else that day, go to bed, wake up & fast that entire day (500 calories) go to bed & not eat until you wake up the next morning? Is that correct?

Thanks 🙂

BTW found where I read about doing it 24 hours.

https://vitals.lifehacker.com/starving-yourself-two-days-a-week-is-actually-not-a-bad-1793788417

Hello from South Jersey! I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years. I also tried vegan and raw vegan for about 2 years. I stumbled upon Michael Mosley’s documentary on YouTube recently and it made perfect sense. Purchased the book and have begun the diet. Most of my questions were answered by the book. The rest is just common sense from living as a vegetarian for many years. Thank you all for being very helpful and supportive to each other.
Best regards, Tee

Back from three weeks in France and Italy. I actually lost 1.5 lbs and weigh less than 180lbs for the first time in a year. However the way I lost it was not pleasant. I did eat and drink moderately, walk tons and did body weight exercises for the first two weeks. The last four days I was sick as a dog and ate very little. I spent my time either in bed or on the toilet. Fortunately I was able to get back home without any issues. Hit the gym today for an upper body workout and was pleased that I didn’t lose much strength. I’m very grateful that I’m recovering and able to get back to good health.

I think most of us have moved into the different threads like the monthly challenge. I was over busy with work for a few months and stopped kicking life into this thread. I see diverdog posting too.