I’m new to this too…infact I’ve yet to commece. I’ve purchased the recipe book and read the science and going to start on Thursday of this week. Thursday being the first ‘fast day’.
I’m nervous as hell. There aren’t many guidelines about the ‘non fast days’, which I’m worried about. But I’m hoping to maintain a sensible diet …why couldn’t I do that before?
Anyways Big Pete…wishing you all the best on this journey. I’m Irish living on the GC, Qld.
May the odds be ever in your favour….(ok..my kids made me say that lol)

@ozbug Don’t be nervous, there’s no need. You already know to stay within 500 calorie on your fast days so that’s a good start.

have you calculated your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)? If not there is a link at the top of the page called ‘how’ and a further link to BMR/TDEE calculator. have a look it tells you what it is, why you need to know and you can calculate it there.

Once you know the 2 figures, ideally you should eat somewhere between them – i.e. MORE than your BMR but NO MORE than your TDEE – on non fast days. You may need to experiment with amounts to find what works best for you. Remember you can eat WHAT you want on non fast days but not HOW MUCH you want so you can fit in a piece of cake or chocolate or a glass of wine, just be mindful of the calories they contain.

Some people find that using an app like My Fitness Pal or Lose It helps for the first few weeks to help track calorie intake and portion sizes – it’s only too easy to under-guesstimate calorie values.

After the first few weeks you’ll wonder why you worried. The beauty of 5:2 is that you do what works for you.. there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way.

there is plenty help and support on these forums and in the faq link at the top of the page.

Good luck – tell us how you get on x

Hi Big Pete and Ozbug, all the best on your journey!

Aud x