This topic contains 78 replies, has 32 voices, and was last updated by Riz 3 years, 10 months ago.
Hi, I did 4:3 last week (my fourth week in) and had a big loss (3lb) – I have lost 13 lb altogether in the first month, which I’m delighted about, although when I started I was pretty heavy – 16 stone on 5’8 frame.
The 4:3 was ok and I will certainly do it again, but not every week – it was definitely more challenging for me and I had more starvation cravings than on 5:2. Great for a boost, but I would be concerned that I would fall head first into a biscuit tin if I did it too often! Think I’ll stick with 5:2 the next couple of weeks, then do another 4:3, depending on how things are going. The great thing about this plan is its flexibility!
I’m a 4:3er. I lost about 50lbs in 9 months doing 4:3. Oddly I still do 4:3, over a year after reaching goal weight, mostly to try to lose weight I gain on holidays, but also because lately my non-fast days are out of control, so I need the low days just to maintain.
So… I definitely recommend 4:3 (all (most of?) the research has been done on ADF, so there is more evidence for this than 5:2), but I would watch out for non-fast days. Don’t use it as an excuse to overeat, or you might not lose weight.
I would add: I found 4:3 easier than 5:2 because I found the long gaps between fasts on 5:2 made fasting more difficult. There is a rhythm to 4:3 that I find easier…
Hi all,
I’ve just started this diet and i’m ploughing right in a 4:3. Like KatyEve I’m 5’8 but I’m 17 stone.
I’m definitely one for routine so have fast days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to give me my weekends off.
I enjoy healthy eating so it isn’t particularly a challenge in that respect – it’s trying to resist the Haribo and Chocolate Orange!
Hoping to lose around 3 stone by October for a wedding although to be honest, getting into a size 14 is the real aim – weight for me is just a number at the moment although I’ll be ecstatic to see the numbers dropping over the weeks and months!
Good luck laurabelle – I am a total convert to this – I’ve even lost another pound since yesterday. Don’t know how it works but the great results are so encouraging – like many others I have tried various other diets with limited success, so I lose momentum.
For the first month I have just avoided chocolate/sweets altogether apart from a magnum one day – I am afraid that once I start with sweets I just can’t stop.
Oh by the way i also feel amazing, and my skin looks great too!
Look forward to hearing how you get on
Kate Eve
Hi Patricia
No I wasn’t – I don’t calorie count at all at the moment (although may have to as I lose more, we’ll see) – pretty certain I eat a bit more than 500 on Fast days too (not loads more, but perhaps a bit). eg yesterday tin soup at lunch, 2 x pieces smoked salmon at 5pm, steak and salad at 8pm. No cals in drinks though. Oh apart from teensy tiny gin and slimline tonic before supper!
I do not eat: sugar,chocolate, bread, pasta, biscuits etc at the moment. I know from bitter experience these are all ‘trigger foods’ for me. So I think my eating is pretty low carb. But I eat plenty – my only ‘rule’ is that half my plate at each meal must be vegetables (but I can eat quite a lot of vegetables!)
Apart from sometimes having small snack at 4-5pm (very low energy time for me) I have stopped eating between meals, therefore saving about a zillion calories a day from what I ate before. I’m embarrassed to think how I could eat a meal while preparing a meal, for example.
Just loving this way of eating! I have struggled with weight my whole life, although majorly out of control after last year when I gave up smoking.
Kate Eve
I don’t I could live without pasta. Having said that, I appreciate it and enjoy it more now that I don’t have it as much which I guess is the point – to enjoy your meals.
Not sure I could do three consecutive days, I’d end up gorging. Although life totally gets in the way sometimes and it’s inevitable you’re going to go over now and again – for example Friday is supposed to be a fast day for me but I know my OH will come home from football and want a chippy 🙁
Really great news about the other benefits Katy, I’ve had to go to the doctors about adult acne and tend to be quite ratty/highly strung so any let up in those respects will be a very welcome change!
Hi all,
I have just started on this plan, I hasten to call it a ‘diet’ or anything like that, as that sums up instant images of deprivation, which this plan certainly is not.
It’s interesting reading the posts on the various threads, and how people can get hung up on the science and credibility of this ‘plan’. The truth is, this plan works, there are so many people on this site, and in the media, that have used this plan and are walking advertisements for its validity.
I am a fan of Dr Mosley, and have always enjoyed his cutting edge theories on numerous scientific topics. Quite simply, he is a man I will listen to, and that truly is a compliment. Michael lost 20lbs I believe in 12 weeks following 5:2, quite amazing really, considering he wasn’t overly overweight before !.
Anyway, back to the reason for my post !…
I’m following 4:3 on a M/W/F quite simply because I love the freedom it gives me. I simply have one meal a day at dinner, around 5-600 cals, and thats it. I love the fact that I cannot eat anything whatsoever for the rest of the day. For a chap who enjoys his food, this sense of freedom is fantastic !
So, I have lost a stone already, and want to lose another 2, but I can see that this plan will allow me to lose weight at a steady rate, which importantly will remain off.
I am quite a matter of fact kinda guy, who really loves the simplicity of the plan, no calorie counting, no constantly looking for healthy options etc!
Anyway, to finish, this is my ‘plan’
Sat No b/fast – Snack at 11 (fruit) – Lunch at 1 – Dinner at around 7
Sun No b/fast – Snack at 11 (fruit) – Lunch at 1 – Dinner at around 7
Mon FAST DAY Dinner at around 7
Tues No b/fast – Snack at 11 (fruit) – Lunch at 1 – Dinner at around 7
Weds FAST DAY Dinner at around 7
Thurs No b/fast – snack at 11 (fruit)- lunch at 1 – Dinner at around 7
Fri FAST DAY Dinner at around 7
After reading all the books and advice on this site, the fasting windows are nice and big following the above plan, which allows for all the fasting benefits to really kick in. For example, from eating dinner at 7 on a Sunday evening, I wont eat again until 7 on the Monday (24 hrs).In short, this controls my calorie intake over the week.
I am also just starting HIIT exercise on my bike, and at the weekend am going to try HIIT running, more on that to come.
Anyway, you all seem like lovely people, so please feel free to comment.
Talk soon
I’m going to swap to this diet from The 2 Day diet- which is basically a low carb version of this diet – very low for 2 days and then low for 5 days. Last year I lost over 2 stone on it but this year the weight just won’t shift – only lost 4 lbs in 6 weeks and fed up with never eating starchy carbs. Forgotten what potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc taste like so very fed up. Think i’ll dive in at 4:3 as i must loose about 20lbs – I put this on whilst working & cooking in the Alps this winter as a very aged seasonnaire. I’m 61, 5′ 8″ and weigh 12st 12lbs at present and can’t get in to any summer clothes – just want to be back to a size 14. Think what i’ll miss most is my glass of wine on fast days! How soon have you all seen results on this?
I lost weight quite quickly by fasting two days a week then it settled and then some more dropped off, but have hit a plateau so am planning to do 4:3 this week to see if I can shift the final two pounds so I can reach my Goal Weight. I have lost 12 lb so far over the past eight weeks. SW 139 CW 127 GW 125 lbs. Such a natural way to lose weight I feel I’ve been doing it for months not weeks!
I’ve been doing 4:3 from February, and I have hit a lot of plateaus… I hit first one after first 8 lbs, and after that they happen relatively quickly, after each 4-5 lbs… I don’t find fasting difficult, but these plateaus are so frustrating… I really think it depends on the person how often that happens and how quickly you can lose weight…
On top of that, I started exercising in the last month and ended up with +4 lbs… After a month of efforts, I finally started losing again… Fingers crossed that my weight doesn’t jump back up again…
Good luck, and keep in mind that everybody is different. After a couple of weeks you should get used to the fasting and should not be a problem. Losing weight on the beginning was easiest, after that, much much harder.
I have started with the 4:3 2 weeks ago as a way to kick start my weight loss before the summer holidays come along. I am 6ft1 and weigh about 187 lbs I have lost about 8 lbs. My target weight is 160 lbs.
On my non fasting days I try to not eat any potatoes, rice, bread, pasta. I also try to eat between 11 AM and 6 PM. I try to drink wine only in the weekends. I do sport 3 times a week, swimming and playing squash.
After 2 weeks I feel like I am in control and I notice not only from the scales but also visually that I am loosing weight. The first week I struggled with not eating enough energy on I had headaches and was moody on my fast days. It is a lot better now.
Patricia86,
Don’t feel too dis-hardened. Lots of factors are at play here. During you non fasting days week days and your fasting days you are building up a calorie deficit. You will find that this is good enough for your weekend binge. What happens at the weekend binge is you might retain more water, due to salty foods and you also retain more physical food in your stomach and intestines. This will result in the scales going the wrong way. After starting the fasting again you will see this comes of quickly again.
What happens in the first week of dieting as that you loose much water and you are emptying your stomach and intestines, hence why it looks easy. In the end you are just fooled.
Judge the 5-2 or 4-3 after 5-6 months. When long enough on it you will shrink the size of your stomach, you will loose some of your cravings and you will make better choices in what you eat on your bad weekend.
I am not woman but my wife who is not on the fast diet still complains about huge fluctuations in her weight, lots of it has also to do with the menstrual cycle.
So stick with it and share your experiences.
Just some small tips and info to keep in mind…
Everybody quotes this information about 2000 kcal for women per day… It really depends on your activity level. For me, for low level it is ~ 1700 kcal… When on a diet, on should aim for 25% of usual calories, so 425. That generates 1275 calories deficiency per fast day, so on 4:3, it is 3825 per week. 1 lb of fat is 3500 kcal, so if I do 4:3 and eat the same as usually, I should lose around 1 lb per week. Which is not a lot at all. If you add all water retention (hormonal, salty meal from yesterday) it is quite expected that you will not lose weight quickly and steadily at all. You can check your calorific requirements here on http://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day.
For me, the biggest plus is that this diet is doable long term (definitely take supplements!) since I can eat what I like and can change diet days in case of unexpected celebrations and similar so my social life doesn’t have to suffer at all.
The other plus is the previous minus – slow weight loss. Essentially, skin should adjust so there shouldn’t be any sagging (depending on age and previous yo yo habits I imagine).
In terms of food tips, on the beginning, I liked to eat a huge soup (1l), the ones that you boil for 5 minutes and make it ‘stronger’ with added shredded carrot, parsnip and parsley. This tastes nice and since there is a lot of it, keeps me going and is only half of calorific requirements for the fast day…
So much from me… Good luck and persevere! It is slow but doable!
1 kg is really too little to be tracked, this is in the range of normal daily weight fluctuation.
It is much easier for guys to lose weight due to higher calorie deficit made on fasting days, and you can see people on the forum often lose 1 kg per week.
If you need a psychological boost for the holiday, I would recommend staying away from salty food (or not eat them in the evening) and measure yourself in the morning 🙂
Congratulations on your weight loss!
Hi everyone. I am doing 4:3 my fasting days are Mon/Wed/Fri I started today after putting on a staggering 3 stone in 10 months!! outrageous :/ I feel awful, I look awful and I am amazed I let myself get to this point. Anyway we are booking a holiday abroad for the family next year so I am determined to lose the weight so I can wear a bakini 🙂 I WILL DO THIS – who’s with me?
Yeah holidays for me has started, which is a 7 week holiday in South east Asia. I got to my target holiday weight of 80 kilos. My aim is to slowly loose another kilo over the 7 weeks. By almost swimming daily and do a 1 day fast every week. I don’t have access to scales here so it will have to wait till I get back. Good to read your stories here. It looks like we all have holidays coming up so some struggles.
On 5/2, 4/3, or alternate day fasting you are guaranteed some degree of weight loss if you stick to the limits on fasting and non-fasting days, even if you should exceed the limit moderately on fasting days and so cause the leveraging rapid-weight-loss IGF-1 hormonal effect not to kick in. This of course because, when all is said and done, you are still taking in fewer calories than you expend. Bingo. So you cannot lose if you stick to the plan being followed, even if erring slightly. It will just mean you take longer to lose weight.
Hi, well I’m not sure that what I’m doing is technically 4:3, more like ADF, I suppose. I started on this diet (for lack of a better word) back in mid-April, which I very depressingly found that I had topped out at 94.1 kg (sorry, don’t understand “stones”). With a height of 186 cm and at 51 years of age, that was just too much.
So, I bought the book, and leapt straight into ADF. I can’t claim never to cheat on my fast days, but I really do TRY not to. My non-fast days are easier, though I do admit to a bit of a guilty feeling at times,and have to keep reminding myself that “today ISN’T a fast day”… things like that.
Still, I find that I have a new way of looking at food and drink, and this plan has helped me to be much more conscious of what I eat and drink… for example, I have cut WAY down on alcohol consumption.
The long and short of it is that I’m now at 83.5 kg, having dipped briefly down into the 82 range, before climbing back up a bit. No big deal, but my ultimate goal is 80 kg, and I plan / hope / aim to keep up with the ADF until I get there.
After that, 4:3 might work well for me, I think… we’ll see.
Keep it up (or rather, OFF) everybody !
jp
Hi 4:3ers, looking forward to hearing about everyone’s success. I personally find 4:3 easier than 5:2. It’s psychological somehow – with 5:2 I tended to overeat on my non-fast days as a “reward” for getting through them, but for some reason I don’t generally do that with 4:3 – and so I noticed a quicker weight loss. On my non-fast days I stick to LCHF – I am a carbolholic, I once spent about 3 years living on giant plates of pasta with grated cheese until eventually I looked like one, and it’s taken me awhile to switch to LCHF eating on my non-fast days. Huge improvements in weight, skin texture, and energy levels. Good luck over the summer everyone.
hello, All
i would like to join the conversation. I have been doing 5:2 since March 17th (my first fast day -FD)
i liked the last note from Fabulous50. I too go through 2 FDs strong but somehow losing control on non-FDs. my FD are on Mondays and Thursdays will try to add a 500 cal day on Tuesday(?)
talk to you soon…
Hi All,
I started doing 4:3 at the beginning of June, fasting on Mon, Wed and Friday. 3 weeks in – I’ve lost 9lbs, a steady 3lb per week. Fingers crossed, can keep this up as ideally need to lose 3 stone. Definitely helps not to eat anything all day until evening, also drink lots of water all day. Very impressed with diet so far. 🙂
Hi all,
I’m a newbie to the fast way of life but I thought I would share a thought or two.
I was going to do 5:2 but found it far more difficult than ADF because of the calorie counting. At 4″10 2000 cals is too much for me and I hate having to calorie count.
I decided that 4:3 would probably suit me better but again I hate calorie counting so I find it easier not to eat at all from Sunday night through to Tuesday morning, and again on Thursday. I drink plenty of water though.
The first thing I noticed with this is that, instead of feeling ravenous and tired and irritable is that in fact my energy levels went up and I stopped feeling hungry at all.
The tennis elbow that has been really bothering me since the beginning of April is now only a dull ache. My back ache disappeared almost immediately. My skin tone has cleared, and I feel so much more cheerful and upbeat than I have in months.
I will look at the scales but I’m not so worried about the lbs and ounces because the measurements are what really matter. I’ve lost inches off my neck, hips, arms, thighs and waist. Now that’s a result!
I don’t fear food anymore now either. I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with it for years. Diets started and lost. I think back to when I was a teenager and didn’t really need to diet, that’s when the rot set in. Also thinking back, there were days when I couldn’t eat breakfast and sometimes lunch, but I bought into the whole ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ hype. It’s really not. Good healthy food when you do eat is what is important.
Hope this helps
Happy days everyone
A slight correction to my last post.
I do a complete fast from Sunday evening until Tuesday evening not morning. Same for Wednesday through till Friday. That way I never have to count the calories and don’t have to worry about the weekend. But to be fair I don’t tend to over eat on those days either.
3 weeks into my 7 week holiday. I found some scales and it looks and feels like I have not gained any weight, it stayed the same. Have not done any fasting days yet though. In next 4 weeks I still will try to see if I can lose some.
Can’t wait to start the 4=3 again when I am back though. I am motivated already by my slimmer waistline.
Hi everyone. I started the 4:3 diet 3 weeks ago. I limit myself between 500 – 700 calories on mon/wed/fri And so far I’ve lost 8.5lbs. I currently weigh 114kgs & 5ft 9. My husband also diets with me and he’s lost. 9.5lbs.. He is 6ft 4″ and 118kgs. I think the fact we are dieting together makes a huge difference as when one of us is struggling a little the other is their will power to keep them going… We have got used to this woe now and like the results we are seeing.
Hi,
Done it for just over two years after 6 months of 5:2, but have now dropped back to 2 days per week since reducing carb intake on normal days, as the weight & body fat fell off!
I eat normally the day before & then eat my 600 calories in the following evening. Usually Mondays & Wednesdays.
I found after a while on 4:3 that I was eating a bit too much on normal days & could easily put on weight if I wanted to, but reducing carbs (nothing silly 150g – 190g per day) has helped.
Hi believerinGod. I’ve just noticed your post.
Fast days for me start with a soft-boiled egg. I know a lot of people save all their calories for dinner, but an egg is only 70cals and keeps me going for a long time. At about 3 or 4pm I have a miso soup. Lately (in maintenance) I sometimes have some vegetable (salad, cherry tomatoes, etc.) at lunchtime, mostly to have an excuse to be social. Dinners I alternate between (1) a chicken and vegetable stir fry, (2) sashimi (I live in Japan), and (3) the Mexican pizza from the fast diet book. Lately, I throw in other things–basically calculate the calories in some of my favorite recipes and figure out the portion I can have on a fast day.
The key, I think, is non-fast days. At the start, I didn’t count calories on non-fast days, and even now, I only do if I’m struggling. I did, however, keep a food diary. I think this helps. But what also really helps is that the fast days change your appetite. I feel full after eating a lot less now. I can handle hunger when it comes, and resist snacking.
Good luck!
Hi, i do the 4:3, and it works better for me, I lost weight on the 2 but I found after a while my body needed something extra, also I had a weeks break, and then started and it kick-started it back, as last week I lost 1.3Kilo in a week thats a lot.
In total now i have lost 22LB in 9 weeks, i am so close to my first target and will smash that this week.
I have then set myself another 8Lb to lose, i have until the 7th September to do that, so I have to be very good.
I only do week days at the weekend I tell myself i can have that desert and 3 glass of wine, as I am doing the extra day in the week and it works, some weeks i stayed the same but didnt put on, but have started loosing again, I do watch what I eat on the other 2 non fast week days and probably have around 1000K, but look thats double its loads.
will power and hot drinks stops you being that hungry, and I think am i thirsty or am i hungry, the littel voice normally says food please but I tell it to do one, on the week days, good luck
Hi everyone
Well at the end of my third week of 4:3 I have lost 10lbs. I could probably have lost more if I were stricter with myself but I am content with the way it’s going since I don’t feel like I’m on a diet. I just wish I had seen the documentary when it was shown two years ago because I would now be at my ideal weight and trying to figure out how to fix it there. But its fine, I’ve found it now and it is working.
Good luck everyone.
Well done Nuc, thats a great result, i am on the 2nd consecutive day and feeling hungry, and distracted, I should be producing invoices instead of chatting on hear whoops, I have just calculated my lunch today, I am having 6 fish stick with lettuce loads of toms, and a teaspoon of salad cream and vinegar, along with a mug of bovril as thats only 21 ks, so a total of 150ks for lunch, so tonight I am going to make ratatouille, it looks like loads on the plate and is filling, and a apple as well, so all this for not much kals, and only around 500, it works if your clever.
But I have 2 snickers bars in the cupboard and they were calling me last night i did not give in, nearly but did no, I dont want to throw them away as i will have one Friday as a treat, but boy its hard with them in the house, I am thinking should I trow them away or can i wait until hubby is back saturday and let him have them have I got this will power, when they are not in the house i dont think about it, strange
I have been on 5:2 since December last year, now is a lifestyle choice and have lost a total of 40kg. BGL, blood pressure down and now a resting heart rate of 37. Going to the gym and walking every chance I can – just hit the 500km total distance mark, also old enough now for the Masters powerlifting competitions :).
My problem is that I seem to have stalled with the weight loss and measurements for the last 4-5 weeks. Was losing around 1-2kg a week and now holding around the 120-123kg marks.
So thinking of changing to 4:3 for a while, just wondering if it may make a difference?
I would like to lose another 10kg
Hello I have just joined the forum and I am following the 4:3 diet. I started on Monday and I have lost 5lbs this week. I think this is the best way for me to lose weight as I do enjoy the naughty foods and every other option I consider always seems to make you completely cut everything you like out or restrict it dramatically which is obviously going to help weight loss and health but for me is just not realistic! Of course I haven’t overindulged on non fast days but this method allows me to factor in the naughty foods to keep a balance. My first goal is to lose 2 stone by Christmas and then another 2 by April/May for my friends hen do.
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