Confused????

This topic contains 10 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by Ruthi 10 years, 10 months ago.

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Laash76

4:23 pm
16 Jan 14
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Hi everyone, yesterday was my first fast day and it went very well. Today I’ve found this forum and after reading the fast diet book from cover to cover twice I don’t understand why people are calorie counting or using tdee??? In the book it says under “Can I eat what I want on off-duty days? Counter-intuitive as it may seem, no foods are off-limits, none proscribed. On the five days a week when we’re not restricting calories, we both eat fish and chips, roast potatoes, biscuits, cake.” Pg 114. I’m not sure now, after reading through the forums if I’m supposed to eat whatever I want on 5 days or count my calories which is definitely not what I wanted. I understand that over time my appetite and tastes might change but to begin with am I supposed to be counting, and will I still loose weight if I’m not counting? I can’t find any mention of tdee in the book. Sorry if this questions already been answered somewhere, I have looked.

Linds

4:44 pm
16 Jan 14
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Hi Laash76, check out the BMR and TDEE calculator in the how? section. It also explains the reasoning behind it. The idea is that you can eat what you want just not how much you want. You don’t need to count calories although I don’t know how you know how many calories you are having if you don’t. It stands to reason that if you only eat 500 calories for 2 days a week it will be less than you would normally eat on those 2 days so even if you eat more than your TDEE on the other days you should still lose weight although slower than if you ate less on those days. That was a bit long winded but I hope you get my drift.

The thing is to eat sensibly on the non-fast days. Yes, fish and chips is ok but what else would you eat during that day? Let’s face it people are usually overweight because they eat too much of the wrong things.

Hope this helps, and good luck. Linda

TracyJ

4:50 pm
16 Jan 14
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The book is a book – a guide. Here on the forum are lots of people who’ve been doing the 5:2 for a while and found their own way of doing it. Many of us have never read the book and probably never will.

‘The Rules’ are 500 calories 2 days a week and eat ‘normally’ 5 days a week.

It’s the ‘normally’ that is up to interpretation. I found that I lost a lot of weight to start with by just doing the 2 fast days but I was very overweight, so I was struggling to eat enough on non-fastdays to maintain my big-fat weight (as it turns out). At the time I had no idea that that was what was happening but since discovering the TDEE calculator it all makes perfect sense and it is CLEARLY a numbers game.

A lot of people will get a long way with just the 2 500 calorie fast days, others will need to pay closer attention to their TDEE to get anywhere (especially if they’re close to their goal weight or they are definitely on the tiny side of ‘average person’ to start with).

It depends on the individual and on their pre-existing circumstances, preferences and how ‘greedy’ they are on a ‘normal’ day.

Live & let live. Do what suits you and take the advice that applies to your way of doing it and that will help you stick to this for life.

Good luck

Laash76

4:54 pm
16 Jan 14
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Thank you both I was really worried that I’d already gone wrong!!! My tdee say I need 2568 cals a day, thought I’d need 1500 and was going to be permanently hungry lol thank you again, looking forward to see how this goes x

Linds

5:01 pm
16 Jan 14
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You’re welcome – probably the best thing to remember is that whatever you do to change your eating habits for the better you should see a result.

Have a look at the other posts and you will see people with a whole range of different lifestyles and amounts of weight to lose and you will be motivated, inspired and supported by them.

Let us know how you get on – Linda

sylvestra

5:14 pm
16 Jan 14
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@laash76 …yes you can eat WHAT you want on non fast days but not HOW MUCH you want.

Your TDEE is your Total daily Energy Expenditure which is based on your gender/age/weight/height/activity level. This can be calculated by going to the ‘helpful site links’ at the right of this page. Your TDEE is amount of calories your body needs for its daily activities – i.e. the amount your body uses in a day. this link will also tell you WHY you need this number.

If, on your non fast days, you eat fish and chips, roast potatoes, biscuits, cake you will push your TDEE over what it should be and you will negate any good your fast days. You CAN eat these things but probably less often and in smaller amounts.

Most people on here try to stay at or below their TDEE on non fast days to get the most benefit of 5:2 and many use a calorie counting app like My Fitness Pal for the first few weeks to get an idea of what they should eat and portion sizes.

it takes a little while to get into the swing of 5:2 but it becomes easier.
Good luck x

barbarita

8:20 pm
16 Jan 14
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Hi

Not everyone following this WOE counts calories. If you don’t want to, try doing the fasts for a month and see how you go. On your feed days, follow your hunger – if you want fish and chips then have it, but otherwise don’t eat it because everyone else is, or because it’s Friday or whatever.

If after a month you’ve not happy with your results then you can decide whether you want to go the calorie counting route as is well explained in the other replies, or try some other approach such as cutting down on carbohydrates.

arla

4:50 am
17 Jan 14
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No foods being off limit or proscribed doesn’t mean that they eat fish & chips and cake etc every day, but that if they want something like that they do. They’re sometimes foods rather than never foods.

PoshBird01

8:34 am
17 Jan 14
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Hi everyone. I have just done my 2nd FD yesterday and have lost 3 1/4 lbs since Monday so very happy with that. I am also struggling to get my head around ‘eat what you want’ on NFD. I have calculated my TDEE and have been using MYfitnesspal too because i have not ‘dieted’ properly for years and have been shocked at the calories in some foods. Once i get a good perspective on foods i wont bother but it does help me for the time being.

On NFD i have cals left over and I am struggling to use them not because I dont want them but i am too scared to eat too much. My weakness is carbs and i have cut these right down to just one serving a day i.e. maybe just 2 slices wholemeal bread or a small jacket potato for dinner. At the moment i am missing them but i know i eat way too many (love a ncie baguette!!).

Anyway if any ‘carb fans’ can give me a tip i would appreciate it.

So far so good:}

Laash76

10:26 am
17 Jan 14
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Hi Poshbird01,
I was surprised at how many calories I should be eating, tdee 2568, as I’ve always tried to eat around 1500 but been hungry and tired, and not lost weight!!! Now I’m trying to eat more, but if I eat more protein i get too full so I’m eating bread (something I usually avoid) and potatoes to spend my calories. I think it’ll take time to find what suits you. I find the myfitnesspal app really helpful. Good luck x

Ruthi

10:36 am
17 Jan 14
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If you cut your carbs then you need to replace the lost calories with good fats. That’s nuts and seeds, and brain boosting saturated fats like butter and cream, and olive oil.

Its taken me quite a while to get my head around this one because we have been told fats are bad for such a long time. But once you get into adding a knob of butter, or a bit of cream, you realise how good food tastes.