Hi All, I’ve decided to give 5:2 a try to see if it will help me lose my spare tyre. I have always been very fit and still train 5 or 6 times a week, but once I hit 40 my waist steadily increased and here I am about to turn 45 with a real belly! I don’t like diets, but having seen the 5:2 documentary and seeing Michael Mosley’s own results, I feel inspired to give it a go. I am not overweight, so I’m not shouting about this to my friends, but I do believe this will help me lose a few pounds and finally shift that belly!

Hi book and welcome:

Never presume:

Here is the basic information you need to start and be successful with 5:2: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Hello, I am 50 and started the Fast Diet on the 6th January. I have about 1 stone to lose. Although I have lost 5lbs, which I suppose is good, I feel progress is slow and I am suspicious of it! When I eat normally and weigh myself the next day, 1lb is back on, which leads me to think the weight-loss associated with fasting is just because my stomach is completely empty. Put some food in it and I am heavier again so it’s not real weight loss. My waist measurement also increased by 2 inches which I hope is bloating!

Finally, I never feel well on the fast days – exhausted and sore throat, with a funny taste in my mouth. Is this a normal experience? Does it pass?

I wonder what other people are experiencing? Thanks!

Hi Laura

This is my second fast day, feeling excited but likewise I had similar questions.

I think ) from what I have read ) missing breakfast is ok as long as you stick within the 500 calories .

Your meal plan sounds great, I’ve done the exact same thing and replaces my cup of tea with hot lemon and I do feel energised already

Sarah

What does TDEE mean please? Total Daily …. ??? Thanks!

Hi Gilly, glad I’m not alone!
Just a point I’m noticing on the forum – many people seem to be following the 500 restriction but not the lengthy fasting bit. I’d read that WHEN you ate was as important as WHAT.

I’ve been fasting for 24 hours (for eg. last meal Sunday night @ 7.30pm, not eating until 7.30pm Monday night and then only having upto 500 cals (usually a lot less). I wonder if that’s why I’ve not been feeling too clever on fast days (see another of my posts on a different thread.) I’m also fasting for 3 days this week because I’m eating lunch today and Saturday with friends and don’t want to push my luck! But tomorrow I will try Michael’s approach of a small breakfast, 12 hour fast, small supper, 12 hour fast.

I’ll let you know if that makes me feel better. My first day of fasting is a breeze but it’s the 2nd day that makes me feel ill.

It’s my 2nd fast day of my first week and so far so good. I am a late 30’s male who has seen a slow increase in my waist and weight since my early 30’s. I have always been a gym goer training with weights and am typical of a lot of men out there who train hard, lift heavy but have never been anywhere near toned enough to look great without clothes. The eating or dieting part of any body changing exercise routine is always the hardest so I am hopeful that the 5/2 will help me lose around 1 stone (primarily fat) so I can start to get the shape I have always wanted. I have trained whilst fasted and found I actually had a more intense workout than ever but I’m not sure if that was due to plenty of stored glycogen due to it being my 1st day…let’s wait and see.

It stands for total daily energy expenditure.

Mine is 2100 which sounds far too high, I’ll go for less to start with and see how it goes.

Sarah Christie, I used to use my fitness pal and would only have 1200 a day, I lost a stone doing that before I reached this plateau. It does seem small but if you just swap some of the high calorie stuff for fruit veg etc you’ll see that the calories can go a Long way. X

LOL – now I feel better! I keep reading the “average” woman burns 2000 cals a day so I felt rather cheated! I already eat well – my portion sizes are too big, so on the non-fast, 3 meals a day, part of my week, I will continue to eat salads and fish/chicken. My challenge is to move more! Thanks Laura, for the TDEE explanation.
Good luck everyone! (By the way, I’m 50 and have lost 5lbs since the 6th January so it can be done!)

Hi,
I’m on my second fasting day and it feels harder than the first! I’ve just eaten my 500 cals and now I’ve just got the rest of the evening to get through – lots of drinks I think 😄
I’m in Africa, so am probably on a different time zone to many of you, hence the mention of “evening” even though it’s only mid-afternoon in the UK.

Sar1982 – none of my friends think I need to lose weight either, but they aren’t the ones struggling to fit into my jeans! I just need to feel better about myself and it’s none of their business, frankly!

Hoping to see good progress.

Hi Sarah and welcome:

This link defines and, more important, explains TDEE: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/tdee-for-the-curious-or-why-dont-i-lose-weight-faster/

Good Luck!

Yes, it all makes sense. I must admit that, now I’ve written on this forum, I realise I have lost 5lbs in 2 weeks which is pretty good. I am careful to stay within my TDEE on non-fast days and I’ve upped my walking to 10,000 steps a day which is earning a few more “credit” calories which I don’t use. But my nerdy side does like to understand the detail, so your post was very helpful Simcoeluv – many thanks again!

Oh my word, you are the God of the 5:2 Fast Diet!!

Hi, everyone! I was reading your posts here, so excited for the beginners, recalling when I first started. TDEE frustrated me too, and I used simcoluvs guide to get me through the first stage when I was stuck.

When I came back recently to lose the last 20 lbs, I calculated using the weight that I WANT to be (which made more sense to me..why eat the calories of the weight I AM?)I also, as simcoe said, use the lesser activity level (even though I have a very physical job, I claimed completely sedentary), and something I have never done, I measured my height! How long has it been since your height was measured?? I always just blurt out what I have always said: 5’6″. To my surprise, I shrunk an inch in the past 35 years (surprise, surprise…..NOT!) So that dropped the bottom out of my TDEE! Compared to what it was before, it is about 300 lbs less, plus I’m doing 4:3, with low carb, so it’s melting off pretty good.

Hope you guys all stick together and do great! It sounds like you are all a super team! Keep up the party!

Hi everyone – after over 20 years of yoyo dieting (mainly with weightwatchers), I;ve finally tried the 5:2. I was sceptical and I appreciate its very early days but I’ve managed to successfully complete my first week. Day 1 is Friday and first fast day is Monday and then Thursday and then weigh Friday. I do have a lot to lose but happy to report that i lost 5lb on my first week.

I read up a lot before I started and decided to skip breakfast and had fruit and small sushi for lunch with chicken and veg for tea and the next fast day had the same lunch with half a cheese spread and salad sandwich for tea!

on normal days I’m eating between 1600 and 2000 cals and using MFP to track everything. I’ve not really felt hungry and had wine and biscuits etc as well.

I’m going to try to have a similar week and will be pleased with 2lb if I can.

Good luck to all of us! 🙂

Hi everyone.

That’s week one over 😀 and a loss of 4lbs, so I’m pretty pleased. I don’t expect to lose this much every week and don’t need to, but I am pleasantly surprised so far. Yesterday’s fast day was tough, but I am continuing to train despite the lack of calories, so that’s probably why it was a struggle.

I have been eating my 500 cals in one meal instead of spreading them throughout the day, but I might mix it up over the coming weeks and see how I fare.

Just been out for pizza and it was lovely, friend’s barbecue tomorrow, fast again on Monday. Feeling positive 😀😀

The 5:2 pattern does get easier as you move along the path. However I would caution against getting complacent. For the first two months adhere strictly to the way 5:2 is written.

The one area you are free to choose is what to eat and when during your fast days as long as it is within 1/4 (25%) of your TDEE. You can eat it all in one meal or choose to not eat anything and having zero caloric intake on your fast days. Personally I’ve found it much easier to have nothing than to try to stick on 500 calories, that miserly portion just makes things worse. It is purely a personal decision and you should choose what is doable forever.

Best of luck on your journey through 5:2

I had a great week last week, 3 fast days down ,and 2 pounds down. I seem to be getting more interested in low carb recipes, and just more interesting food in general, which I think was part of my overall problem. I got tired of eating the same boring food day after day, with no thought to it, no spice or flavor. so much packaging and preservatives. Learning how to cook more flavorful meals has made me so much more satisfied on non-fast days.

Also, I realized that if I make myself, for example, a small but time-consuming desert like chocolate cake in a mug, with homemade whipped cream, I tend to not do it so often!

Hi Santony and welcome:

If you were doing Atkins and have now started eating carbs again you will gain quite a bit of water weight. This water weight gain will probably offset your fat loss on 5:2 for awhile. If you stop the carbs, the water weight will come off. If you stay with the carbs you will start losing as soon as your water weight stabilizes. In any event, we are talking water weight, not fat weight so it will be what it will be.

Here is some information that might help as you go forward with 5:2: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Hi Santony:

BMR does not come into it. It is not relevant. The only number you have to watch is TDEE.

Good Luck!