Hi weeman,

I trust your first fast day is going smoothly! Great that you’ve taken the plunge and have begun this journey too!

On average, I shed about 1 pound a week and which is what Dr. Mosley reported being the average of those practicing 5:2. In reality I did this a bit more quickly in that I shed 17 pounds in 13 weeks. There were a couple weeks in which the scale remained the same and then other weeks in which I was more than 1 pound lighter.

If I’m calculating the stones properly, they equal 26 pounds and if you shed those in line with what is the average for those practicing 5:2, you would reach your goal in 26 weeks, which is 6 months!

Note that what’s even more important to me is that I reached my goal weight more than 6 months ago and have happily maintained ever since by continuing to practice 5:2. Maintenance for me means maintaining a ‘goal weight’ envelope or weight range and I do this by either fasting one or two days a week. If I’m at the low end of the 2 kg range, I sometimes only fast 1 day a week. If I’m at the high end, I continue with the 2 days a week.

I hope this helps and here’s to you successfully reaching your goal and enjoy to continue this way of life as much as I have.

Hi, welcome to 5:2. I lost 15 pounds in 10 weeks. I wanted quicker results and more structure, so I actually fast every other day. I don’t feel deprived and it works for me. More importantly, I went from 30% body fat to 25% and counting. I met my weight loss goal last week but would like to lose a couple more pounds for “insurance”. I keep telling everyone this is the easiest “diet” I have ever been on, and I have tried every diet out there, believe me. It’s a WOL for me now. Energy levels are off the charts.

I’ve been doing the 5:2 for a month. I just weighed myself for the first time today and have lost 4Ibs – so exactly the recommendations. No change to my measurements yet though. I’m trying to baby weight.

I lost a lot in the first month but my results have been modest since then. In the first month I was doing a 4:3 program and I lost 6kg (13 pounds) but since them I’ve averaged 1kg (2 pounds) per month. I have assumed that a lot of the first month’s losses were water weight as it was just after the Christmas binge.

If I’m remembering correctly, to you lose half a kilogram (1 pound) you need to eat 3500 calories (15,000 kilojoules) less than your body requires. How fast you lose weight will depend on a number of things:
– How many FDs you do:
The basic program is 2 FDs per week, but some people choose to do 3 per week and some choose alternate day fasting. I eventually settled into a 2:1 pattern with 2 NFDs followed by a FD – this means I do an extra FD per fortnight than I would with the 5:2 program.
– The calorie difference between your TDEE and your FD calories:
While this diet assumes it will be a 75% reduction that may not be true. For example my TDEE is only 1400 calories but I still use 500 cals on my FDs because 25% would be 350 calories and that’s just ridiculous (I can’t do it long term). So the calorie reduction for me is only 900 calories on a FD, which is less than it would be for someone with a high TDEE.
– How much you eat on the NFDs:
For the FDs to be effective you need to eat at or below your TDEE on the NFDs. I find this difficult because my TDEE is low. TDEEs vary enormously depending on your gender, height, age, weight and activity level and remember that as you lose weight your TDEE will become lower too.
It can be a sensible idea to work out what your TDEE will be when you are at your goal weight and try to stick to that on NFDs – then you will have educated yourself on what your serving sizes should be once you are at your goal weight.

If you haven’t done so already work out your TDEE:
https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/ and remember that this equation is an average guide, some people find their calorie needs are actually less or more than the figure provided by this equation.

Good luck.

Hey,

I am new member here. I am trying to lose 3 kg’s per week. So looking for a better and effective method. So that I can reach my goal easily and comfortably. Does anyone here can suggest me a good method to lose my weight comfortably?

Thanks for your time!

Hi Letitibe,

I understand your chagrin around calorie counting! The thought of counting calories except on fasting days has felt overwhelming, especially since I cook so much from scratch, so I’ve never gone down that road.

That said, maybe at some point, when I have more time, I might weigh everything I eat for a couple of days and enter the data into myfitnesspal just to see the calories. I actually have no sense of what my TDEE calories actually would look like on plates or in bowls and I think it would be helpful if I did. I’m aware that if I ate to my TDEE on non-fasting days, I would probably get by with fasting only one day a week now that I’m in maintenance. It goes without saying that I currently eat over that amount enough and that’s where the second fast day a week makes all the difference in ensuring I remain in my goal weight envelope.

I’m undecided about whether fasting only one day a week would be for me since I get so much more out of my fasting days than simply reduction in caloric intake. Somehow keeping to two days a week supports me in remaining with the program.

That’s really superb idea. But I am little bit confuse about this.