Is 25% of TDEE gospel?

This topic contains 2 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by TracyJ 9 years, 10 months ago.

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AndrewJM70

10:38 pm
25 Jan 15
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I have been doing the 5:2 religiously since January 5th and have already lost around 4kg! The regime is challenging but very do-able and the sense of satisfaction at the end of each fast day (including now as I write!) is very motivating.

I just wondered whether once ideal weight is reached, is 25% of TDEE (600cals in my case) absolutely necessary in order to reap the health benefits of the regime? Would 33% or 50% cancel out the health benefits? Any insights would be very interesting!

Amazon

12:41 am
26 Jan 15
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When Michael Mosley originally started his research/experiment with fasting it was for the possible health benefits, it wasn’t aimed at weight loss.
It would be worth your while reading the book as there is a lot of useful information on what happens to the body during periods of fasting.

TracyJ

2:56 pm
26 Jan 15
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The ‘health benefits’ he was looking at in the documentary were coming from the effects of fasting to his IGF-1 levels.

You should have an effect to your IGF-1 levels after about 14 hours of absolute fasting (no calories taken in AT ALL during that period). So you don’t necessarily need to continue with 5:2 in maintenance (unless you want to). Lots of people are experimenting with lots of different maintenance options but my understanding is that you should keep the health benefits you’ve gained through 5:2 as long as you have 1-2 periods of ‘true fasting’ of 14 hours or more each week.