Yep, constipation is something that people have commented on. The best bet is to make sure you are getting lots of fluid and that you also get lots of fibre on your fast days. Fluid, in particular, is the key
This topic contains 184 replies, has 92 voices, and was last updated by annette52 8 years, 10 months ago.
Hello, again, to sarahsocks – looking back at your original comment of 11 May, it now occurs to me that the low daily intake figure of 1400cals that you quoted possibly represents that required to LOSE weight on whatever diet you previously took the calculation from. If, using the 5:2 approach, you now use that reduced figure for five days and then add in two days at 350cals (i.e. 25% of 1400) then you’re getting a double dose of calorie restrictions – not good, I think, and probably not sustainable.
I may be wrong but I assume one actually needs to calculate one’s TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) based on what is required to MAINTAIN one’s weight and then calculate 25% of that (incorporating the usual variables such as height, age, gender, etc.), to find the appropriate intake for each of one’s fast days – so, only two days of severe calorie restriction and five days of ordinary, reasonable eating.
I know from comments made by other 5:2 users, that different online calculators can give quite widely varying figures, so there seems to be a bit of a minefield of confusing information out there, I’m afraid. I’d be interested to hear whether this revised way of calculating your TDEE does give you a different result. Best wishes.
I just came across this diet last week and having my first fast day today.. hoping for results! I have a question though; I have been doing a lot of exercise since January (4-5 days a week at the gym) and normaly I would have lost weight even though I don´t diet (eating normal, rather healthy food). I haven’t lost much though – thus this diet as I need to loose 6 kgs. My question is if it’s scientifically proved that it’s harder to loose weight at my age (43), or when you have hypothyrosis (shouldn’t be since I medicate)?? The fat on my body isn’t budging!
Hi all, I started this method about 8 weeks ago, having been on a calorie retricted diet and not shifting much weight. I haven’t fasted for a couple of weeks – I find I really have to be in the right head space. However I have lost 5.6kgs but the real joy has been the 3 3/4″ off the measurement at belly button level (mid hip) 2″ from waist and same from below bust.
For me at 51, this has kick started my sluggish menopausal metabolism. Prior to menopause I’d always been slim & fit.
Oh and I went from ‘running’ a grumpy 3.1km regularly to a happy 6.9km.
I fast Tuesday/Thursday or Monday/Wednesday keeps everything in check for the whole week.
Hello Michael,
I’ve been on 5:2 since I saw your documentary in August 2012. I’m not losing weight at the ‘normal’ rate because I’m hypo (my thyroid is only working at 50% due to Hashimoto). It took 3 years to get diagnosed (2005) and I gained about 10 kg over the years. I never managed to lose anything until now !
So far I have lost 6 kg and plan to continue 5:2 until I’m back at my ideal weight. Then I’ll start doing 6:1 to stay stable.
The reason I’m posting is to ask you to contact Mary Shomon and tell her about the wonderful results with 5:2.
She is a thyroid patient advocate and has a website through About.com in the US. She helps us, thyroid patients, with information and support. Most of the hypo patients have problems losing weight and this would help a lot of them tremendously ! A lot of people have problems getting diagnosed and medicated properly.
Thank you for informing us !
Cheers, Carla
I have following the diet since 8th April and today is my first weight in when I haven’t lost weight. So far I have lost 4.5lb. I don’t think I could face fasting for 3 days a week so I am going to have a good look at what I eat the rest of the time. I think my problem is wine. We only drink at weekends but I think that is maybe still too many empty calories while I am dieting. I also need to move around more so back on the exercise bike again in the mornings for me.
Jeanius, Thank you for responding.
I got the top end of my BMI figure from the weighing scales in Boots. It says at 5ft 5ins my ideal BMI weight is between 8st 1lb – 10 st 13lbs.
I got my TDEE from Rosemary Conelys book. Age early 30s + 5ft 5ins tall = 1477 cals.
And I think ive messed up my system by eating around 1000 calories a day for too long so my body stores the little food I give it….help!
Hi Michael,
Don’t know if youve heard this question a thousand times by now, but will you be publishing a recipe book for Australia? Uk and American foods and quantities don’t always work over here and I can’t spend the money on these books and then find out they are not compatible.
Thanks so much for experimenting on yourself and getting this information out there! I have been doing the 5:2 for three weeks now and finally feel that what I am doing is actually helping and working…nothing like trying something for weeks and not getting any results! I would love to have some great tasting recipes though as the fasting days have been a bit bland so far.
Thanks again – Muchly!!!
Started the last week of Feb, start weight 12st, 12 (my happy weight is 11, 6 – I’m 5ft 8 and size 12/14). I’m now 12,6 and have been this for the last few weeks. I eat healthily, with treats sparingly on non fast days. My friend started with me. She’s lost 10lb in 10 weeks and inches and eats a lot on non fast days. Difference between us, this is her first ever diet aged 37. I’m 34 and have been dieting for 27 years…..think my body is messed up! Help! Advice please….Thanks, Amanda.
I have been a 2hr 30min marathon runner 25 years ago and still run at 62 years but have always sruggled to maintain my weight since reducing my training with age. I have been recently prescribed a Statin to reduce my Cholesterol and Triglycerides which have both since reduced Significantly, but have left me with very bad side effects ie Swollen and sore ankles and painful joints generally, should I consider asking my doctor to allow me to stop taking the Statin to see if the fasting and lower fat diet maintains my lower results.I have just re-started the 5 and 2 this week.
sarahsocks – Thanks for the clarification of your statistics. Have you noticed my later comment about them (06:45GMT, 13 May)? I still wonder whether the figure of 1477cals, calculated from Rosemary Conely’s book, is based on achieving weight-reduction by her system. It seems low to me and I suspect you need to re-calculate your recommended daily intake based on a maintenance level for non-fasting days; then 25% of that figure would be your appropriate intake for your fast days.
From what I know, I think 1000cals per day for a prolonged period would put your body into ‘starvation mode’, thereby slowing down your metabolism and making weight-loss very difficult. Hopefully, increasing your intake on non-fast days to the correct maintenance level and then having the 25% intake on each fast-day would kick-start a better response. I’m no expert – I don’t know how quickly that metabolic adjustment might happen, for instance – but, if my comments are incorrect, I ask for a more-qualified/ experienced voice to offer better guidance here. The 5:2 system is best seen as a steady, long-term approach to better health and gradual weight-loss and I hope you achieve both these positive results by working with it. All best wishes.
Hi Michael, so glad to see that you are reading the comments here. I was totally excited to see your documentary on the Fast Diet. Looked like a plan I would love to stick to. I have found it a bit deceiving though. You show yourself eating fast food and talk about feed days. Then I keep hearing about eating what you normally eat during your feed days. To me that is conflicting wording. Feed days sounds to me like eating anything you want, like fast food, junk food or sweets. “Eating what you normally eat”, means what?? What you normally eat when you are on a diet to lose weight? During interviews I have seen with you they show things you can eat like cakes and pastries (we all know how many calories are in those)! I have been on the 5-2 diet for 7 weeks and have lost nothing! I have never eaten over the 500 calories on my fast days and also drink lots of water). I only have about 10lbs. that I need to lose but nothing is happening! I can’t see that this diet is any more doable than any other diet I have been on. It seems to me I do better on restricting calories every single day (which really is reality in losing weight)! To tease myself into thinking I can loose weight any other way has been a waist of time. I think the language you use, “fast days” and “feed days”, should be changed to, “fast days”, and “a little bit more than fast days”! You really had me thinking I could have my cake and eat it to (on this diet). You know the saying, “if it sounds to good to be true it probably is). I really feel bad for suggesting it to so many people. I guess I should have waited to see if it was the magic bullet it sounded like. Sorry so negative but I guess that’s what happens when you have spent 7 weeks with no results and also put money out on the book. Funny thing is it was a great fantasy for 7 weeks anyway. Last comment or question for you Michael. Have YOU kept off the weight you lost for the documentary? I think for me it will be back to, Weight Lose For Idiots. 🙂 Sorry for the long rant!
Hi Wirralman, my doctor wanted me to lose a “few” kilos to see if I could get my cholesterol down without drugs. I am also 62, and am now swimming 3.5km 5 days a week, and my 2 fast days are total (water only). 90.8kg on 22/1/13. 14 weeks later 80.7, cholesterol dropped from 7.2 to 5.9; triglycerides from 3.2 to 0.8, BMI 34.8 to 30.1 (still a way to go). I feel fantastic, and really enjoy the fast days. It can’t hurt drop the tablets? and to try the fasting for a few months. Good luck
I seem to be alone in this, but I’m gaining weight – 2.5kilos in the last two weeks. I am eating low carb on non fast days, I don’t drink fruit juice or eat muffins. I mainly eat fresh meat and vetgetables. I am going running every two days. I’m feeling pretty frustrated and dperessed, I must confess.
I had to write and share my experience with you. I I have been doing the 5:2 since March 13, having a breakfast and then an evening meal totalling 500 calories. I started off really well, losing around 8 lbs, then it seemed to slow right down, and I felt I was not getting anywhere, so decided to revamp the way I was eating and fasting. I now fast over a 24 hours period. Say a Monday morning I will eat a normal breakfast, have a good sized healthly lunch, and then will not eat again until the following lunch time. I will repeat this process again on a Thursday, fasting into the Friday lunch period. My weight has started to shift again, I have just lost my first stone. I am so pleased, it is so easy to do, fits into my lifestyle, don’t feel hungry, drink plenty. I find because you are asleep for most of the fast you don’t notice that you are on it, when I wake up in the morning I have no hunger panks, and actually had to force myself to eat something at lunch. I find it so much easier than having to make sure I am eating the 500 calories, maybe I was going over and that is why the weight would not come off before? I have gone down a size in clothes and am just so pleased that I started on this new healthly way of eating. I weighed recently and my BMI is lower and body fat is lower, so something good is happening :o) I feel so much better. I am spreading the word to my family, friends and work colleagues who have stuggled with weight lose.
Hi everyone I started the 5:2 diet on Monday and am feeling very positive about it. All the comments are really helpful. I was at the cardiologist with my mum yesterday and asked if this diet was suitable for her. He said this is the diet he follows and encourages his friends and family to do it too. He specialises in lipids clinic so mum and I are raring to go!
HI Michael,
I started out quite well on the program dropping from 220 lb (yes – I’m Canadian) to about 212. My initial weight 2 years ago was just over 240 lb.
I have been fasting Tuesdays and Thursdays as I lift weights M, W & F. I fast from about 7:30 PM through 7:00 PMish the following days on my “fast days” and have found that pretty easy to manage.
This week, however – I’ve actually gained weight!
My eating habbits on “Feast” days are pretty clean and my post-fast measl usually consist of lean protein, veg and yogurt to the 600 calorie target.
Should I try the split meal strategy instead of the 24 hour fast? I’m in sales and entertain a fair bit so AD fasting will not work well for me.
Pretty confused here – but not ready to give up on this!
I have been on this eating system for 2 months now. I have no idea how much weight I’ve lost. All I know is that I’ve lost 9cms. off my waistline. I do not possess reliable scales therefore I do not weigh myself. Therefore I do not obsess about how much weight I’ve lost or not lost. Maybe if you’re worrying about weight changes of a few pounds here & there you would be better not weighing yourselves so often.
I am very grateful to Michael Mosley for bringing to my attention this method of ‘dieting’. It is the only one I’ve found that I hope to follow long-term.
Hi, bcarter1103 – I think weight-loss can vary quite a lot from week to week or, as some people experience it, from plateau to plateau. One week’s gain might be surprising but need not be a cause for concern, especially if you are using weights: it could be that very positive ‘muscle weighs more than fat’ trick. If the upward trend does continue consistently, then maybe you could experiment with a different eating pattern or weekly schedule – just to give your body and your motivation a bit of a boost, so to speak – but, hopefully, all will be well over the long-term. All best wishes to you.
Hello, jolusby – Yes, I can see how miserable it must feel, especially if you believe you are ‘doing all the right things’. You don’t give any details about how long you have been using the 5:2 system and doing the running or what distance/duration you manage when running, but I wonder if that might be a factor. Could the weight-gain actually be a positive sign at this stage: that you are burning fat and replacing it with (heavier-than-fat ) muscle? I would say monitor the trend of your weight over a few more weeks and, if you’re not getting the hoped-for downward results, then more investigation/experimentation might be required. Hopefully, other comments on the site could prove helpful in that respect. Do have a read around. With best wishes to you.
Hello, Amigos4 – You really do seem to battle within yourself week by week and I feel for you. Beating yourself up and feeling loathsome is not going to help in any way. Please use encouragement rather than criticism to coax yourself into the new behaviour you are seeking. Changing habits is not easy – it takes gentle patience – so, please be gentle and patient with yourself.
To my mind, meditation is one of the most positive tools one can use to promote health and well-being and reach whatever goal one aspires to – including, in this instance, weight loss. The two most fundamental and valuable meditation practices are Mindfulness and Loving Kindness. For a very good, simple description of one way to practise Loving Kindness – the antidote to any negative emotion – search online for ‘Jack Kornfield Meditation Loving Kindness’. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it and I wish you every success in your efforts.
I really enjoy responding to the many comments and queries that get posted on this website: I get engrossed, don’t think about food and, suddenly, it’s bedtime again. Hooray! But it does create at least three problems: a) there’s way too much pontificating by me, from just my limited viewpoint; b) I don’t say much about my own process of using the 5:2 system; and c) other people get beaten to the start-line when it comes to replying to fellow contributors’ questions/stories.
So, to correct point b), at least, here is a bit of my history:
Me: a 63-year-old English female whose youthful, slim body gradually morphed with middle-aged spread and, then, more recently, 35lbs (16kg) of pensioner’s excess baggage. I heard of the 5:2 approach through a Radio Times article by Michael M. in January and watched his Horizon documentary – ‘Eat, Fast and Live Longer’ – online.
I used the 5:2 scheme for two months and loved it. I found it easy to keep to and lost 16lbs or 7.25kg from 13st 1lb (183lb/83kg) down to 11st 13lb (167lb/75.75kg). Yippee!
However, as I have a defective lower valve in my gullet (diagnosed 4 years ago) I experienced continuous, severe heartburn within 10 days of my first fasting day and no amount of extra acid-suppressants helped. My GP was enthusiastic about the diet and supportive of my efforts to stay on it but, reluctantly, I had to stop, at least until my gullet calmed down.
So, since Easter, I have been experimenting with different (vegetarian) foods, different timings, etc, to find the best way of Fasting to suit me and I seem to be succeeding so far. My latest weekly weigh-in marked a total loss of 25lb (11.25kg) to date. My BMI (Body Mass Index) has gone from 29 to 25 – just on the cusp between ‘overweight’ and top-of-the-range ‘healthy weight’ – so, another 7-10lb (3-4.5kg) should see me right, I reckon.
One brilliant outcome of fasting for me has been learning that hunger is OK, enabling me to break my lifetime habit of bedtime eating (which probably caused the weak gullet valve in the first place!)
I’d also like to talk about the exercise regime I started at the same time as I adopted the 5:2 way of eating but that can wait for another time now. With all best wishes.
I have been on 5:2 fast diet almost 5 weeks now but I have not lose any weight, I don’t know to give up or not. I need to lose 10 pound but seems like I cant do it even I did fast Mon-wed- fri last week.I do eat about 400 calories on my fast day only 6 pm so no breakfast no lunch plenty black tea until 6pm then to next morning until 10 am.I am not big eater on nonfast days either.So I really don’t know what to do any suggestion? What week looks like this,
Sunday 6:00 pm last meal until
Monday 6:00 pm 400 calories dinner nothing else until
Tuesday 7:00am coffee with milk then normal day 6:00 pm last meal
Wednesday 6″00 pm 400 calories dinner nothing else until
Thursday 7:00am coffee with milk then normal day 6:00 pm last meal
Friday 7:00am coffee with milk then normal day 6:00 pm last meal
Saturday and Sunday normal meals
Am I doing anything wrong, because I am not losing any weight
I am 45 years old 5’2 HEIGHT and 128 poung weight and I would like lose least 8 pound
I have been following the 5:2 diet religiously since early February.
As background, my weight has been absolutely constant (too much!) for 10 years. I have made no other changes to my diet at all, so I think the results are quite representative as there are no other factors influencing them.
I have lost weight streakily, but with regular weigh ins I can see that the curve is definitely smoothing out, and although I have lost 17 lbs (from 230lbs), it has been almost nothing in the last four weeks.
So, my conclusion is that it works for a while, but I may need a plan B to continue the progress.
I also have regular blood tests and interestingly my cholesterol has gone from high, where is has been for 12 years, to perfect. I have now, at my doctors suggestion, cut my Statin does in half and if the next test is similar I will cut them out completely.
Hi, bcarter1103 – Although I’m Australian I’ll translate into lbs I started at 198 and after 14 weeks got to 176, with great drops in cholesterol and triglycerides – total fast (water only) Monday & Wednesday, eat normally (including wine) other days. I don’t count calories, just be careful. I weigh weekly, and several times gained a bit, which is muscle (swimming hard 5 days a week). It is depressing to gain but stick with it, this is for life, and you will start to drop again
I lost 12lb fairly easily(running 2 times a week for first half marathon), counted 500 cals religiously and watched in amazement as my muffin top shrank. Then I put on a couple of lbs and felt completely demoralized…
until i started a food diary and calculating the calories for a week.It seems that I scoff rather more than i thought of very hi cal stuff(which is why I am over weight in the first place).I did a couple more 2 hour walks to help it along and I am delighted that I am now 1 stone lighter.So a loss of 14lb in 17 weeks,3″ off hips,3″ of waist and nothing of the bust-result!It is 20 years since I have been this shape and weight.I have an appointment with my GP re high blood pressure in July and want to shimmy in another stone lighter(not been that for 30 years). All possible at 1 lb a week as my goal.
Jeanius I too have reflux problem. It hasn’t caused me a problem on 5:2 so far. I also have under active Thyroid. I lost weight first 2 weeks but have gained this week. By recording all my calories I find I don’t eat anywhere near the 2000 calories for ‘normal’ woman. Most days I eat less than 1200 yet I’m still overweight. I don’t do enough exercise due to cold strong winds this time of year. I’m trying to work how to alter my eating to kick start weight loss. My gut specialist wants me to lose weight. My GP clinic is now investigating 5:2 fast after I told them about it. Ideas anyone?
I’m really struggling with this diet. I find my fast days easy and always stay within 500 cals. However, I am not losing any weight and this week have even out on 2lbs despite 3 fast days. My best friend has lost half a stone, and I am really feeling much better healthwise. I want to keep going but am scared now of putting on more weight. Prior to doing this diet I did weightwatchers, which gives you an average of 1500 cals a day. So, when I started the diet I was having 1500 cals on non fast days, but lost nothing for 4 weeks. I then read on a forum that I could be eating too little on non fast days, so I upped my non fast intake to 2000 cals and did 4:3, losing 3lbs that week. I thought I had cracked it, then did 4:3 again the following week and stayed the same. Then I went on holiday for 10 days, I relaxed but didn’t binge. Didn’t fast either. When I got back I fasted for 2 days before weighing, and then found that had put on a total of 3lb since before my holiday, which was fine. Then had a heavy weekend of eating out as we were away for a friend’s wedding. I definitely went over 2000 per day, so fasted 3 days this week to compensate. I expected by doing this to stay the same, so was really disappointed when I weighed this morning and found I had put on 2lb.
My worry is that this diet works fine if you are coming from a start point if eating 2000 cals a day,or 14000 a week. Dropping that by 3000 will of course make you lose weight. But what if you are only used to 10500 as I am? I am actually increasing my intake by 500 cals a week. Should I revert to 1500 cals a day on non fast days? I don’t really want to be counting cals on non fast days if I am honest. This diet is supposed to be helping me get away from obsessing on calories. Any help and advice from anyone who has gone from ww or similar to fasting would be appreciated!
Hi, Hardenbergia – thanks for your response. Happily, many people with reflux problems do report improvements using the 5:2 approach. If my specialist’s gasp of amazement, during the original endoscopy procedure, is anything to go by, my case is a bit extreme: apparently, my gullet muscles are so weak that the lower valve is permanently open. I just have to take the drugs and be very careful with my eating.
The more I read about calorie intake and weight-loss/gain, the more of a mystery it all seems, especially where medical conditions like diabetes or an under-active thyroid are involved. By the sound of it, 1200cals per day on non-fast days is perhaps too low for you. Too little food for too long can put your body on red-alert and it responds by slowing the metabolism down, in order to maintain all the stores of fat it can, to survive during the famine it is experiencing. Hence, weight-loss becomes extremely difficult. Have you calculated your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) yet? That’s the daily calorie intake you need to function properly, based on your statistics and activity levels. There are lots of TDEE calculation tools available online but I advise the following cautions when using them: a) Get comparative figures from, say, three calculators and then pick an average, as they seem to vary a lot; and b) Because, using 5:2, you already manage a sharp calorie reduction two days a week, use your CURRENT weight, rather than a GOAL weight, to do the calculations. Then the resulting TDEE figure will be your appropriate intake for the five non-fasting days and one quarter of that figure (i.e. 25%) will be your personal recommendation for your two fasting days (as 500/600 cals is only a general average). Hopefully, those more accurate figures will give you the kick-start and the positive results you are looking for, with a safe, steady and gradual weight-loss. I am hoping to say more about my thoughts and experience on the subject of exercise soon but, sadly, don’t have time right now. I wish you much joy and success in your efforts.
Hi, ellabella – I’m afraid the statement in the original The Fast Diet book that you can ‘eat whatever you want’ for the five non-fast days, sadly, cannot be taken literally by everyone. Michael M and Mimi S, the co-authors, have never struck me as serious over-eaters and I think they already assumed a level of reasonable eating when making that statement. The laws of physics about energy intake and output cannot be over- ridden and, therefore, some people may need to monitor their intake, at least for a while, until their heads and their bellies get familiar with healthy food choices and appropriate portion sizes. Perhaps also read my earlier comment today, addressed to Hardenbergia, above, about TDEE, and I wish you all the benefits of using the 5:2 system.
I’ve just completed my 1st week on the 5:2 diet, and the results have really confused me. After my 1st fast day, I had lost 1.5kg, the very next day! But by today, the last day of the 1st week, I have not lost any weight at all, not even inches off my waist.
I eat less than my 2000cal gda on non fast days, because it says to eat normally, and I normally dont eat that much(small appetite). I also had to go for an hours walk on my 2nd fast day, and didnt eat more to compensate for the energy expenditure. My TDEE says I should be eating 2100 calories a day haha, but I normally eat around 1700 or so. Should I be eating MORE on my off days?? Or should I be eating 400 calories on fast days?
I’m going to give it some more time, but from what ive seen most people get results immediately. anyone have any ideas?
Hi, again, ellabella – Re-reading your comment, I think I misunderstood your situation so my apologies if my response seems unhelpful. However, I do think that the advice in my various other comments today re finding your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) figure and basing your 5:2 non-fasting and fasting intakes on that still apply. I do wonder, as well, whether your body might a bit confused by all the changes you’ve been making – first, shifting from the Weight Watchers system; then frequently varying your 5:2 approach; whilst, in between, also taking the break for a holiday? Perhaps you just need to take some time to get into more of a regular rhythm? The monitoring of your intake need not be too obsessive – a reasonably rough count should give you a good indicator of how you are going and then, hopefully, you will get the results you desire. Best wishes.
Thanks Jeanius, I have calculated my TDEE and it says I should have 1626 on feed days and 407 on fast days, so I will try that for the next 2 weeks and see how I get on. I think you are right that I have messed my bod about a bit and it is now very confused! 2000 cals is much more than I used to eat, so my body is probably really struggling with that 5 days a week. I’ll let you know how I get on!
My issues here seem to be the same as others. Last week I really tried hard. I exercised most days and tried to fast for 3 days. I tried until I nearly fainted in the shower on Friday morning – I had fasted on Monday, and then from Wed evening onwards because as I was out and the family forgot my dinner (!), so I probably was a bit light as it worked out that Wed & Thurs were both fast days as well. 30mins on the exercise bike and a hot shower before breakfast on Friday did for me. After all this I lost 1LB. Woopee do! My TDEE is about 1660 cals a day so by fasting for 2 days as well it gives me an average of 1328 cals a day over the whole week. I am now starting to really struggle with all this. Surely I should be losing a bit faster
Hi anniel,
Did you do your measurements(hips, waist etc) at the start? I have learned that a lb a week is the maximim that I will lose (even when I was running 6/8 miles a week- half marathon is early March) but what was really striking was the inches lost and change in body shape.I think that daily exercise is the key, and by that I mean walking, using a pedometer and clocking up 10,000 steps a day. Much harder than you think when most people do 3/4000 steps a day. For me last week(when I reached 14lb lost) was the first time that I had lost weight the day after a fast day, I always found that it took a couple of days after to register on the scales.I’ve lost 4lb in a week with WW but was so bored that I put it on again.Besides, this a marathon rather than a sprint.
Yes Jim I have. I have found that everything ground to a halt on my fast days and took a couple of days to get going again. However, it has got much better. I think that my body has got used to it and I now drink more water on fast days both to fill me up and to try and ward off the constipation. It’s working too.
The researcher Michael interviewed on the diet show who was testing alternative day fasting claimed that while she had expected her test subjects to eat wildly on the day after the fast day, her data indicated that they at no more than 110% of what they would normally eat. I can’t speak for the U.K., but here in the U.S., the portion sizes are enormous at most restaurants. You go out for Italian food and you’re delivered a plate of pasta that has, conservatively, 1500 calories. You don’t have to eat it all, of course, but we all know that often when it’s in front of you, you just keep going.
I’ve used the calorie counter at Live Strong with good success to track exactly what I’m eating and how many calories I’m taking in. I’m trying to keep the non-CR days at between 1800 and 2000 calories. With the combination of the CR days and the calorie monitoring, my weight has started moving down again.
Ian in Los Angeles
I am 57 years old and weigh 104.7 lilos (5ft 10) BMI at approx 31. I have RA/SA and have been in a flare up for about a year, currently taking 15ml of methatraxate in injection 1/7. Been on the 5/2 for 2 weeks and RA starting to feel better. More energy and less fatigue/pain. Would really like to lose weight as dont eat lots, just 2 meals a day (light lunch/Dinner, sometimes cereal in evening if hungry, but dont move body much! I have not lost any weight yet and dont understand why, when I read that everyone else is or has?? Husband following the same regime and he has lost 3 kilos eating twice as much as I do. Does it take time to kick in with some people? Feeling frustrated, not doing it just to lose weight butwas hoping???
Hi Jenny – I have plateaued a few times and have worked through them based on doing three things: 1) Controlling what I eat on the Non Fast days 2) going from 5:2 to 4:3 and 3) the big change was reading one of Michael’s posts on 10,000 steps. I noticed you say you don’t move much. I would recommed you check out getting a pedometer. 10,000 steps is roughly 500-600 calories you burn in one day. So every fast day of 500 calories (F) or 600 (M) is effectively a net zero intake day. I do 4:3 + 10k steps and have been losing 1-2 lbs a week regularly. Check it out as I’m sure it will move you towards your weight targets combined with IF. Good luck.
Hi Brent – thanks for the advice – I was thinking along those lines, dont know if i am up to 4:3; not axactly struggling but finding 5:2 a challenge, want to get into a routine with it first as want it to be a lifelong change! As I am feeling less tired (the fatigue with RA is bone weary not just tiredness), I am going to start walking the dogs again. I have a pedometer somewhere will dig it out. Once again Thans!
I thought people may be intersted to hear my story. I started the fast diet in August 2012 but since February of this year have been genuinely fasting on 2 days a week, that is eating nothing at all. I actually find it easier to do this than eat small amounts. It means a period of 36 hours, twice a week when I consume nothing but green tea. I get very hungry in the evening but it has become managable. I do eat more than usual on the first day after fasting. My weight has gone down from 92 kgs to 82 kgs since August of last year which is still a BMI of 26. I am 58 and always been reasonably fit but have never felt healthier. Anyone else out there that eats nothing on the fast days?
Hi Fast in Calstock, See my first post on 3 May. I also don’t eat at all on fast days. I am 62 and swim between 3 & 4 km 5 days a week. On those days I don’r eat before swimming at 7am so do a 17 hour fast until lunch on those 5 days, and on 2 of those days don’t eat dinner so 2 x 24 hour fasts. From 22/1 to 2/5 I went from 90.8kg to 80.7, and now 4 weeks later am 77.6, total loss of 13.2 in 18 weeks. My BMI has gone from 34.18 to 29.5 (still not great but it will be!) I still cook dinner for my husband on fast days and this has made me realise that I am not hungry, just need something to do. I feel fantastic and have never had more energy (or a better skin) and have no problem with just water for 24 hours. I think the lunch to lunch fast is easier (and after a long swim in the morning I need to eat something at lunch). On ‘normal’ days I don’t count calories, I think too many people seem obsessed by them, just eat (and drink wine) normally and the total fast days do the rest. I think this is for life.
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Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
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12 May 13