Hi Sarah,

good luck with the half marathon :). I am a devoted runner myself (I have been running for 20 years roughly but not as smartly as I should have, I have learnt over the past two years or so…). Just be careful in the beginning as you need to get your body ready for such long distances gradually. I have had a sensitive stomach ever since I was a kid. I definitely noted that I feel much lighter during and right after a fasting day. Well, no wonder, as there is nothing for the body to digest! So I look at these days as rest for my inner systems. I am clearly much less bloated (if bloated at all) on such a day. I am also trying to cut down on carbohydrates (which works so-so, to be honest). That also seems to help me quite a bit when I do stick to it. If you are in the beginning of your running career (not sure if you just started running or just started going for longer distances like the half-marathon), it is probably worth investing some time in learning running techniques. There are lots of help on Internet or you can get some lessons from pro’s. It will save you energy when you run (which is really useful when you run long distances) and make you less prone to injuries. I started with these lessons way too late and now realise how important and helpful it is. Good luck with the preparations for the race and your fasting!

Hi Butty and welcome:

You can start on any day you want.

The way 5:2 works is you go to bed, get up, eat 500 or fewer calories during your waking hours, go to bed, get up and eat to your TDEE or less – twice a week. On all 7 days of the week you can eat foods you want to eat – there are no forbidden foods, or foods you have to eat. For the first month or so focus on doing your diet days correctly (500 calories or less) and most everything else will fall into place.

Here is what TDEE means: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/tdee-for-the-curious-or-why-dont-i-lose-weight-faster/

And here are some tips for beginners: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/warnings-to-newbies/

Good Luck!

simcoeluv is right! Start on a feast day or a fast day. I jumped right in with the fast day and have those down pat.

I am challenged with the non fast day.

Hi Atarby and welcome I only started Tuesday and did my second day today whilst I was working. I had porridge for breakfast, salad for lunch, stir fry for tea and then had enough for Weetabix for supper. I have also waited to eat until really hungry. I have coped well as I love my food I could do with losing around 2 stone. I feel better but haven’t weighed myself. I’m really hoping it works for me. A friend who told me about it has lost 15lbs in 3 weeks and she looks great. keep going and I’m sure you will get the results you want. Good luck!

Atarby:

The recommendation for a woman to eat 500 calories is a way to make the plan easy for everyone. I am not quite as tall as you – a mere 5’8″ – but I typically go over the 500 calories on fast days and have lost weight.

I say try eating 600 calories and see if you lose weight. If not, cut back to 500.

The original study had everyone consuming 1/4 of their TDEE on the fast days. You could try using that number.