Newby – wanting some advice

This topic contains 5 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by  ormaman444444 7 years, 9 months ago.

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  • Hi, I’m new to the 5:2 way of life and I’m really happy with doing my fast days on a Mon and Wed. However, I feel that I don’t always want/need lunch on my non-fast days, so wondered if there is any value on missing my lunch on other days when I don’t feel hungry but not stick to a 500 cal limit. I don’t want to sabbotage my fast day efforts. Would really appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

    Hi Twinkle and welcome:

    The guidance is to eat 500 cal. or less on your diet days. Many don’t eat anything on diet days, and many more eat their 500 cal. in one evening meal. Here is much information and many tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

    Good Luck!

    I started intermittent fasting last week and so far so good! I fast for 36 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and fridays drinking nothing but water, green tea and coffee.
    On my mind fast days, Tuesday, Thursday sat and Sunday I eat my 500 kcals at lunch time (chicken, veg and noodles) and thats it. Seems to be working for me at moment, not feeling that hungry or deprived but some days I do feel a little nausea but it soon passes once i keep busy! Am i doing this right?

    Laurarose88, if I understand you correctly you are having zero calories 3 days per week and only 500 calories on each of the other 4 days per week – that’s only 2,000 calories for the week. Please don’t continue like this, I can’t imagine that this can be good for you.

    Please read the website – it explains how to follow the program:
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

    The number of fasting days per week is up to you. Some people do 2, others do 3 and some do alternate day fasting – so 7 per fortnight. The original 5:2 program suggests you eat 500 calories on those “fast” days, although you can eat less or do a complete fast with just calorie free liquids. So this means that if you continue to do 3 “fast” days you would consume anywhere from 0-500 calories on each of these days.
    On the other days – the “non-fast days” you eat normally, you don’t cut calories, you eat at approximately your your TDEE. The link above takes you to a page where you can work out your TDEE.

    Some of the confusion arises I think, from the word “fast”, which we traditionally think, means no food. That is not the way it is used in this 5:2 diet. It is just a day of extremely low calories (basically 25% of a normal day’s calories), although as I said some people choose to do a true fast and there’s nothing wrong with that if it work better for you.

    The main reason that it’s important not to eat too few calories on a non-fast day is that continual extreme calorie restriction can lead to your body using calories more efficiently – basically this means your TDEE will fall and you will need to keep eating fewer calories to maintain the same weight.

    LJoyce, you gave a very good answer. I think what tw1nkle is asking about is non-fast days, skipping meals when not hungry, but not sticking to the 500 calories (non-fast day but w/more calories).

    For the health benefits I do try to eat just one meal a day on my fast days. If I am feeling ok on my non-fast days I also wait until dinner and do a 24 hour fast day followed by eating normally. If I am feeling hungry at breakfast on a non-fast day I eat. I honestly am not hungry after a fast day so I take advantage of it and do a 24 hour fast.

    Normal eating isn’t something I am good at. Because of that I need a guideline for my non-fast days. I am not regimented but try to stay somewhere around my BMR–TDEE. That is 1600-2000 calories on non-fast days.

    That said, if I am full with fewer calories or hungry at the higher end I adjust.

    I find I can add in a fresh juice if I’m having trouble on the non-fast days

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