Hi Chris – I’m only starting my first Fast day tomorrow but had wondered if I might be better with nothing at all. I really can’t be bothered with calorie counting so I’m probably going to have a small breakfast and a small supper – but I won’t be doing any maths. I’ll try to keep them low GI, but I’m not going to be too strict.

It’s very interesting to hear that zero calories is working for you, I think I will give that a try at some point to see how I get on. We’re all different so I guess it’s all about finding out what works for us personally.

Hi Chris
I have been on various Intermittent fast plans and to me it makes sense to have a zero calorie day. It may be a pleasant surprise how easy it is. Think about this…What wakes you up in the morning after not eating for 10 hours? Chances are it isn’t hunger. 10 hours later you feel a “rumbly in the tumbly” (Pooh)This is more habit than hunger. We have programmed that we should start the day with a big breakfast (probably from General Foods).Truth is from about 4-5 hours after your last meal(including snacks), your blood sugar and insulin level have been low and steady, You are in fasting mode. When you eat to break the fast, you insulin level spikes and lets you know It is time to begin the eating for the day. If you never take that first calorie, your body is still in the steady state without the trigger to eat more.
When feel “Hungry” ask yourself “is this hunger or habit” with the understanding that true hunger will not show up for several day.
Fasting is easy, simple, the only decision you need to make is when {or if You break the fast. I like simple.
Be strong and simple.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

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I was on several Facebook 5:2 groups (have since left Facebook due to my concern with privacy issues/hacking), and there were quite a number of people who felt more comfortable just not eating on their fast days. I personally couldn’t do it, but it does make sense to me. These folks repeatedly said that once they started eating anything, they couldn’t stop, and just drinking fluids (particularly hot coffee/tea) really worked for them.

That’s the great thing about 5:2. We can all find our own way!

Exactly Mahalo

🙂

What I like best is that our body and mind can change over time. In the beginning I thought I could never go with 0 calories. But then doing the 5:2 for almost a year I got used to the “ebb and flow” of hunger in the course of a day. A way of feeling alive and aware so to speak.

And then I was suddenly able to do a 36 hours period of non-eating and even enjoying it.

What I still love most is the great joy of having breakfast. A joy I have not exprienced before fasting. I was thankful for my food, yes, but more theoretically. NOW I feel it with every fibre of my body. That I really love and appreciate.

Ok. I am 3 weeks into this life change. I forgot to weigh myself when I started so only weighed myself at week 2 and have not gotten around to the measurement side of the business. My clothes tell me that I have lost some weight around my waist.

For the first 2 weeks I had a 500 calorie intake on fast days, however for the last two fast days I decided not to bother with calories at all and drink only black tea and water. I prefer it.

The book suggests that the longer the period between food- the better the metabolic outcomes are. With high bad cholesterol and borderline diabetes, this appealed to me. I eat dinner the night before a fast(Sunday)and don’t eat til breakfast Tues(i.e 2 nights sleep on each fast).I do this twice per week.

I am however confused. The book suggests 500 calories for women i.e a 1/4 of a 2000 calorie allowance. I used the tool and discovered that my TDEE is much less than 2000cal (just under 1700cal). Does this then mean that on a non fast day I should only consume just under the 1700cal and if I were to eat on a fast day then it would also be 1/4 of the 1700cal?

Hi Dreamit (and everyone else)

Yes you should use your tdee. The 500 cals in the book was a general guide but the latest advice for 5/2 is to eat up to your tdee on non fast days and up to a quarter of that on fast days. For some small, light and sedentary women that can be very little. My tdee is around 1700 too. I started on 500 but soon, after encouragement through some threads went to very low calorie fasts ie a dash of milk in a couple of cups of tea. I am no more hungry on those days than when I was doing 500 cals and I have been doing this since last September so I guess my body is used to it now,

I have varied a bit as well and did 3 fast days last week. But it didn’t really help me lose any extra. Cause and effect hard to judge but I think I will stick to two days. Found the three pretty tough.

All the best.

If you were to do zero calorie days can you still have bone broth?

Hedgehogs: I like to mix it up, too, to confuse my body. The last thing I want to have happen is to have my body adapt to fewer calories and cause my metabolism to slow down!

Hi, I have found this site when I was trying to find more details on 2 week fasts, where you have zero calories for 2 weeks, but after reading on the pros and cons of full fasting I decided I need to eat something at least every other day but was thinking only 500 calories on the eating days. So I would have day 1 zero calories then day 2 500 calories and then repeat for 2 weeks. I’m on day 3 now and feel fine but does anyone have any advice or has anyone here done this before?