I can’t see anything anywhere that tells whether, on a fast day, there is any benefit (or detriment) to sticking to, say, 300 calories on a fast day rather than 600. Anybody any ideas?
This topic contains 117 replies, has 87 voices, and was last updated by AmyF 8 years, 3 months ago.
Hi youngmumford – the point of the Fast Diet is flexibility and finding a pattern that sits within the basic tenets of intermittent fasting, but really works for you. Some studies have been done with total fasting, and Brad Pilon fasts completely for 24 hours. The reason we suggest quartering your calories is to make this feel possible and (relatively) pleasant. As MM showed in his Horizon programme, a drastic suspension of all calories is very hard to do! 500 seems to work well – but you may find 300 works better. Keep your nutrient intake up though (that’s why we recommend lots of plants and protein), and stay hydrated.
Thanks for that Mimi. One other question that I’ve heard asked but not really answered is about ‘diet’ drinks (Diet Pepsi, Coke Zero etc). Whilst these are, by definition, low or zero calories, they do have a reputation for having all sorts of ‘unnatural’ additives in them. Any experience/opinion on whether its OK to have one or 2 of these on a fast day should you get a fizzy drink craving? thanks
My own feeling about fizzy drinks generally is that we should probably avoid them. I don’t drink diet fizz which (like processed diet foods) has replaced sugars with synthetic alternatives designed in a lab. There are plenty of other good things to drink. That said, if Diet Coke is your fall-back on a Fast Day, and if it helps get you through, then so be it. Compliance is, as ever, key.
@lil – if you provide a little more detail I’m sure some of us can try to help.
It would be useful to know roughly how much weight you need/want to lose as it seems the less you have to lose, the slower it comes off. It’s also useful to know how you split your calories, at what times you eat & what sorts of things as well as whether you’re very active and how you eat ‘normally’ (on your feed days). With a bit more info some ‘troubleshooting’ is possible.
Are you perchance doing the 24 hour version as described by Mimi in the book, eg from 2pm-2pm, as it seems the weight loss on this method (if eating normally before and after those times, and consuming 500 cals within) is greatly reduced as often the calorie deficit is not that high at all. If you’re doing this cut down form of 5:2 you may benefit from doing it as a 0 cal fast between those times to facilitate the weight loss.
Thanks shiningmoogie for taking time to reply. I weigh 11st 9lbs and I’m 5″ 4″ so I’d like to lose a couple of stone. I train 4 times a week in the gym and my job is very physical. I fast on Mondays and Thursdays and I really enjoy it. I drink plenty of water on those days, I’m a water drinker anyway! I usually eat on my fasting days a soup made of green veg and a protein bar. Lately I have found I can refrain from food completely on those days quite comfortably. On my feed days I do eat whatever I want and whenever I want. The only thing I can think of is that I may be eating too much on my feed days. My skin has broken out in spots which I can only assume is part of the detox going on. Apart from that I feel a million dollars! I have such a clear mind and my focus is great. I can feel internal changes but I’d love to see external results!
Exasperated on Friday as my scales said I had PUT ON 2.4 lbs in a week. It’s my 3rd week on 5:2 and over the previous weeks had lost 5lbs. But I have used my bodyfat scales today and have better news. After 3 weeks on the eating plan I have lost 4.2lbs in total, muscle mass is up 1.7% to 33.77% and BMI down 0.23 to 23.9. The really impressive stat for me is, although my waist, according to my measure, has not decreased, my bodyfat has gone from 33.83% to 30.7% in 3 weeks.
I am noticing, in genera,l my energy levels are higher – I feel less tired than usual. I do 2-3 sessions of exercise dvds a week and up until Wednesday this week I was eating biscutis and chocolate on feast days. I am minimising my sugar intake for Lent (to start with. I will probably carry on) by excluding chocolate, biscuits and sweets from my diet. I will still have my chip shop chips once a week though – my treat meal.
I fast on Monday & Wednesday and eat breakfast and lunch. I drink lots of herbal teas in the afternoon. Favourites are green tea, white tea and fennel tea which is supposed to suppress appetite as well as boost metabolism.
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few months on this eating plan.
I have just started the diet , the 2pm to 2pm appealed to me most , I had a normal lunch at 12 noon , at 7pm my even meal was 2 boiled eggs , when does the 24 hour period end technically and when can I have a normal meal again, in the morning I am planning on skipping breakfast as I find it easier , then lunch I will have wheetabix amounting to 205 Kcal , is this right ?? or can i just have what ever at lunch time
please advise
Started IF at the beginning of February, Mondays & Thursdays, weighing myself the following morning. My results are strange: (on Salter scales) Tues 5 86.4kg,
Fri 8 82.4kg (bought new Omron scales to celebrate – & confirm weightloss!) Tues 12 85.7, Fri 15 84.7, Tues 85.4. I’m a little confused and disheartened. I’m hardly exercising (walking) due to weather, and have not sorted a pilates area yet at home, after recent move. I am over sixty, 168cms, and aim to reach 65-70kg mainly for
health reasons
Hi, both me and my husband started the 5:2 programme two weeks ago, for the first week fasted on Tuesday and Thursday. Lost 2lbs each. Put the two pounds back on again then lost 1.5lbs, (although my husband is back where he started). Have now swapped to Mondays and Wednesdays as it suits our lifestyle better. Haven’t weighed yet this week as am trying only to do it the morning after the second fast day of the week. We are sticking religiously to the 500/600 limit on fast days eating breakfast (boiled eggs) at about 8am and then dinner of 300/400 calories about 8pm. As this doesn’t seem to be working we are now trying to fast until midday the day following a fast day too. Hoping this will help as we are both very disappointed. I have about 1 stone to lose and husband has about 2 stone ideally. I take regular exercise 2-3 times a week. I suspect that, having worried about what I’ve been eating for years, I may be overdoing it on non-fast days so am going to return to being a bit more self controlled – although this too is a bit disappointing because I saw this aspect as being the most attractive of the plan. Does anyone have similar experiences or advice please?
After reading the above comments I decided to give my body a kick up the backside and go for a three day intermittent fast. It’s worked a treat and at last I’m seeing loss on the scales. I think everybody has to adapt the diet to suit themselves in terms of their own body needs and their lifestyle. These posts really help..thanks guys!
Hi there, have posted on another forum but got no response. Any chance MIMI or MICHAEL could help???
Am now on week 7, second fast of the week. Fasting is going ok – I’ve dropped from 500cal to 400call to (in desperation) under 100cal on fast days and STILL NOT LOST ANY WEIGHT OVERALL!!! It’s driving me insane. I have 12-14lbs to lose. I’m beginning to wonder – can I really eat what I want on the other 5 days? Really though? I’m so hungry on those days that I just know I overeat, despite trying really hard to control it. I eat a fairly low carb diet anyway so no point suggesting I cut out carbs. I get particularly hungry in the evening. I’m so desperate for this to work which is why I’m sticking at it but the way I see it, if I have to control cals on non-fast days I might as well go to weight watchers. Which I do not want to do as eating a calorie controlled diet does my head in and only works short term. Please can someone help me.
Hello 🙂 I really hope somebody can give me some advice. I am about to embark on my 5;2 diet journey and feeling a little confused. On the fast days do you have to eat 500 cals? its not an issue if you dont manage them, and also do you split up into a breakfast dinner and tea or fast until tea time? Thank you in advance for any helpful tips 🙂 xxx
From what I have read, it is OK if you can’t manage 500 in a fast day unless there are medical reasons against it, and you can have your calories at any time split throughout the day but I think there is supposed to be extra heath benefit in fasting for as long a period as you can manage within that day. Because I never feel very hungry first thing, I find it suits me to go from dinner around 6pm the day before a fast day, and not eat until lunch time on the fast day, giving approx 18hours continuous fast. I split my calories between lunch and dinner but some people need breakfast and others need to have small calorie snacks throughout the day. What suits you best seems to be the answer.
@thefasterpt I don’t think you can overeat on your non-fasting days and still expect to lose weight. I’m new here, but I’ve been following 5:2 and IF forums on another website, and I’m planning to do my first fasting day next week (Monday). They advocate sticking to their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) on non-fast days. For example, my TDEE is 2500 cals a day (based on my weight, height, activity levels) so on non-fasting days I will be sticking to that as a maximum. I’ve been reading people having great results from tracking their non-fasting days on apps like my fitness pal, and many of them are saying they often exceed this amount on some days, but are way under on others, and still lose weight.
@sar Thanks Sar, you’ve acutally really helped me. I think I got a little bit giddy about the idea of eating whatever I wanted on feast days to the point where it was unrealistic to think I would lose weight just because I had a deficit on 2 days of every week. I haven’t been losing weight really, only 1 lb after 2 weeks of fasting! And I know I have been doing the fast days correctly eating 2×250 meals a day. Lunch 12pm and Dinner 6.45pm. So from now on, on my feast days I will eat without over indulging and try to stick to a recommended women’s daily allowance of about 1940 calories or less. Wish me luck – I really want to feel trimmer this summer!
Hi guys!So its been about 5/6 weeks since i started, and i think i do look slimmer. However, the scales are only coming up with a weight-loss of about 2lbs. At the same time of starting the 5:2, I began going to the gym 3/4 times a week, following the Couch to 5k NHS running plan (which is excellent btw!) and doing weights. Do you think this could be the reason for the lack of difference on the scales? I dont look like ive gained any muscle!
ps i know at long as i look better the weight shouldnt matter but it would be nice to see the numbers going down 🙁
I am on my first week – weigh in tomorrow – hope I lose some weight. Shall feel a bit disheartened if no joy. Can anyone explain why in the recipes for breakfast of porridge + blueberries – 145g of berries = 37 cals, but if you look it up in the calorie counter at the back 100g of berries + 60 cals. If that is the case then I am way over my 500 cals.
bex93, I would think that your fat has decreased and muscle has increased. I have scale which do fat and muscle percentage. I have 3 kids so don’t need to go to the gym! in 3 weeks my fat decreased from 31.9 to 28.3. My muscle increased by a similar percentage.
I suspect that weight and BMI will not be very helpful to you as the gym will be screwing with the results. My suggestion would be to measure yourself.
Hi everyone
Firstly, I am not going to stop doing this! I love it, and have more energy. But, it’s three weeks now, I have a LOT OF WEIGHT TO LOSE and i’ve only lost 3 pounds.
However, my clothes seem bigger. How does that work?
And any suggestions for making the weight come of quicker? I know it should be slowly done, but this does not seem fair!
I have been doing IF at the same time as a friend. She dropped a STONE without even trying, I have managed to shift 11lbs but not a gramme since. I have no trouble on fasting days so have dropped my intake to protein and nibbly salad bits. I have tried to avoid tea as I can’t drink it without sugar and sweeteners are horrible. Yes my belt is tighter, my bra less strangling BUT I am a bit disappointed as this is what always happens to me whatever eating/exercise regime I try. I will continue with it though as it is v. easy and I am depending on the health benefits rather than the weight loss.
I started on 28 Jan, weighed on 28 Feb and lost 5lbs, not sure I feel I look as though I have but maybe in time results will show. Its true that its both easy and hard at the same time. You’re not depressed by feeling tied to a diet with minimal treats and can be flexible about fasting days. But those days are quite hard. I do Monday and Thursday. I have 100 cals for breakfast (usually tinned tomatoes), then soup, toast or fruit and yoghurt for tea. (I’m afraid the recipies arn’t for me as I prefer not to have to prepare anything from scratch on fasting days). Drink low cal all day but the hunger never really goes away and two Nytol at bedtime are brillient at getting me off to sleep superquick. That said, some days are better than others, one day I can feel headachy or lightheaded all the time but then the next one is more get throughable!!! Most bizarre fact is that we do our shopping on a Monday afternoon and I have no problem with walking round the supermarket on a fasting day! So on balance, its good, a new way of dieting and, if it works, a revalation. I’m sticking with it!!!
I too am struggling to lose weight on this diet, or rather, I should say, new pattern of eating. Everyone around me is sceptical about it and it can somewhat undermine one’s confidence. I think that my main problem is having to unlearn previously learned attitudes towards food. I, and I suspect many others, can’t get the ‘forbidden foods’ concept out of my mind; but then on non-fast days there are times when I take the plunge and eat the foods I’ve longed to eat over the years and then wish that I hadn’t; not that I overeat – most of the time! I suspect that this will settle down and that I will find my level as it were. I don’t understand why it says in the book that you can eat anything on non-fast days but on this forum there seems to be contradictory advice saying watch what you eat on these days. Am I missing the point here?
I am just starting the program this week. I have been on Weight Watchers for the best part of the past 2 years. I did lose 30 pounds on it first year, but have gained about 5 back and haven’t lost it or any more weight over the past 6 months or so. I think my body has just adjusted to this level of eating. For exercise, I power-walk about 5 miles most days. The idea of IF seems like it could be a solution for me and help break the boredom of WW. I just hope I won’t eat too much on the off days. Would it be okay to have no calories on the fast days? I have done some fasting in the past and just drank herbal tea and water all day. This seems like much more of a real fast to me and would tend to give the body more of a break from food. And would also serve to keep from whetting the appetite. Would love to hear a response to this question – thanks!
I have been folllwing the diet for three weeks – fasting every MOnday and Thursday, and on fasting days have eaten NOTHING. I drink water (perhaps not enough) and have green tea and lemongrass/ginger tea. On non-fasting I days have been watching my diet, never eat junk, have cut out bread and all other wheat products since January and havevut out cheese and obviously fat foods. I am also getting a reaonable amount of exercise. (Approx 1 hr fast walking 5 days a week). I have not lost ANY WEIGHT whatsoever. I have at least 2 stone to lose. I am a 45 year old female. Any tips?
Been on the fast diet for two weeks fasting on Tuesdays and Fridays. I walk a friends Husky every day for at least 30 mins (brisk walk) and do an hour circuit type training once a week (which I’m hoping to increase). I weighed myself today following a fast day and have gained weight! I hadn’t lost any weight since starting either. I only have around 10 – 12lbs to lose. I’m 5ft 1 and on a non fasting day usually only have between 1200 – 1400 calories! I usually have a more protein rich diet most days and have cut back on wheat. I don’t really like cheese so very rarely have that. I have also cut back on regular tea and coffee and drink green/herbal teas. What am I doing wrong? I am a 40 year old female. Incidentally, my friend who recommended this diet to me lost 16lbs in the first 4 weeks. She did have more weight to lose than me and is a lot bigger than I am generally but she is still losing weight steadily. She exercises less than I do at present. So I know this diet can work. Is it just the wrong diet for me?
Started the fast diet last week and sadly I have not lost an ounce. I am a vegan and I am wondering if that has anything to do with it? I have been very good on the fast days, but I do wonder if I have been eating a bit more than usual on the non fast days. I have to confess that the day after a fast day I have been STARVING. I am having breakfast and then an evening meal, leaving as long a gap I between as I can 7.30am – 7.30pm as I believe that is the best way?
I’ve been doing the fast diet now for about a month, had a week off for a holiday but other than that am managing it well. One question I have and am wondering if other people are having the same thing is that I manage fasting days well, but on feed days I am always really hungry. I find myself wanting to eat all the time! I haven’t lost any weight now for a number of weeks, because I eat so much when I’m not fasting. I’m not getting the appetite control I thought I would. Is this just a novelty that will wear off? After years of feeling guilty over a piece of cake or a glass of wine? I don’t have much to lose but would like about half a stone… Any ideas?
I have been doing the diet for four weeks every Tuesday and Thursday. I have not lost any weight at all and I feel really tired on the days I do it. I am not going over my 500 calories, I have porridge in the morning and normally salmon with stir fry veg about 7pm. I have green tea during the day or water. I want to lose about 8lbs in all so what am I doing wrong? Also would it be ok to drink an actimel yogurt drink on the fasting days about midday?
Have been doing the 5:2 diet religiously for 11 weeks now & not cheated once. On restricted days I meticulously weigh/measure everything to ensure I keep within 500 cals. On the other days I mainly eat v healthily (& have really cut down on carbs!) but admitedly have had some splurges (crisps, choc, alcohol,take-away)but no more than once a week. My weight has fluctuated over this period BUT net weight- loss to date is NIL. In fact, I’m feeling very bloated/uncomfortable. How can this be possible?
I’ve been on diet since August and lost 28lb up until Christmas holiday. I continue to fast 2 days and have maintained my current weight and now feel that I can’t revert to a normal life as feel that it’s because of the fasting that Im not gaining weight again… But am rather confused now! If Im not losing weight and fasting…what’s happened to my metabolism… I’m 60, female and I walk my dog regularly… I’m a vegetarian and eat a good diet… Is 5/2 necessary for the rest of my life?
I have been fasting Monday and Thursday for four weeks. I have a 200 cal breakfast at around 11 am and a 300 cal supper around 7. It’s made me eat less (or so I thought) on the other days of the week. I am not as hungry, so use smaller portion sizes and am less likely to snack. BUT I have only lost a 1.5 lbs in total… It’s very demoralising. Especially as friends are losing weight at a steady rate. Any advice?
What I have been doing is focusing more on the loos of inches rather than the weight loss, although the weight is coming off slowly. I am into my sixth week of fasting Mondays and Thursdays. It took many months/years to put on the extra weight so I expect it will take time to get it back off as well. Do not be discouraged, pay more attention to living your life than to what, when and how you eat. At least, that is what I have been trying to do. After all, when I was a child I was not overweight and did not think about food at all, it actually was a nuisance to have to stop playing to eat. May we all get back to the child in us!
Have just started this diet and so far, after two fasting days, feel very good! Have read about people not losing weight and can only assume that they must be over eating the calories – until I started checking some calories myself and have been shocked to find that 100g of banana ranges from 95 – 136 calories on different calorie checker sites!!!!! So maybe this is the reason people are over eating their calories!!! Can anyone suggest a believable calorie checker?
hi cynister-I agree-think the right approach is to measure yourself rather than weigh. Although I’ve lost 8kgs in 12 weeks the main and obvious improvement is inches around the waist-approx 3.5 loss. I did bloods before and after and notable cholesterol drop also. The main loss appears to be fat-mainly around the waist and posterior. I reckon I still have about 10kgs to go but will spread this over the year.
have been doing the diet for 6 weeks now and only lost 2 pounds in the first week – and now getting a bit frustrated. The belt is now on a tighter fitting and I do feel slimmer but was hoping to see some figures change! I started last week reducing my calories between my fast days so they were less than 2000 (for a woman) but haven’t counted calories on the remaining 3 days – I pretty certain i’m not way over though the recommended allowance! No change again in weight! I do a lot of exercise and am wondering if its all being turned to muscle – or am I just kidding myself!? I do think though I have more pounds too lose! any comments / assistance appreciated!
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