I’d like to summarize what I learned and what works with me and what I learned and still didn’t put into practice. I don’t have to be right in all statements, but this is what I believe and understand.

1. Weight loss works well if you have one meal a day and not divide it into more portions during the day. This works for me and I also read that the point of the fasting is to stay without the meal as long as possible. Eating simply stops the cell repairing and this fasting benefit can be destroyed, even if you may lose the weight. Dr. Varady’s statement on this topic is actually the same, however the reasoning of hers is different. She simply thinks, that if you split your food, you will cheat more, because e.g. instead of 200Kcal you will eat 100 more and to do it 3 times a day is already risky. However later she admitted, if you follow 500Kcal you can do it either way. But I eat one meal, because references to other articles about fasting are saying this approach is better.

2. Exercise on fasting days. If you fast during a day, your organism switches into special regime (not necessarily ketosis) and your fat cells are more accessible. If you do your training on fast day, it is more effective in fat burning than on the other days. I read somewhere here it is dangerous or you are tired and so on, but this simply is not true. Also is not true as some poster stated, that your fat cells are turned into muscles during the training. This myth was disproved years ago, but seems some people are still following this demagogy. Fat cells and muscles are two completely different items. There is no way how fat could turn to be a muscle unless you are Harry Potter. Only disadvantage of fast day training is, you must do it in the morning or before your meal. If you work out after that, you probably will be hungry and tend to cheat (Dr. Varady says so and it is actually true). However I do ran only on my fast days and I have much more energy than other days. Running is so easy and I make more distance and run faster. You don’t keep the water as was stated before as well. You keep the water only in case you don’t drink enough during your training. However even if you keep the water during training, it comes off very soon after that. So this cannot be the reason of gaining the weight at all. To avoid uncontrollable hunger after training try to keep your heart rate in the range of fat burning. If it is too high you run on sugar, below is nothing. You can calculate it or simply check, if still can talk during your training, you are in right range, you shouldn’t be able to sing, though.

3. If you don’t exercise quite often and if you don’t do body building exercise you cannot lose inches with the same weigh. If you don’t exercises ok, but if you lose inches in this case, you must lose weight as well. Where otherwise would that energy disappear? Inches losing without weight losing is only in case you work out quite hard. 1 kg of muscle and 1 kg of fat weigh the same of course, however they don’t have the same volume. If you take two extremes for imagination 1 kg of feather and 1 kg of iron, you will get two different packs. For one you must work hard to gain for one you must work hard o loose. However it is so easy to gain fat, but not so muscle. So don’t be afraid you will gain the pile of kg because of training. But in case you do this body building, then you really lose inches but not weight. If you don’t exercise and don’t lose weight you eat over your TDEE and there is no way you lose inches without the scale shows lower numbers. You probably lose fat, but kg must go down too. If you don’t lose weight, don’t exercise than even your inches don’t go down. By this logic you would stay slim model with 100 kilos. That’s my experience also with previous diet (Atkinson).

4. If I want to be more free with food I must fast every other day. It was Dr. Varady’s statement you can eat what ever you want on the other non fasting days. But she did research with EOD not 5:2. And even she stated that with the mind, that you never are able to eat 200% of your TDEE the other day. Her research showed that people binge only 10% over it, whilst she expected 175%. That is why she said you can eat whatever you want, don’t need to cut any food you like. Dr. Mosley tried more manageable way of fasting, but then you are not free to eat whatever quantity you want.

5. Health. This I cannot say is my experience, but fasting helps to prevent diabetes, however if you are already diabetic you cannot fast, because you need to keep your blood sugar consistent. My grand father and uncle suffered this disease, so most likely it would be my case in the future too. What I only can say from female’s point of view, I don’t convulse in pain during my period anymore. This is huge benefit for me. But there are pending researches on cancer, too.

6. Don’t check calories only during your training. You burn more of them after the training too and your metabolism speeds up for the next 48 hours. Calories counting right during the training is not a good indicator, there are much more of them burned after the training. E.g., if I go to run I burn around 500 Kcal, but then I go to make some shopping and walk home (10 mins from shop) and my calories go up to 800, so 300 more for doing shopping only. It is because your body is still in training regime at least 2 hours after. If you do it on fasting day with 500 Kcal and lose 800, you are actually in negative rate and lose more.

7. Eating 5 to 6 meals a day is a myth. We never did it in the past as a human beings. This is the trend of last 70 years and people get fatter. Reasoning was the metabolism rate speeds up, however it has no logic for me, because in reality metabolism doesn’t work alone, but needs this help (eating to work). I have an example, not scientific of course and maybe I am wrong here. But I need glasses for reading, I have office job and work with notebook all the time. Notebooks are smaller and smaller with modern technology, so I bought glasses because it made me upset I cannot read comfortably without developing special effort to watch the screen. But once I put the glasses, it was perfect, however in the moment I put them down, I can see much worse than before. It takes several hours my eyes adjust to normal “mode”. My notebook at home is bigger, so I can read perfectly. But the point here is, the glasses made my eyes quite lazy. If they don’t get help, they must work, if they do, I am blind (not really, but can’t read). That’s why I think metabolism can be the same principle, it’s still the body, so the same organism. If you let it some time without food, it simply works alone and maybe much better. However this conclusion I read also in another article about fasting, actually metabolic rate is much higher during fasting, process of food processing keeps it in permanent stress to work, but not actually help to speed it up. On my feast days I don’t snack anymore, I eat 3 meals a day and I am fine. I never can reach my TDEE, even if I take some sweet (I am sweet tooth). I wouldn’t give up sugar completely, after all brain runs on sugar.

I am sorry for long post and some grammar faux pas, but English is not my first language, but was thinking it might be helpful for some.

Thank you very much for answers, I hope this is helpful for at least some of you.

Christine that palpitations I suppose are due to adrenalin and maybe you don’t drink enough water. It sounds strange, but organism without water might have strange reactions. During the fast days you miss the water you usually get from food, so this might be some reaction. And don’t you drink too much caffeine?

Vet272, I think person must be also psychically ready to exercise, so don’t worry about it. If you wouldn’t enjoy it, it is worse than nothing. So enjoy your days. Maybe one day you get in mood by yourself. I started with playing badminton first and enjoyed full hour as it passed so quickly, because badminton caught my attention. It was such a fun. Also I run with one other girl, so we support each other and must admit that I am always hesitant to go alone. That’s all in our head. So if you enjoy walking, walk, btw you can measure your heart rate too, sometimes faster walking is the same as slow running. Important is this rate and fat burning range. No matter what activity you are doing.

As for block of two fasting days in raw I do it every two weeks. Because I want my Saturdays off, so every two weeks I must switch them with Sunday, so I have two fasting days in row (Sunday and Monday) after two feast days. It is not that heard for me and it’s beneficial, also Monday at work is much easier than Sunday at home :-). I eat all 4-500 Kcal in the evening at 7 and during day only water + coffee in the morning.

But what happened to me. I had those two days in block last Sunday and Monday. Usually I weigh myself every two weeks on Thursday after fasting day and I consistently loose 1.5 kgs/2 weeks. Now I weighed myself 2 days earlier on Tuesday and it was after 2 feast days following 2 fast days and saw I lost only 0.5 kg for almost two weeks without 2 days. And it intrigued me. The true is I quite binged on Saturday with sweets and some on Friday too. But anyway. So I went to work and had my another fast day yesterday and today my feast day and this morning I weighed again after two days according usual schedule and imagine that after one feast day and one fast day I lost that remaining 1 kg. So I am again 1.5 kg down after two weeks. So whole kg I lost just in 2 days, whilst 0.5 kg I lost within almost two weeks. But I know what happened now. It wasn’t all fat.

Because I binged on Saturday with sweet, it is known sugar keeps the water (it can be up to 4 following days after you ate it) and I had two fasting days after this and water didn’t go out, however yesterday I drank much more water than usually and that’s why my organism could remove more water, so basically I lost that kg due to keeping the water after eating sugar and if you don’t drink enough after that, you will not remove it appropriately. So this is another knowledge I have. Even if you eat sugar, be ready you will keep water afterwards. Then during fast day you must drink much more water then usually to remove it. If you don’t drink enough organism will save his water and keep it. If you drink, organism knows it’s going to get more water, so removes also extra water you shouldn’t actually keep.

I wish you nice day today and looking forward to hear your experience.

Hi Coldpizza,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I started this EOD in the middle of January. Strange thing happened to me that I am looking forward to being hungry. My crisis is always between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. But my receipt is simple, I don’t keep any food at home during my fast days. I only buy, what I eat during feast days and that’s it. But I understand it’s not manageable for everybody, especially those who have children. First time I weight myself was beginning of February and I lost 6.5 kgs since. The last four weeks it was 1.5 per two weeks and if I keep this trend I have 11 months to reach my goal. It’s amazing you have one month to go, wish you good luck.

Hi Coldpizza,

how are you? I had last feast days quite crazy, I binged a lot, not sure why, maybe after two months of fasting diet I have some crisis. I keep my fasting days ok, but once I have feast day it’s all about sweet. I better don’t even count calories.

I am going to weigh myself next Thursday after another two weeks and let you know whether another 1.5 kgs is down or my recent bad eating habits made some damage. How about you?

Hi,

rope is great, you made my day. My fast day is today, I still follow those 500Kcal or 400, depends within 36 hours, if I count night. So I still didn’t eat today, only drink water. In the evening I’ll have some white meat cca 300 g = 303 Kcal (I just boil it in the water) and or frozen vegetable done with salt and garlic (vegetable is 64 cal/100 gr) or mostly I eat kohlrabi, this is my the most favorite vegetable. It has only 26 cal/100 gr. This week I am also switching Saturday again, so tomorrow is my feast day and Saturday as well. Then I will have two consecutive fast days (Sunday and Monday).

I am sure you reach your goal. I am curious if we can go on next 7-8 months.

:-)) it’s Kohlrabi, here is the picture:

https://www.google.cz/search?q=kedlubna&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiluafM9cfLAhWHOBQKHcy6CuMQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=lPnfSdwANRujqM%3A

Yes, I agree we have to go on even more, actually I have 11 months to go and then maintenance. I understand, many people say what you say, that it’s easier for them to eat nothing, I am still fine with 500, but actually I eat 390 mostly in the last time.

I have to say in any case this is the most manageable path for me as for diets and loosing weight. It’s so easy to follow it. I am just curious when the plateau hits me, I hope I will avoid it somehow or won’t last too long. I don’t give up, I will support you, if you support me :-).

:-)) I eat just white one and it cannot be that “wooden” one. I eat it just fresh with meat. If meat has 300 Kcal and the rest around 70Kcal of Kohlrabi is cca 280 grams I am ok, important is to eat it in the evening, so you fast 24 hours at least.

I am thinking once I hit plateau I will check more what I eat on feast days, rather than add another one. I am doing now EOD fasting, so not sure, if I’d manage one more day. Will see once it comes what works more.

But what I like to eat is that frozen vegetable. I buy only the one, which contains carrot, corn and red paprika or pea. I throw it on frying pan with half glass of water, whole piece of garlic (this I remove once it’s done), salt, pepper and one spoon of tomato paste. I wait until water evaporates and it’s great. You can eat full pack of it and it’s only 224 Kcal (one pack is 350 grams), plus cca 20 Kcal is tomato paste. Then I take 150 grams of white meat and I have quite good dinner.

In the beginning I ate during the day a bit, too but realize much better approach is to eat all in in the evening.

Hi CP, I have fasting day today, and yes, I am fasting every other day, because I need this discipline, moreover it is very hard for me to lose weight at all and this approach works for me the best and is manageable.

I didn’t do many diets before, only Atkins, but it was horrible to follow especially when summer has started and I couldn’t eat any fruits, so I stopped it. I didn’t lose much weight anyway on this.

I was actually in shape 5 years ago, but I stopped to work out and got 10 kgs per year, so now I need to get them off.

I am from Central Europe, so here is now 1 p.m. So we have both eating day tomorrow, so we can dream about some good food :-))).

That’s great, I had headache yesterday too, I had to fix it with pill though. Today I am fresh too and feeling well, not hungry at all. I am drinking just water and in the evening will have 500cal meal. I hope I will lose majority this year too within the Christmas. So we have still majority of year to go on.

Hi Colpizza, I have only 1 kg less after two weeks, but today I have P first day, so think maybe water. I try on Saturday morning again. But at least I didn’t gain.

Yes, but still I have every other day. But I have eating day too today and Friday fasting, so we have the same schedule this week. Congrats btw.

I eat the last at seven mostly and then fast whole next day and night with 500 cal at seven again. Then I eat in the morning at 9,30 if I go to work. If not, I start to eat in the afternoon. I try to not eat after 9 p.m., but e.g. on Saturday I break it sometimes, because I drink red wine even later. But during the standard week and Sundays I eat around 7p.m.

Hi Coldpizza, my fasting day is going surprisingly well today, I don’t even know I am fasting, not hungry at all, yesterday I eat some sweet, too, but today all taste disappeared, so I am doing well. We have public holidays here on Friday and Monday, so happy to have days off. I wanted to go to run today, but will go tomorrow. Today I’m lazy.

Hi Coldpizza, how are you doing? I screwed up during weekend, tomorrow is fasting day, I must take it more seriously, well we had holidays, but anyway.

Hi ColdPizza, I completely understand what you mean, I did in March the same. I have feeling March didn’t go so well for me too. And I had the same, originally I was supposed to fast on Sunday, but then broke it, so I moved it to Monday and in the evening broke it again. Today I am fasting, but being at work it’s so easy. So let’s start new set in April. At least you are not alone, so we can say something’s in the air for this month. I have to take it seriously, otherwise will fail and this is the last thing I want. I did so well since January and didn’t fail even once. We have to move on, it’s not end of the world.

LOL, that’s strange kohlrabi is so rare there. My problem is staying at home. The strategy might be to slightly binge during the weekend only. If I am at work it’s more manageable not to binge during feast days. I’ll follow the path as before. Max. 3 normal meals a day, no snacks, no sweet. Wholemeal on breakfast with cheese and ham plus some veggie, normal lunch and dinner. I can screw the weekends then. However once I am at home like now, when there is holiday or something I tend to eat more.

I don’t have any experience with kambocha, so try and let me know. I drink water only, no tea and one coffee in the morning.