Hi shandance and welcome:

Please read #4 and you will understand TDEE.

Good Luck!

Hi:

I often see dieters that state that exercise increases their metabolism. While exercise does increase TDEE, it seems many have read, been told or just believe that their resting metabolic rate increases with the more exercise they do.

Reasons given for this rise in RMR (BMR on this site) include building muscle mass – they believe muscles use more energy than non muscles – or just the fact that exercise must speed everything up.

However, if you think about it, BMR is measured when the body is at complete rest – the only things moving are the heart and lungs. So even if muscles ‘burn more calories’ when they are moving, they are burning none when they are immobile.

The research is clear: “Thus, the results of this study strongly suggest that RMR is independent of both a person’s current aerobic level and training status.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1550061

As suggested in 5, above, you should exercise for better health. But exercising will not improve your weight loss very much, or your BMR at all.

Good Luck!

Hi Lollie:

Assuming you eat around 500 calories on your diet days, and you have had no problems with any of your diet days so far, I see no problem with going for three. But three in a row would probably be enough for a newbie, and if you don’t make it through the day, don’t worry about it!

Good Luck!

Hello all of you newbies and welcome:

My observation is there are a couple of things most people starting a weight loss diet do not appreciate, and unless they gain an appreciation of these things, they will be unsuccessful.

First, it will take quite a bit of time to lose the weight you want to lose. If you don’t appreciate this you will quit before you reach your goal and ‘fail’. While initial weight loss on any diet can be dramatic, over time it is hard to lose much more than one to one and a half pounds a week. That means to lose 50 pounds, you can count on dieting for about a year. If you are not prepared for this, you may be doomed from the start.

Second, the number of calories necessary to maintain your ideal weight is very small compared to what you have been eating. To see what I mean, figure out the TDEE for your ideal weight (see the TDEE link number 4). That will be the average number of calories that you must stay at to not regain any weight you have lost. Forever. That is why it is common to hear you must change the way you eat. If you don’t, you may lose some weight, but you will gain it right back and more.

These are sad truths that, if not understood, will cause you to fail in your weight loss efforts.

Good Luck!

Hi charliem and welcome:

A day goes from midnight to midnight. That means you generally won’t eat more than 500 cal. over a 32 to 36 hour period, depending on when your last meal is eaten before going to bed – go to bed, get up, eat 500 or fewer calories during your waking hours, go to bed, get up and eat ‘normally’ – ie. to your TDEE or less (see FAQ, above).

This diet works with any pattern, but you do have to adjust for your shift times. If you go to the top right of this page there is a ‘search’ box. Type in ‘shift work’ and you will get over 200 responses. Hopefully one of them will help you work out a pattern that works for you.

Good Luck!

Hi Bonnie:

Recent research indicates that artificial sweeteners do not impact the body like carbs (sugars) do: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/06/02/brains-know-difference-between-carbs-and-artificial-sweeteners/

Could you please give citations of clinical studies supporting your stated facts?

Thanks!

Hi hettybee and welcome:

There would be nothing wrong with it, but I don’t recommend it.

I don’t recommend it because this way of eating is not something most people have experience with and it affects people differently. Until you get used to it it can be difficult and it takes most people at least one or two months to get comfortable with the eating style.

I recommend starting with 5:2 and doing non consecutive diet days. After you have completed eight to 16 successful diet days (4 to 8 weeks worth), you can then reevaluate and decide if you want to do something different.

Good Luck!

Hi Becca and welcome:

5:2 is calorie based, not type of food based.

Most people start by eating just like they always do, only less on their two diet days. It seems everyone has their own opinion of what a healthy diet is, and 5:2 does not require adoption of any one of those opinions.

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

Hi Becca:

Don’t know where that came from. Many of us do not eat anything on our diet days, so we obviously don’t ingest any protein on those days.

Many that do eat on their diet days find one meal in the evening high in fat and protein works best, but that is because they find they are less hungry eating that way, and sometimes sleep better.

Good Luck!

Hi:

This is the time of year when many begin diets with high hopes of getting lighter and healthier – quickly. Experience has shown that most will abandon their efforts within the first couple of months.

One of the many reasons they stop is that they quickly lose quite a bit of weight at the start of their diet and get very happy (there are many such posts being made daily on this site now). However, in awhile they stop losing weight at the initial rate of loss and get very unhappy – and quit. Most of the rapid, substantial weight loss they experience at the beginning is water weight loss which cannot be sustained over time.

The term water weight is not well understood. There is nothing wrong with losing water weight, but it becomes important if people think that quick water weight loss amounts at the start of the diet should continue and then quit their diets when it does not.

The body needs fat and protein to survive, but not carbs. However, carbs provide ‘quick’ energy and the body stores a small amount for immediate energy needs. In addition to standard blood sugar, the body stores carbs in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is stored in muscles and in the liver. Bodies may contain two or three pounds of glycogen. However, to store glycogen, the body needs water – up to 4 pounds of water for each pound of stored glycogen.

So when a person goes on a diet, they reduce their caloric intake and the body starts to draw on glycogen stores to supply the energy no longer being supplied by food intake. As the glycogen is used, its weight, plus all of the water weight associated with storing it, goes away. Quickly. After glycogen stores are reduced to a level that is stabilized by the caloric intake of the new diet, the quick weight loss stops and the fat loss takes precedence. Fat loss is much slower (the old 3500 cal from the diet to lose one pound).

The result is the initial rapid weight loss is replaced by periods of weight gain (water weight coming back) no weight loss (a plateau) or much slower weight loss. This is when many dieters quit their diets.

So enjoy your weight loss, there is nothing bad or wrong with it! Just don’t quit 5:2 when you stop losing weight at the rapid pace you initially enjoyed!

Hi lollie and welcome:

Your weight fluctuations are normal, as I mentioned in my Warnings post. Your body can go up/down two or more pounds in weight every day. The basic reasons are changes in water weight and weight in transit. Those that weigh daily often average their weekly lows to establish a trend, up or down, and those that don’t like the wild swings usually weigh themselves weekly or monthly. Those that weigh weekly still can be victim to the daily weight swings (think if they weigh on a day when they are two pounds up for the day), but it averages out over time.

For your hunger, I suggest you review what types of foods you are eating on your diet days. Many find eating foods high in fat/protein works best, and eating carbs works less well. Think of ‘timed release’ v. ‘quick release’. Fat and protein are timed release types, digesting slowly and providing a steady stream of blood sugar for a longer period of time. Carbs (especially processed carbs) are sugars and are ‘quick release’. Your blood sugar spikes, the spike is quickly eliminated by the body, and you are left with low blood sugar and hungry. Also, many find eating only one meal in the evening works best.

Your weight loss in right on target. Most women lose an average of a little less than a pound a week over time. So your 10/12 pound loss in 12 weeks is right on.

Good Luck!