Hi Donna. I’ve been on 5:2 since April and have lost 20 lbs. I don’t count calories on non-fast days but did boost my activity and skip lunch at work Mon-Fri. I’ll pack some fruit or other light snack to eat at my desk and I go walking on my lunch break.

The idea is to eat normally on non-fast days; that is, eat what you like, in amounts that would maintain your weight (the TDEE calculator that anniew7 mentioned is great for getting an idea of what that should be, since we’re all different). That said, most of us don’t count calories on non-fast days, we just try to be mindful of what we eat and be reasonable, which includes having treats sometimes. A lot of us add a bit of exercise, too, more for general health than for weight loss. I’ve only been doing this for 3 weeks but have lost 4.8 stubborn pounds already — it’s usually hard for me to lose more than a pound a month. If you try to diet too much on non-fast days it could actually sabotage the plan, you could be too hungry all the time to continue or your body might think you were really living through a famine and try to hold on to the fat. This is the thing that’s different about this plan that really is amazing. You really still can eat things that you enjoy that might be off-limits on other plans. Five days a week really are easy, normal days. Two days a week can be a bit challenging but it’s only for a day at a time, tomorrow you can have what you want. And it seems like most of us start wanting better things. OK, I sound like a broken record already! But I really am amazed at my own success so far.

Hi Donna,
Welcome to the site, i’ve been doing this plan for just over one year now, On my non fast days i eat normaly, I have treats when i want them, Just in moderation, I don’t count cals on non fast days.
Started at 15 stone 11 lbs, in dress size 24, jeans size 20.
have lost 40.5lbs to date (1.5 lbs to go for the 3 stone mark)
now in dress sizes 16/18 and jeans size 14.
this is the only plan i’ve been able to do long term, and i’ve been dieting since the age of 18! im now 47. best of luck xx

stylegrl, what I do is figure out how many calories in the protein component I want to use (tofu for the stir fry, red lentils or yellow split peas for the curry) and the oil (basically 40 calories in a teaspoon of almost any oil) then add various vegetables until I reach my calorie allowance. I use calorie counts from the packages things come in and from this site:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/

because it lets me measure the food however I want, but there are also other good ones. Most people with a 500-calorie fast-day allowance seem skip any rice, noodles, etc. on fast days, because there just doesn’t seem to be room for it. When I’m being picky I’ll figure out the calories for the garlic, ginger, etc., other days I just estimate 10 or 15 calories. I will check the calories in any tamari or other sauce I use and count that, too. I keep a kitchen scale, calculator, note cards and pencil in the kitchen when I’m working out my own recipes.

I usually leave 40 calories for strawberries or some other low-glycemic fruit. Believe it or not, when you leave out the carbs, a 300-calorie dinner can be a pretty decent size and fill you up.

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to check what kind of calorie intake is like on the non fast days. I have been doing the 5:3 for two weeks now and I am not losing any weight. I exercise daily for 25 min minimum and I am watching what I eat on weekdays but on the weekends I go all out there.
I read in a previous post that my calorie intake should be in the how section (bmr and tdee). I am guessing that I should not exceed my tdee? Right? If anyone can give me tips on how it works that would be great.
Thanks

Thank you mamabean. I am guessing that I am probably like you and thus will keep an eye on my daily calorie intake.
Thank you again

Total Daily Energy Expenditure. The total amount of calories you burn doing your daily activities plus basic metabolic processes.