Wow Tara, you are really close to your ideal weight there I think and it’s going to take a while to shift the last few stubborn lb, if you really feel you need to.

Basically 5:2 does come down to a numbers game and it is kind of calorie counting, without consciously needing to calorie count (for those of us who are starting out MUCH bigger). So, if you want to shift just those few lb then you probably need to figure out EXACTLY what your numbers are currently. You may or may not have already done your TDEE/BMR calculation on here and may or may not be achieving your TDEE level on non-fastdays but to be honest, these numbers can be different for individuals, so if you’re maintaining where you are right now then you can use your current level as a base-line. So….

I know it’s a pain to do but really strictly calorie count everything that you eat & drink for 1 week (just a normal 5:2 week, don’t change anything you would have done, you’re looking for an honest total number of calories). Then look at the total and decide how much you want to lose per week. You need to chop 3000+ calories from your ‘maintainance’ diet to actually lose 1lb, so I wouldn’t recommend aiming for 1lb per week at your level, you’d feel really deprived I think. So just go for half a lb?

If you then just try to be vaguely aware of your calorie intake on non-fastdays and keep it under your new goal, you should find it helps kick off a bit of loss.

Alternatively, you could try putting your goal weight into the TDEE calculator (instead of your real current weight) and use the TDEE number that produces as your non-fastday goal. As I say, the TDEE calculator may not be spot on accurate for every individual but it might be a good place to start if you don’t want to obsessively calorie count for a week. Then just try to ensure you remain vaguely under the TDEE total on non-fastdays.

Good luck 😉