5:2 thread 100: Slow and steady wins the Fast race! (Slender hat tip to Onehappymam 😁)

[harriethoyle]

Welcome to the continuing thread for those following 5:2 or other forms of IF (Intermittent Fasting) such as 4:3, ADF, etc.

Basically it is 2 very low cal days ("fasts") per week - which need not be consecutive - and eat "normally" to maintain on the other 5 days.

For those who have dieted or maybe overeaten for years, eating "normally"
means roughly the number of calories your body needs to maintain - NOT reduce - its weight (see TDEE calculator below).

IMPORTANT
If you have had past diagnosed Eating Disorders or serious MH problems you should NOT do 5:2 or any other kind of fasting

JARGON alert

16:8 is a different type of fasting, which can be combined with 5:2.
Daily zero-cal fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window. To lose weight, this needs a weekly calorie deficit as well

b2b (optional) back-to-back / consecutive fast days, each with an increased allowance of 650 calories instead of 500

BMI (Body Mass Index) healthy range is 18.5 - 24.9 for Caucasians. Upper limit may be 22 for some of Asian origin.

FD = single Fast Day: aim for 500 calories (600 for men or 25% TDEE whichever is higher) or 1000 cals for BF
No alcohol or junk on FDs
Even if you exercise strenuously, do NOT increase FD cals to allow for exercise

MFP = My Fitness Pal, a useful App or website to track food & drink calories

miniFD = MiniFD, 850-1000 calories, no alcohol or junk

NFD = Non-Fast Day, averages around TDEE

NSV / LSV = Non Scale Victory / LifeStyle (change) Victory, e.g. compliment, smaller waist, clothes size

SV = Scale Victory

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the average number of calories you burn in a day, is calculated from your current weight, height, age, activity level.
Aim to average about this for NFDs.

WOE / WOL = Way Of Eating / Way Of Life. We say this instead of "diet", to emphasise that we must make a permanent change in how we eat, to maintain our new healthy weight long term.

Jump in and say hello!

@summersanchez I've had a long bath, painted my nails and got hot cross buns out of the freezer for breakfast tomorrow... almost bed time! 😆 (although I always struggle to get to sleep on day 2 of a b2b despite being shattered 🙄)

Ah yes, I understand the sleep thing
Bath and the promise of hot cross buns sounds glorious though

Hello, very late to the party but could someone let me know how what the calorie limit for a woman should be on the fast days of 5:2? I’ve done two fasting periods of 10 days each this year and lost 1 and a half stone and just want to maintain weight now. Thanks

Good luck tomorrow anyone who's fasting
I'm off to a different forum
❤️

Hello, thread dropped off my list probably due to excessive non-fasting days over Easter hols. Didn't manage ADF due to days out, still fasted though but gained half a stone! My eating on NF days is out of control, I'm like Jekyll and Hyde.
It's going to be my one year anniversary or using fasting soon and I really want to be in a better place.
Good luck to anyone fasting with me today, and I'll go back and read the rest of the thread now to catch up.

Good morning all and thank you for the welcome. It’s my second FD today, a busy one at work so hopefully will be distracting. Sneaking a look on the scales look like I’ve had a loss this week (and more of one that I was having with calorie counting) so that’s positive but my official weigh day is tomorrow. Hope everyone has a good day

Good morning everyone, I haven’t been very active on thread but have been dipping in and out. I am back on track now after losing movitation with not losing any weight for months despite fasting two days a week. Turned out to be thyroid which now seems under control and I have started losing again. Was very disheartening at the time though. Hope everyone has a good day and thanks for thread it did help me through my low times.

Nice loss on the scales this morning to put me less than a kg from goal weight... but we're at a wedding this weekend and then away on hols next Weds for two weeks!! So no doubt all my good work will be undone on holidays. Oh well!! At least I know I can come back and get the vacation weight off quickly if I stick to it...!

@Humphriescushion glad you got to the bottom of things, welcome back and to @Badlifeday too! I hear you with Jekyll and Hyde eating days. May have finished my easter egg for breakfast 😜Soup for lunch though which hopefully will keep me on the straight and narrow.

@Fairylights7 welcome - most of us aim for c. 500 on a single fast day and c. 1300 over two back to back FDs.

Yesterday was a NFD and around 1500 cals. This morning - another 1/4 pound off! I’m flabberghasted! I was stuck on a plateau for weeks and thought I had just reached a sort of set point where my body would refuse to go any lower. Think it’s finally got the memo!

How did yesterday’s fasters get on?

Sorry, hadn’t seen the updates when I posted. Well done Harriet and good luck to today’s fasters. I’ve got double tennis today, so I think I will do a NFD but go high protein-low carb, as that seems to be doing the trick.

Managed to get through my FD yesterday at 650 calories for the day and back to my most recent lowest weight. B2B today as I need a good kick start before my holidays next week ... 5 kg to get into the normal BMI range - going to make that my target for my birthday in six weeks time!

@TeaRose29 that's great news, well done!
@Fairylights7 welcome :) Brilliant results for you so far.
@Badlifeday yes, it can be really tricky to swing between the two. I actually find 4:3 easier for that, as I'm often happy to eat lots of veg and protein the day after a FD - it's the next day that catches me out.
@Humphriescushion glad you found the problem, it must have been very difficult.
@harriethoyle so close to goal, that's brilliant! I hear you about the holiday - I'm planning to eat lots of fish and veg and not worry too much about the rest, but I'll definitely be doing 4:3 when I get back.

Thanks, I have done 2 ten day fasts a few months apart which start at 0 first day, 500 second, 1000 third, 1300 days 4 to 9 and 0 on day 10 then done. I’ve lots about half a stone during each fast and have gone from 11 stone 12 to 10 4. With the 5:2 do you make sure the two 500 days are not concurrent and is it a diet to maintain weight or lose it? Sorry for dim questions!

Kitchen closed on 505 yesterday and 2nd FD of the week. Not too bad but was quite hungry at 6pm! Weigh in today was a 2.5lbs loss which I’m thrilled about as I’ve been at a plateau for so long, hopefully this has woken up my metabolism.

I am back up to 10.2 (from 10.1 1/4) this morning after a NFD yesterday, which included wine and salty snacks while playing bridge last night. I’m fine with that though, as it is still a 3 pound loss in a week for me, which is amazing as I have been stuck on 10.5 for weeks and weeks. I’m going hard today as I’m not playing tennis or going out, so no excuses for food or booze! Well done @Thelongdarkteatime you sound like me, isn’t it great to jump off that plateau! Well done too @Trickedbyadoughnut , B2B was worth it! @Fairylights7 I like the sound of that 10 day fast, although I think I would struggle on the 0 days. Is anyone joining me today?

Intended to track calories yesterday, and it worked until about 5.30 when I collapsed into the biscuit tin and also had some toast..... That said, I did a 5K run plus a couple of miles of walking and I think I just needed to fuel myself properly. My fitness tracker shows 2600 calories burned yesterday so not too worried about a slip. Today I'm not tracking but doing 16:8 so not eating till 1pm. Good luck with your FD @TeaRose29

Hi
I'm on OMAD in between some standard eating days and longer fasts of around 48 hours
Definitely gets easier with practice

Good morning, I'm back to fasting after taking a break to visit one of the lands of carbs and meat on the continent (for work). Surprised I only gained 2.5 kg, hopefully that will shift quickly.

Here for a B2B, who's with me? Also giving up bread this week, well will stop buying nice loaves for breakfast and start having something else, berries, yoghurt, more eggs and such. Hopefully this will make a difference to my stalled weight loss.

Morning all. I’m on a FD today (haven’t tried any back to back yet, I don’t think they would fit in well with my timetable for the week) but am hugely tired today. 2 of the 3 dc played musical beds last night and I had about two hours sleep so today may be destined to fail. We shall see. Hope everyone has a good day

eatyourfive I'll b2b with you

@Thelongdarkteatime I'm feeling similarly wrung out and today is last pre holiday FD. Might just aim for a mini, I'm not feeling it this morning 😬

Morning all,

I'm back from my cheesy holiday (and a couple of weeks at home not fasting, grrr) and on a fast day again... I'll aim to B@B with you @EatYourFive

@harriethoyle I can never seem to fast the day before I go on holiday, I get that feeling of "what's the point, I'm not going to fast while I'm away and it's all a bit stressful today anyway!" Good luck with the mini.

Well, I failed miserably 🤣 but on the plus side, I've eaten a lot of leftovers that needed finishing before we go away. Final fling tomorrow with a cheese and onion omelette for lunch... I'll be back, hanging my head at the number on the scales, in a couple of weeks. Don't miss me too much!

Ah well @harriethoyle, hope you have a lovely holiday!!
@Thelongdarkteatime, @toastandmarmaladeandtea and @sweetgingercat how did you all get on? My fast was relatively easy, must be all the carbs I piled on last week!!😁Kitchen closed at 500, dinner was a fishcake. Should have enough calories left tomorrow dinner time for a full gousto meal, can't wait!

It was a good fast @EatYourFive. Kitchen closed at 555, most of that was my usual fish and salad but I also shared half a pot of joy with my son which was only 115 calories and luscious! I don't normally eat carbs or sweet things on fast days but I haven't fasted for three weeks so it was a nice intro! See you back tomorrow @EatYourFive and happy holidays @harriethoyle

FD closed yesterday at 502. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be given how tired I was but I did fall asleep at 9pm! Next one is Thursday, but so far this way of eating is working for me. Hope everyone has a good day.