5:2 thread 102: Faster than a speeding bullet!

[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!!

Evening @Cherryblossom81 and welcome!

As you're already at a healthy weight, I would expect 5:2 to work for you.... But slowly - so might literally be 1/2 lb a week or something - I'm not at that stage yet so don't quote me!

On FDs the aim is 500 cals some do up to 800 but I would expect you to need to get to 500 probably for a decent deficit. That can be done gradually though, so w1 800 / w2 700 etc etc

Meals ar pretty easy tbh - carb free where possible, snack free and I aim for 2 meals - this generally works well without too much thinking
Your last q I don't find an issue as all FDs are e protein and fibre based for me! Eg - chicken salad / mini roast without the potatoes etc / stir fry
You get the gist.

Main thing to remember is about drinking enough water. It really makes a difference between struggling and finding it quite easy for me!

Thank you @OohMrDarcy

Weighed in this morning 10.3 so one pound lost in my first full week... not setting the world on fire but at least in the right direction. I did have a night away with work and several three course meals and a hotel breakfast in the middle of the week so am pleased I lost anything! Gives me motivation to continue this week. I could be under 10 stone by my holiday on 10 August if I continue at this rate - not goal weight by a long shot but a definite improvement!

FD today. Hopefully will be ok.

Last weeks fast was fail, In fact seeing 68->72 kg after fasting sent me on a binge cycle. completly lost motivation . I started at 74 came down to 68 in 3 months, to see it again just disappear just like that was de-motivating.

This is water weight , I am a bit worried about this and seeing the doctors - especially as my face looks really swollen on waking up
.
have to continue with 5:2 or my weight just spirals out of control. Any tips for keeping up the motivation?

back to fasting today - water fast.

actually fasting tomorrow as I like the yoga class on mondays .

Last Friday's FD failed, the stress of the day got to me and I cracked late afternoon. I'd been feeling really hungry all day too, despite drinking lots. I'm doing a FD today and will do another on Thursday this week. I need to also get back to tracking on NF days so I don't go completely over the top!

morning all
checking in for Monday FD - chicken caesar salad on the plan for tonight, loving that this time of year for a FD.

Weekly weigh in shows me at 100.8kg this morning so a loss of 0.4kg - happy with that given we had a big meal out with my parents last week!

@badkitty - 1lb is perfect, slow and steady wins the race, and with all those meals out I'd remind yourself you would have gained without the FDs - isn't it brilliant to be able to live your life most of the time and still lose

@strangerInStrangeLand - how much water do you drink normally? If its at least 2 litres I would definitely say get to the docs!

Kitchen closed on 507 calories today. It went much better than Friday and I didn't feel too hungry. I can thoroughly recommend Tesco three bean chilli soup, 256 calories for a huge bowlful and it was very tasty and filling!

Kitchen closed on 480 here

Well done @EndlessGuineaPigCycle and thanks for the recommendation, always keep an eye out for new ideas

Kitchen closed on 598. FD was fine today - weirdly find I am forgetting about food for quite a lot of the day even though normally I am constantly thinking about the next meal or snack. Didn’t feel too worried about FD this morning and haven’t found it too bad at all, just a bit boring. I think it shows how much I boredom eat normally. Hope it continues to get easier!

@badkitty that is one of the main benefits of fasting for me, I find it resets my appetite and I think about food less and less, also helps me with boredom / stress eating!

FD yesterday didn't quite go to plan - I fasted until about 4pm and then had a small banana, but then had to take DD2 to the opticians and didn't get back until about half six with no dinner prepared and absolutely ravenous. Ended up eating a bunch of junk and a sausage sandwich. Second FD today and I have to take her back to the opticians again! This time hopefully we should be back earlier and I can eat sooner

@EndlessGuineaPigCycle That soup is delicious, must remember to add some to next week's order

Kitchen closed on 680, much better day today. Small portion of pizza and salad, banana and a homemade lemon bar.

Happy Friday everyone! FD went well yesterday, 507 calories and wasn't too hungry. Stuck to my trusty menu of a protein yoghurt, watermelon, 6 almonds, Tesco chilli bean soup and 2 cups of tea with milk. I'm craving a jacket potato today!

I would love to join you if that's OK! I started the 5:2 diet 3 weeks ago and it's been working well for me. I do need some inspiration for what to eat on FD though to keep it exciting!
My strategy is that I don't start eating until 1pm on fast days. If I don't start eating I can more easily go without so at least that gets me through half of the day, then 500 calories for half a day is relatively OK.
I do struggle with not upping my calories on non fast days though, I eat quite healthily but tend to allow myself a few treats!

Morning all

Checking in for a Saturday FD. Had a work event Thursday with unlimited food / drink / dancing so a long day and night meant I was not in the mental space nor did I have the energy for my usual Friday. The beauty of 5:2 meant I just moved it to a more convenient day.

Welcome @ThatBusyFox , jump on in!
You're appetite will start to reset in a few more weeks probably, and the non fasting days will get much easier. What type of meals do you enjoy usually and we can try to point you towards FD versions

Kitchen closed on 580 which I'm really happy with to a weekend FD.

hope everyone is having a good one

Hi all

I know this isn't the right thread but hope some of you can share your perspectives and help me out..

My current weight is 10 stone 7lbs. I’m 5”2 in height.

I’ve done 5:2 pre my second pregnancy and did really well on it, it was slow progress and required a lot of discipline to not be put off by the slow progress. However since then I keep failing. I’m only 5”2 in height and so my TDEE is quite low. If I have a takeaway even once a week it throws me out and I don’t lose.

My lifestyle is such that I do fall back on takeaways fairly often and I am working on reducing that.

I also find the 2 days of only 500-600 cals quite hard.

Alternatively I can do time restricted eating and have the same routine everyday which may be easier to follow due to consistency. I should see results, especially if I work up to OMAD. I think I would need to track calories if I did 20:4 or less.

Due to EDS and also since having Covid I do suffer from dysautonomia which can make fasting a little difficult, sometimes.

Well that was a bad week. Gone back up to 10.5 so 1 pounds more than when I started. Only managed to fit in one FD on Monday then work event, election night, daughter's birthday and party all threw me off course and I just couldn't manage it. FD today and hope to get back on it. So easy to put the weight on which is so depressing.

Morning morning. I've been off the wagon in a big way since mid May as DP has been away six days a week with work and it's just been a bit of a chaotic time.

Getting back on it as of today. FDs today and Thurs I think.

In the interests of accountability reposting my vitals...

Current weight: 74.4kg
Initial target: 68kg (so want to lose about a stone)

How is everyone? Food wise today I am planning lots of water, veg sushi for lunch, small soba noodle pot for dinner.

Morning all. Quick question - I've realised I don't mind the taste of black coffee (have always drank it with milk), which is helpful for not breaking my fast in the morning.

However, I'm a bit worried about my teeth (they are already not the perfect white teeth that everyone else seems to have). Do you know if black coffee stains teeth more than coffee with milk? I usually have 2 coffees in the morning (no breakfast).

Morning fellow losers!

I'm joining this morning with a start weight of 10st 1lb. I'm 54 and 5'5".
Hoping to lose about half a stone.

Just having a herbal tea then breakfast later will be yoghurt, fruit and seeds (not many, didn't realise how calorific they are).

Not sure about anything else yet but I do know my FDs will prove hard re cutting down on the sugary stuff.
Since being menopausal, I've developed a very seeet tooth!

I'm aiming for 800 cals for FDs as this has worked well for me before and is more realistic for me.

I've been trying to eat a lot more veg and less UPFs which I'll aim to continue.

FDs this week will be today and Thursday. Weigh-in will be Friday mornings....first thing after a wee and naked. Every little helps!
Good luck everyone 👊🏻

*sweet tooth!

Morning all! Back from a week in France and almost a week of DSD staying which involved various shopping and lunch trips... haven't dared to get on the scales this morning 🤪

FD today, tuna thin and baked fish for tea. Same on Wednesday and IF Tuesday and Thursday in an attempt to undo the damage!

morning all

Weekly weigh in has me at 100.6kg today so a loss of just 0.2kg - not great but trickling in the right direction still - and after the work day / night event I'm not overly surprised!

FD today and chicken salad planned for dinner