5:2 calories with excercise

Frankilou25

Good morning all!!
Just a few questions if you could help me, as I want to start doing the 5:2 / fasting diet. On fast days:
1. do you exercise, if so do you eat back your exercise calories or just eat 500calories for the day regardless of exercise if any?
2. would you recommend exercising, even if its just a little
3. when do you have your meals/meal? does anyone save it all for the evening?

thanks!!

Artemiris

Hi, I follow an IF plan (18:6), I tried 5:2 and failed on the first week, but I can try to give you my opinion.

1 and 2. I think it may be best to avoid exercises during the fasting days, at least in the first few weeks, to give yourself time to adjust. However, if you do exercise, I have no idea if it's best to eat part of the calories earned.

3. the good thing about IF is that you can choose the feeding times. Most people, when doing 5:2, eat in the late afternoon. That means that if you stopped eating at 18.00, you fast for 24 hours and eat at 18.00 the following day.

rybo

I've either taken a rest/mobility day or did some lighter cardio & stuck to 500. I have read a suggested alternative for those that work out heavily, to bump to 800 cals on the fast days if you want to keep working out. Typically I've broken up my cals in 2 meals, whether I was eating 600 or 800.

Karen_can_do_this

I haven't fasted a while. I think I am going to start again. I used to make my fast days rest days.
I used to have a small breakfast and eat the rest of my calories for dinner.

eviegreen

I don't exercise on my fast days. I tried once and no bueno (I felt too lightheaded and tired). I use fast days to rest from the gym, and honestly wouldn't suggest much more than light walking. I work out better on maintenance days and can push my body harder, so I just save exercise for then.

I do three meals. Breakfast is 100 calories, lunch and dinner are each 200. Some advice: vegetable soups are filling enough to get you through a fast day, but are low cal enough that they won't cause you to go over 500-600 cals.