Very obese

KalesBagel

So my goal is 160 and I'm at 240 right now. I was wondering if anyone had tried a 5:2 approach? That is restricting to 500 for 2 days a week and eating at the 2 lb defecit for the other 5? If I wasn't THIS overweight I wouldn't be considering it but I'm thinking it'll help me. Any experience or insight? Also, I'm on week 2 of p90x3 and I don't know if I could work out on those 500 cal days.

kdillon606

Don't go too hard too quickly. It will often cause a person to burn out. I would say stick to the general deficit that MFP gives you so you have the energy to continue exercising. It took a while to put the weight on, it will take a while to get it off so be patient.

100_PROOF_

Hi honestly it makes no difference ( as far as weight loss is concerned) about which way of eating you pick. It all comes down to a calorie deficit for weight loss.
Calories in Calories out. You could do 5-2, iifym, low carb keto, Paleo or whatever the newest craze is but still not lose any weight if you aren't creating a caloric deficit.
Weight loss comes down to calories. If you find that doing 5-2 is good for you because it helps you create a calorie deficit, go for it. But know that there's no magical way of eating that will cause weight loss . It'll all comes down to creating that Calorie deficit.

ladyhusker39

That's not how 5:2 works. You eat vlc for 2 days - 500 in your example and at MAINTENANCE the other 5 days.

There are lots of posts and even groups here that can teach you how to do Intermittent Fasting safely, responsibly and effectively.

Please don't do your plan. It's a terrible idea.

TavistockToad

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

That's not how 5:2 works. You eat vlc for 2 days - 500 in your example and at MAINTENANCE the other 5 days.

There are lots of posts and even groups here that can teach you how to do Intermittent Fasting safely, responsibly and effectively.

Please don't do your plan. It's a terrible idea.

all of this

tinkerbellang83

KalesBagel wrote: »

So my goal is 160 and I'm at 240 right now. I was wondering if anyone had tried a 5:2 approach? That is restricting to 500 for 2 days a week and eating at the 2 lb defecit for the other 5? If I wasn't THIS overweight I wouldn't be considering it but I'm thinking it'll help me. Any experience or insight? Also, I'm on week 2 of p90x3 and I don't know if I could work out on those 500 cal days.

The 5:2 approach is usually meant to be 500 on fasting days and maintenance on the other 5, not a 2lb deficit. You don't really want to be aiming for more than a 2lb loss per week and that would take you to over 3lb loss per week. Losing weight too fast can lead to muscle loss along with the fat and health problems such as hair loss, brittle nails, sallow skin and worse.

I was heavier than you when I started, and I lost weight by logging my calories accurately and sticking to my calorie goal, on weekends I usually do 16:8 IF but that's just because it suits my weekend schedule and help me keep some calories for booze and pub food on a Saturday . Weight loss is simply down to eating less than you burn.

quiksylver296

psychod787

Lyle McDonald talks about losing some quick weight. Using that as a way to help get active. Then slowing things down.

Diatonic12

Dropping it like it's hot is no guarantee that it will stay off. The skin only has so much elasticity. When the bonds have been broken down through quick and rapid weight loss, especially for those who diet repeatedly - it does not bounce back. Go slow.

When we eat our way to the threshold of pain, it's human nature to want to rid ourselves of it as fast as we can go. Quick and rapid weight loss is like cramming for a test. It will get you by but you won't learn anything from it. Track your food, pay as you go and go slow.

While you're tooling along with the process you can start to really think about your choices and consequences. Contemplate the big picture and how you're going to maintain a major weight loss for the rest of your life. Temporary dieting is a bandaid. It doesn't fix anything. Punishing ourselves by going brutally strict right out of the chute is more mind warp. The brain will rebel and the body will follow. The brain will fall back into old eating patterns in the blink of an eye. Really think and observe yourself all through the process. You'll be glad you did.

rebecca041997

I started right about where you are, at 245. I started back in November, and I am just now about to break away from the 200’s. I started out restricting calories to 1400 a day and was working out literally almost every day. Health issues out of the way, I lost 45 lbs in 8 months. I would’ve lost faster if my health was the best. That being said, recently I have started the 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. Fast 16 hours, eat in the 8 hour window. So I start eating at noon and stop at 8, which is good for me because I don’t like eating breakfast. It seems to have pushed me past my plateau! I also only eat no more than 1200 now. So, look at your options as far as intermittent fasting is involved, but I honestly think it does help in more ways than one! Good luck!

jlsmith4439

I’m pretty much the same weight as you but heavier even and I’m doing just basic . Aiming 2 lb a week ( changing is ones im under 200lb) I don’t think you should restrict yourself to much otherwise you just get upset when you “ fail” aka go over ect . Slow and steady hun

ruqayyahsmum

Rome wasn't built in a day

I started at 387lb I'm now at 224. It's taken a couple years but my health has been better this way

I went for the all in approach at my doctor's insistence......... By month 5 i was desperately ill, deficient in so many nutrients that by the time they got me functioning again I had gained it all back

Set a reasonable deficit, choose a way of eating that suits you and weigh and log everything

Consistency day in day out is what will get you where you want to be

jennifer_417

I did it for a while and it was fine. It's not for everyone. It's just one way to restrict calories. Your mileage may vary.

NovusDies

While it is certainly not ideal to be dealing with 80lbs to lose it is not a reason to do anything radical. The 'Success Stories' forum is full of stories of people who have lost that much and more who did it without risking their health by pushing too hard. It takes time and patience but you can do it too.

corinasue1143

There are all keep kinds of facts and figures that will tell you why that would be a bad idea. Just my personal opinion is: any time you cut calories to as low as 500/day, you are gonna be tired and dehydrated and just draggy for a few days afterward. So you won't exercise cause you don't feel well. You won't have as much enthusiasm for preparing healthy meals, so you'll probably have more fattening fatty drive thru meals than you would otherwise, and you may gain a pound or two. By next week, your energy will have returned, and you start all over again.

mkculs

Losing the weight is only 1/2 the battle—keeping it off is the other challenge. Reading here has brought me to the conclusion that I should only make changes that are sustainable for decades to come. Do you think you can learn life-long, balanced habits by doing what you propose? Will the time it takes to lose the weight be enough time to solidify a lifestyle change? Those are questions to consider as you move forward. Good luck.

estherdragonbat

KalesBagel wrote: »

So my goal is 160 and I'm at 240 right now. I was wondering if anyone had tried a 5:2 approach? That is restricting to 500 for 2 days a week and eating at the 2 lb defecit for the other 5? If I wasn't THIS overweight I wouldn't be considering it but I'm thinking it'll help me. Any experience or insight? Also, I'm on week 2 of p90x3 and I don't know if I could work out on those 500 cal days.

I haven't. I started at 254lbs (at my height, obesity level 3) trying to get below 140. I told MFP I wanted to lose less than the maximum 'safe' amount, set it to 1lb/week instead of 2. Then I ate 1720 calories a day (plus half my exercise) and... in 21 months I've gotten down to 148. It's been slow, but it's been reasonably steady and reasonably painless.

ahoy_m8

I did 5:2 (with 5 days at maintenance,as others have pointed out) for a couple months. I had no problem with workouts on the low days. The days following the low days were really hard, though. Felt crashy, wanted to overeat just about all day, especially after dinner. As soon as my schedule changed allowing me to eat a normal dinner on the two low days, I went back to a consistent daily deficit. I learned that works better for me.

You didn’t ask about exercise, but I would also encourage taking small steps and building up slowly. The last thing you want is to injure yourself. That would be a real bummer.

Courtscan2

I wouldn't do it while working out - P90X3 is a pretty tough workout, your right, you'll struggle to get through it on 500 calories a day. I would just do as mentioned above - stick to the calories MFP gives you and go from there. Sudden, dramatic changes to your diet are unlikely to stick, and you'll be more likely to just give up on the whole thing. Eat normally - just less. And track it.

kommodevaran

On the contrary, the more you weigh, the more you can eat and still lose weight.

I would think about how difficult you think it is to eat 2000 calories (a small deficit), and how you react when you eat less than you're comfortable with. Then think about how difficult it will be to eat 1600 calories (a reasonable deficit). Then think about how difficult it will be to eat 500 calories (starving yourself).

Unknown

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yweight2020

I was 243 lbs when I started in January and within 3 months down to 213 lbs maintaining at the moment and back to working on getting under 200 lbs. I never ate that low of calories 1500-1800 most days and no exercise. I also only eat within a certain time frame to keep control, but not under eating the recomended cal range due to fear of not getting enough nutrients for body function.

Best of luck whatever you choose, but you can do this without being overly strict on your intake.

jennifer_417

jennifer_417 wrote: »

I did it for a while and it was fine. It's not for everyone. It's just one way to restrict calories. Your mileage may vary.

I should have read OP more closely. 5:2, yes. OP's plan:Noooooo! There's no reason to attempt what you're proposing. That'll make things WAY harder than they need to be.

rhiawiz57

If you workout hard, i don't suggest the 5:2 approach. It's probably better for people who don't hit it hard in the gym. I had some success with it last spring, but I am not great at sticking with things that are not "normal" and fell out of the routine after about a month and regained my weight. I was only going on walks for exercise at that time. Now that I'm back in the gym, i count calories per day/per week (meaning if i go overboard one day I do try to have a lighter day the next) and have lost 25 lbs in late 2017 and kept it off that way, because that is flexible enough for me to stay sane, stay focused AND fuel my intense workouts! It is also more normal/natural to me than forcing 2 super low cal days per week.

hesn92

I don't think that's the point of 5:2 method. I think the whole point of taking your calories so low those 2 days is so you can eat at maintenance the other 5 and still lose weight. I think you should be a little more reasonable. Doing what you're suggesting is probably just going to cause you to feel burnt out and give up.

wmweeza

I started out at 263, I just simply used CICO and reduced portion sizes. So far I've lost 72 pounds so I think maybe you're making it harder on yourself then it needs to be, though I do think you are awesome for working so hard! I'd never heard of that method but it is do-able I'd think, but I'd be afraid I'd over eat other days then my 500 days