Back again - 5:2 IF

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sezzyxo92
sezzyxo92 Posts: 19 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone!

So this is the last time I'm posting a welcome message - I will NOT give up this time. I went through a hard time in my personal life but now I'm ready to come back and put my health first again.

I've always had success following 5:2 so was wondering if someone could help me assess if the following breakdown looked right. My maintenance calories are 2000.

2000 x 7 = 14,000 my weekly maintenance.

2000 x 5 + 1000 (2 fast days) = 11,000

This would give me a calorie deficit of 3,000.

If I want to lose 2lb a week, I'll need a bigger deficit won't I? Should I maybe aim for around 1800 a day so I have a bit of a buffer for the weekend?

I'll go to the gym about twice a week as well.

Could someone please advise. Also if anyone wants to add me as a friend, feel free! :)

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    How much total weight do you need to lose? 2 lbs per week is really only appropriate if you have substantial weight to lose.

    Regardless, yes your math is right!
  • sezzyxo92
    sezzyxo92 Posts: 19 Member
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    About 3 stone in total?

    What would you recommend based on that? Thank you :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    So that's 40 ish lbs, right? 1 lb a week sounds perfect to me.

    Sometimes folks who keep quitting can't stay on track because they're trying to do too much too fast. Is it possible that's been part of your problem? Taking longer to get to goal but actually getting there is better than losing 20 lbs fast and then quitting :smiley:
  • sezzyxo92
    sezzyxo92 Posts: 19 Member
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    Yeah that sounds exactly like what I've been doing! I always want a quick fix and I know that's not sustainable in the long run.

    I think I'll aim for 1800 a day with 2 fast days. Then I can have more on the weekends without feeling too guilty or being too detrimental for my success?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Sure, I don't see why you can't play around with the daily cals, it's the deficit over time that matters.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Part of the reason that some people (like me) find 5:2 easier to adhere to is precisely because you eat at maintenance 5 days a week and only have a calorie restriction 2 days a week.

    Eating at maintenance also makes the two very low days far easier to get through compared to being at a deficit every day. The other advantage of x5 maintenance days is that switching to maintenance at goal weight is dead easy as you are used to eating at that level.

    Yes it is slower but it's also not a race to get to goal weight. Personally I think you should look beyond this period of weight loss - the years of the rest of your life are what really matters rather than how many months you take to lose your excess weight.

  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    sezzyxo92 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    So this is the last time I'm posting a welcome message - I will NOT give up this time. I went through a hard time in my personal life but now I'm ready to come back and put my health first again.

    I've always had success following 5:2 so was wondering if someone could help me assess if the following breakdown looked right. My maintenance calories are 2000.

    2000 x 7 = 14,000 my weekly maintenance.

    2000 x 5 + 1000 (2 fast days) = 11,000

    This would give me a calorie deficit of 3,000.

    If I want to lose 2lb a week, I'll need a bigger deficit won't I? Should I maybe aim for around 1800 a day so I have a bit of a buffer for the weekend?

    I'll go to the gym about twice a week as well.

    Could someone please advise. Also if anyone wants to add me as a friend, feel free! :)

    You have always had success with this, until you have stopped doing it which is when the weight comes back on. For long term success you really need to look into an eating plan that you can adhere to in order to lose the weight, and also the eating plan you will adhere to once the weight is off. Many find maintenance so much harder than the losing bit because they lose the weight with a plan that is not sustainable long term, so go back to eating like they always did once they have lost the weight, or can't stick with it any more because it is too restrictive.

    Is 5:2 a way of eating you could continue with once the weight is off? If so, brilliant. If not, you may want to make a few adjustments to make it more sustainable.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    sezzyxo92 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    So this is the last time I'm posting a welcome message - I will NOT give up this time. I went through a hard time in my personal life but now I'm ready to come back and put my health first again.

    I've always had success following 5:2 so was wondering if someone could help me assess if the following breakdown looked right. My maintenance calories are 2000.

    2000 x 7 = 14,000 my weekly maintenance.

    2000 x 5 + 1000 (2 fast days) = 11,000

    This would give me a calorie deficit of 3,000.

    If I want to lose 2lb a week, I'll need a bigger deficit won't I? Should I maybe aim for around 1800 a day so I have a bit of a buffer for the weekend?

    I'll go to the gym about twice a week as well.

    Could someone please advise. Also if anyone wants to add me as a friend, feel free! :)

    You have always had success with this, until you have stopped doing it which is when the weight comes back on. For long term success you really need to look into an eating plan that you can adhere to in order to lose the weight, and also the eating plan you will adhere to once the weight is off. Many find maintenance so much harder than the losing bit because they lose the weight with a plan that is not sustainable long term, so go back to eating like they always did once they have lost the weight, or can't stick with it any more because it is too restrictive.

    Is 5:2 a way of eating you could continue with once the weight is off? If so, brilliant. If not, you may want to make a few adjustments to make it more sustainable.
    @Lillymoo01
    5:2 by definition isn't a plan for maintenance, it always results in a deficit if done as designed. 5 at maintenance, 2 in a deficit.

    The idea is that you transition to maintenance by stopping the 2 very low days although many people find their experince with the low days gives them a way to correct any drift away from their goal weight range. That's how my wife maintains, doing infrequent very light eating days if her weight drifts upwards but the vast majority at/around maintenance.

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