5:2 diet, TDEE and lazy logging

caribougal

Hi MFP friends.

I'm writing this post to help interpret my weight loss trend. I'd welcome reactions, if you think I'm on target or off-base. I'm not asking whether or not you agree or disagree with 5:2 fasting. I've done all my research on that already. I also eat Paleo/Primal, but this post isn't about that. I'm focusing just on TDEE and cals in this post.

My weight loss has been slow but steady since July 2012. I'm down 26 pounds total and a pound below goal weight (woot woot!), but the last several months were stalled until I started the 5:2 approach to Intermittent Fasting this month.

Here's what I think has happened.

When I started, my TDEE was around 1700 cals. I weighed 145 at 5'1", with a desk job and no consistent workouts.

TDEE-20% was around 1360 cals. I set my MFP cal goal to 1400, and generally tried to stick between 1400-1500. I didn't stress if I went under or over much. I just tried to eat as well as I could, and let the weight drop slowly.

I've also been a pretty lazy MFP logger. I occasionally measured on a digital scale, but not often. I don't eat much packaged food and I don't eat at many chain restaurants. Therefore, often I just picked something in the database that seemed close to what I ate. Basically, I logged faithfully but wasn't too picky about accuracy. I figured I probably equally underestimated some meals and overestimated others, and the difference would come out in the laundry.

As I said, my loss had pretty well stalled out by January about 3 lbs from goal weight. But once I started 5:2 Intermittent Fasting this month, my weight loss restarted. I decided to try out IF just to change things up. Really, just a way to manage my deficit differently. I chose to do the 5:2 form of IF after researching different IF options... 18/6, 19/5, ESE, etc. 5:2 just seemed to fit my lifestyle the best.

After 2 weeks on 5:2 IF, I've lost 4 lbs, which may not seem like a lot but every pound is pretty significant for me at this point. I'm pretty psyched.

Here's what I think happened.
1. I didn't recalculate my TDEE as I lost weight. There were times when my activity was increased as I did boot camps or crossfit, but other times when I reverted back to couch potato mode (like the past 2 months). I think that my TDEE was going down, but I was eating about the same, so my deficit gradually decreased.

2. Once I started IF, my deficit increased because my cals were more accurate. I mean, it's hard to underestimate cals on fasting days. A fast is a fast, and there's no way to screw the cal count up. Therefore I was more accurately eating at a deficit for my lower TDEE by having 2 fasting days per week per the 5:2 plan, even when I ate a little more than I was used to on non-fasting days.

So, here's my takeaway....
As a lazy food logger, the 5:2 fast has been a nice approach. It's really just another way of eating at a deficit (in addition to some other potential health benefits). I suspect it enabled me to get to goal because I have less room for error 2 days of the week, and therefore a more accurate deficit going on.

I'm going to stick with 5:2 through the end of the month to see where it takes me, and then think about how to play around with IF to help maintain my weight. And of course, get off my butt and pick my workouts back up and adjust accordingly.

Thoughts?

Caveats about 5:2 (which I always feel it's important to mention):
1. 5:2 is not recommended for anyone with a history or tendency for eating disorders. It can be triggering.
2. 5:2 is not recommended for children, women trying to get pregnant or who are pregnant, or people on certain medications
3. 5:2 is a new diet, but there's nothing magic about it, IMO. It's just another way to manage calories.
4. 5:2 is easy for some people, and torture for others. Research it if you're interested.

Thanks for reading this novella.