Taking a Gamble - Opinions Please

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  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
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    and yes, if you are going for ~six hours with no food, that probably doesn't make your metabolistic system very happy:noway:

    lolwut?


    lol. i fast 18 hours a day. you might wanna try to back that up with some evidence.

    here's some about intermittent fasting:

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html
  • siqiniq
    siqiniq Posts: 237 Member
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    Thank you for your opinions and comments - much appreciated.

    I think I am going to simply things for now & take 5:2 out of the equation - although I have to say my mum has been doing the 5:2 and has experienced amazing health benefits as a result.

    I'll start increase my cals slowly as suggested and hopefully getting back in the gym to tone up should help things along too.

    I also read that your metabolism tends to work best if you eat regularly, and I realized that I go without food for 6 hours between lunch & evening meal - I wondered if snacking on something like almonds would be a good idea. I'm not looking for a quick fix, but I think anything I can do to improve my metabolism might help. Presumably training with free weights & trying to build a bit more muscle will improve things too.
    do you KNOW that you have a problem with your metabolism or do you THINK you do? there is a difference. If you are truly doing everything right, and still not losing (in weight and/or inches) then why not start with your doctor? ask them to do some blood tests, maybe there is some underlying problem (e.g., hormonal imbalance, thyroid, etc). At the same time, maybe you need to go over what you are doing - maybe add some more exercise/up the intensity/add weights. Take a look at *what* you are eating and play around with the food groups (more protein/less carbs, less protein/more fat, etc).

    and yes, if you are going for ~six hours with no food, that probably doesn't make your metabolistic system very happy:noway:



    My lunch time at work is 11:30, and I can't change it. then I teach all afternoon,leave work at 5, 30 minute bike ride home, then walk the dog for another 30-40 minutes, because if I put it off I won't do it at all. By the time I get dinner cooked and eaten it's well after 7. It would be lovely if I could eat every three hours, but just not possible! In the morning I eat before 7, and have no chance to eat again until lunch. Telling someone to eat every few hours is the easy part.
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
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    Thank you for your opinions and comments - much appreciated.

    I think I am going to simply things for now & take 5:2 out of the equation - although I have to say my mum has been doing the 5:2 and has experienced amazing health benefits as a result.

    I'll start increase my cals slowly as suggested and hopefully getting back in the gym to tone up should help things along too.

    I also read that your metabolism tends to work best if you eat regularly, and I realized that I go without food for 6 hours between lunch & evening meal - I wondered if snacking on something like almonds would be a good idea. I'm not looking for a quick fix, but I think anything I can do to improve my metabolism might help. Presumably training with free weights & trying to build a bit more muscle will improve things too.
    do you KNOW that you have a problem with your metabolism or do you THINK you do? there is a difference. If you are truly doing everything right, and still not losing (in weight and/or inches) then why not start with your doctor? ask them to do some blood tests, maybe there is some underlying problem (e.g., hormonal imbalance, thyroid, etc). At the same time, maybe you need to go over what you are doing - maybe add some more exercise/up the intensity/add weights. Take a look at *what* you are eating and play around with the food groups (more protein/less carbs, less protein/more fat, etc).

    and yes, if you are going for ~six hours with no food, that probably doesn't make your metabolistic system very happy:noway:



    My lunch time at work is 11:30, and I can't change it. then I teach all afternoon,leave work at 5, 30 minute bike ride home, then walk the dog for another 30-40 minutes, because if I put it off I won't do it at all. By the time I get dinner cooked and eaten it's well after 7. It would be lovely if I could eat every three hours, but just not possible! In the morning I eat before 7, and have no chance to eat again until lunch. Telling someone to eat every few hours is the easy part.

    just to make it clear, you don't need to eat every 3-4 hours. breakfast isn't some big kickstarter. you can eat your food at any time of the day. 1 meal or 10. doesn't matter.

    I'm guessing you know that, but just clearing it up, incase people are confused.
  • TwelveSticks
    TwelveSticks Posts: 288 Member
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    I do 5:2 and have done for 22+ weeks (losing 49 lbs in the process). I do follow a slight calorie restriction on non-fast days as well though. I have been through phases of not eating enough and eating too much. After much experimentation, I have settled on a formula for non-fast days which is working beautifully for me:

    1. Ask MFP for a diet goal using "sedentary" settings. For me, that means 1550 calories.
    2. Add to that 2/3rds of all exercise calories burned (to allow for over-estimates).
    3. Cap the total daily intake at some sensible level (I use 2000 calories) unless you have a special occasion to attend etc.

    Now, I do exercise every day (at least on non-fast days), so I almost always end up eating between 1900 and 2000 calories. I have worked out my own TDEE, using all the food I eat and my weight loss (not estimating it using online calculators) and it hovers at around the 2200 mark, so I am basically eating at TDEE -10% on non-fast days.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    i dont understand why people do 5:2, but then dont follow it? the feast days are supposed to be maintenance days... net 1500 is NOT maintenance!

    so say if someone recalculated the week with a distributed deficit, that person would see no benefit?

    2500 TDEE - 3500 deficit for 1lb loss

    2000x7=14000

    14000-1000= 13000 (minus fast days)

    13000 / 7 = 1850 per day

    so:
    5 = 1850
    2 = 500

    your saying that wont work? cause.... it looks like it would.

    no, i said the figures the OP was using werent how 5:2 was designed....
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Are you certain that you are tracking accurately? Do you use a food scale?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
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    Are you certain that you are tracking accurately? Do you use a food scale?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    I have been tracking everything I eat & drink now for as long as I can remember. When I say tracking - I weight/measure all my food and drink, as I cook a lot of fresh food - I try not to eat processed. I have also tracked/kept a food diary for some years now. Its definitely not a case of eating more than I think.

    I had been following Weight Watchers for quite a while & that really gets you into the habit of weighing & tracking - initially I think my problem was portion control, so I never stopped weighing food as I assumed that if I did stop - my portions would slowly creep up.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Maybe a trip to the doctor is in order then. I'd definitely recommend the reverse dieting approach to get your calories up. Don't weigh for a month. If you're still having trouble you might consider getting your RMR tested.
  • Mrsshellers
    Mrsshellers Posts: 157 Member
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    I also do the 5:2 and follow a more restricted non fast day, I have lost more than my husband and he has been restricting too - I think it depends on how your own body works, I don't believe there is one fix all answer to everyone's weight loss.

    Have you read the 5:2 books? This diet is about more than weight loss in the end.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    i dont understand why people do 5:2, but then dont follow it? the feast days are supposed to be maintenance days... net 1500 is NOT maintenance!

    This.

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