TheFast Diet

It works, but I don't recommend it because it's unnecessary. It is no different than just counting your calories and being in a weekly deficit.

But it won't work if you eat too much during the 5 days, so personally I say stay away from it, its pointless.

I've hit a plateau. I eat 1,200 calories on days I don't work out and 1,400 on days I do. I'm just wondering if I need a shock to my metabolism.

Then this might be a great plan for you. Some people can stay on the same calorie level thruout their weightloss and never plateau. But others will find their body adjusts to the calorie level more quickly and they find themselves having to continue lowering their calorie level to continue losing. You can only go so far before you start hurting your health.

I was fine for 9 months on a set calorie level, then the weight loss slowed drastically. I figured this would happen at some point, and knew I would have to change things up when it did. I started the 5:2 this week, and finally broke thru with a half pound loss.

You still need to count calories every day, but you just spread them out over the week. 2 days at 500, then add some extra calories to the other 5 days. I am doing one day at maintenance, and the other 4 between 1200-1400.

The higher cal days help replenish the hormone levels, or so I hear. Leptin? not exactly certain about the science behind it, but it is working for many people, and as long as you don't have your 500 days right next to each other, it won't hurt you to have the low days 2 days a week.
If you have any health concerns, I would clear it with your doctor first.

Because people are attempting 5:2 for fat loss. Just like the OP said in her post about her plateau.

It will result in fat loss - just like any other calorie deficient diet.

Normal IF would be 16:8. That is the IF people SHOULD be doing, if any. I care about my health, sure, but these same people that care about their health are over weight, so logic is flawed.

Errr, no - 16:8 is simply one form of IF. Now I can see that you've got yourself all distracted on that point by spending too many hours staring at the muscled up gentleman on the front of the Leangains site with rose-tinted fanboy contacts in, but in fact you'll find that the form of fasting that has had most studies on is alternate day fasting...so if we were going to apply a nonsensical adjective like 'normal', you'd really have to go for that one.


Now at this point I'll hold my hand up and say that I'm not doing any kind of fasting - but as your username, your profile photo and most of all your style of posting irritates me...and I was at a bit of a loose end waiting for some pastry to blind bake, I thought I may as well come help the fasting people bat you around a little

16:8, has no effect on fat loss, though. Which is why I don't tell anyone,, or the OP to do it. So regardless of anything you say to me whether you or anyone else recommends 5:2 (fat loss is what the OP wanted) - it's pointless to mention it to her.

It's funny though, i like how you comment on my picture (which obviously is of me) and that you have a vendetta because you don't like the way I post (with common sense and useful information) so you get your panties in a bunch

I forgive you though, its ok.

You really have no clue do you? Do you not think that people on 5:2 know self control on their normal days? IS that why I'm currently 13000 calories UNDER net this week alone? Yeah cause I must not be able to control myself right?

If you knew anything about it (and clearly you do not) then you would know that it not only makes you want to eat less on your normal TDEE days, but you learn to eat only when HUNGRY & not when you are told you should eat or when you think you are hungry. You learn what hunger feels like & then use that to sustain yourself.


Go back to your weights & 16:8....... oh wait.... that's the one where you pig out for 8 hours. Self control...hows that working for ya?

You obviously can't control yourself, no, otherwise you'd be eating the same 7 days a week and not being ridiculous.

16:8 removes all hunger pangs as it is, if you need anymore you have a mental issue with food.

Self control working out for me? Yep, I'm in fairly good shape, I was down to 4 days a week of 1350 calories a day whilst having raised calories 3x a week, and managed to get down to 10% bodyfat - when you can come even CLOSE to that, we can probably continue a conversation.

Whoa, wait a minute here.
Are you saying that you ate one calorie level for 4 days a week, (1350 for a body builder is crazy low), then increased your cals for the other 3 days a week, and you lost BODY FAT?

Wow, that kinda sounds like IF.

Why did you not simply eat the same amount every day. Don't you know that you would have lost the same amount doing that, and you wouldn't have had to cut your cals on those 4 days? That is just ridiculous and completely unnecessary.

Hypocrite much?

You really have no clue do you? Do you not think that people on 5:2 know self control on their normal days? IS that why I'm currently 13000 calories UNDER net this week alone? Yeah cause I must not be able to control myself right?

If you knew anything about it (and clearly you do not) then you would know that it not only makes you want to eat less on your normal TDEE days, but you learn to eat only when HUNGRY & not when you are told you should eat or when you think you are hungry. You learn what hunger feels like & then use that to sustain yourself.


Go back to your weights & 16:8....... oh wait.... that's the one where you pig out for 8 hours. Self control...hows that working for ya?

You obviously can't control yourself, no, otherwise you'd be eating the same 7 days a week and not being ridiculous.

16:8 removes all hunger pangs as it is, if you need anymore you have a mental issue with food.

Self control working out for me? Yep, I'm in fairly good shape, I was down to 4 days a week of 1350 calories a day whilst having raised calories 3x a week, and managed to get down to 10% bodyfat - when you can come even CLOSE to that, we can probably continue a conversation.

Whoa, wait a minute here.
Are you saying that you ate one calorie level for 4 days a week, (1350 for a body builder is crazy low), then increased your cals for the other 3 days a week, and you lost BODY FAT?

Wow, that kinda sounds like IF.

Why did you not simply eat the same amount every day. Don't you know that you would have lost the same amount doing that, and you wouldn't have had to cut your cals on those 4 days? That is just ridiculous and completely unnecessary.

Hypocrite much?

Yes I would have lost the same weight eating the same everyday, but as you stated, I'm a bodybuilder so I wanted three days a week where i trained so I could eat a much higher amount of carbohydrates because of energy levels and because I didn't have to re-feed weekly (I like how you pointed this out though, proves your little knowledge on the subject but you've chimed in anyway).

I said I do IF, you obviously chose to ignore it, or as usual didn't read properly.

So no, not being a hypocrite and don't tell me what is "low" for a bodybuilder, my weekly caloric intake was fine; also you have no idea what it takes to get to 10% or lower Bodyfat as a 5'6 male who is fairly sedentary..

but look, i succeeded. did you?

Wow. That was entertaining...

Wot, no irony or sarcasm, Richie?

Look, this is silly. We disagree. I have a different understanding than you do. I consider your opinion to be lacking in science and experience.

You have lost a lot of weight and you must feel like the bee knees, and rightly so, you loss has been amazing.

But please. do try to be less irritating and so very, very certain. I am sure that if you could lighten up a little you could achieve a lot more. I was serious when I said that I think it is a pity that you seem to be wasting some pretty well honed research skills. That is a skill that I wish more of my students could grow.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do jobwise, Richie (if I remember right you are resting between jobs?). I hope you decide to get a really good formal education to back up your obvious passion.

Thanks for the comments on my weight loss. But that will still not change anything, lol.

I don't feel like the "bees knees". I just know what I am talking about, that is it.. I want to help people, which I do.

I have trained several people, all had the same results as me, no 5:2, no fad diets, just science. If that isn't science and experience then I don't know what is.

I don't want to get a formal education (a certificate) on my passion, it means nothing to me. I am educated already.

You really have no clue do you? Do you not think that people on 5:2 know self control on their normal days? IS that why I'm currently 13000 calories UNDER net this week alone? Yeah cause I must not be able to control myself right?

If you knew anything about it (and clearly you do not) then you would know that it not only makes you want to eat less on your normal TDEE days, but you learn to eat only when HUNGRY & not when you are told you should eat or when you think you are hungry. You learn what hunger feels like & then use that to sustain yourself.


Go back to your weights & 16:8....... oh wait.... that's the one where you pig out for 8 hours. Self control...hows that working for ya?

You obviously can't control yourself, no, otherwise you'd be eating the same 7 days a week and not being ridiculous.

16:8 removes all hunger pangs as it is, if you need anymore you have a mental issue with food.

Self control working out for me? Yep, I'm in fairly good shape, I was down to 4 days a week of 1350 calories a day whilst having raised calories 3x a week, and managed to get down to 10% bodyfat - when you can come even CLOSE to that, we can probably continue a conversation.

Whoa, wait a minute here.
Are you saying that you ate one calorie level for 4 days a week, (1350 for a body builder is crazy low), then increased your cals for the other 3 days a week, and you lost BODY FAT?

Wow, that kinda sounds like IF.

Why did you not simply eat the same amount every day. Don't you know that you would have lost the same amount doing that, and you wouldn't have had to cut your cals on those 4 days? That is just ridiculous and completely unnecessary.

Hypocrite much?

Yes I would have lost the same weight eating the same everyday, but as you stated, I'm a bodybuilder so I wanted three days a week where i trained so I could eat a much higher amount of carbohydrates because of energy levels and because I didn't have to re-feed weekly (I like how you pointed this out though, proves your little knowledge on the subject but you've chimed in anyway).

I said I do IF, you obviously chose to ignore it, or as usual didn't read properly.

So no, not being a hypocrite and don't tell me what is "low" for a bodybuilder, my weekly caloric intake was fine; also you have no idea what it takes to get to 10% or lower Bodyfat as a 5'6 male who is fairly sedentary..

but look, i succeeded. did you?

And you have no idea what it takes for a 50 yr old partially disabled female to lose weight. So we are even.

And I have lost 53 pounds so far, so yes, even with my limitations, I AM succeeding. And not pissing everyone off in the meantime.

And I thought your job here was done a few posts back?

You go ahead and continue your fun. I have to leave. But I'm sure this will still be going on when I get home this afternoon.

:flowerforyou:

It takes the same as everyone else who is not disabled.. to eat less. Good job on your success thus far.

ROFL at person who thinks zero calorie fasting for 16 hours a day is wonderful and restricting to 600 a day twice a week is pointless and ridiculous. :laugh:

I've nothing against Leangains, perfectly valid choice, but to champion one form of IF over another makes zero sense.

Both methods work just like both methods suit different people.

16:8, has no effect on fat loss, though. Which is why I don't tell anyone,, or the OP to do it. So regardless of anything you say to me whether you or anyone else recommends 5:2 (fat loss is what the OP wanted) - it's pointless to mention it to her.

You'd lose weight on 16:8 if you were calorie deficient over the course of a week; just like you'd lose weight on 5:2, ADF, 18:6 or any other of the many, many IF variations. What you're doing isn't special and what 5:2 people are doing isn't special. It's simply which variation fits people's lifestyle the best and is therefore easiest to sustain. So you coming here to tell these people that them doing 5:2 is completely un-necessary and stupid whilst you are doing 16:8 fasting yourself has Olympus style amounts of irony.

It's funny though, i like how you comment on my picture (which obviously is of me) and that you have a vendetta because you don't like the way I post (with common sense and useful information) so you get your panties in a bunch

I don't have a vendetta - a vendetta implies some long-running revenge whereas I'm simply messing with you here and now, but by tomorrow (more likely this evening) I'll have forgotten you even exist. Why am I doing it? Because you came on to a thread about a perfectly normal diet plan that you seem to have issues with and you ridiculed people. My 'panties' certainly aren't in a bunch though, I'm having fun.

ROFL at person who thinks zero calorie fasting for 16 hours a day is wonderful and restricting to 600 a day twice a week is pointless and ridiculous. :laugh:

I've nothing against Leangains, perfectly valid choice, but to champion one form of IF over another makes zero sense.

Both methods work just like both methods suit different people.

I said several times neither lead to any form of accelerated fat loss. That is what the topic is about. No human should be eating 1,200 calories over 48 hours.

Good day!

Well that's good as I don't only eat 1,200 over 48 hours. Your maths are off matey.
Over 48 hours I would be eating about 3,000 calories depending on exercise.