5:2 'diet' for maintaining?

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bubaluboo
bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm at my target weight which I achieved by regular calorie counting. Over Christmas I gained back 5lb and now that I've at last lost them again, I'm wondering whether it's possible to switch to 5:2 for maintaining? That way, I'm thinking that I may not get big gains for a holiday season and then have to work on loss again. Does anyone maintain on the 5:2 routine? Could it become a way of life?
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  • Hannahp1402
    Hannahp1402 Posts: 85 Member
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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I lost my weight following the 5:2 way of eating and switched to maintenance initially still with 2 fast days.
    After a while I felt I was losing some of the better eating habits I had learned while losing weight just to hit the higher calorie goal on the 5 "normal eating" days.

    So I switched to 6:1 and find the 6 days now have what seems to be a more natural calorie allowance for me.

    Once in a while I might do an extra fast day if I feel my weight is going up or I just have an extra very light eating day. My wife still does 5:2 so it's very easy to have a low calorie day when I feel the need.

    As for your "way of life" question - I'm finding it very sustainable, 18 months so far.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    Thank you Sijomial. 6:1 sounds even better! Do you count for all days but allow more on the 'off' days or do you trust yourself to know when to stop? If you don't count on your off days, is this because you have learned how much to eat from counting previously? Oh and one more question ....how do I work out my calorie allowances for 5:2/6:1?
  • butlersoft
    butlersoft Posts: 219 Member
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    Thank you Sijomial. 6:1 sounds even better! Do you count for all days but allow more on the 'off' days or do you trust yourself to know when to stop? If you don't count on your off days, is this because you have learned how much to eat from counting previously? Oh and one more question ....how do I work out my calorie allowances for 5:2/6:1?

    I think it'd still be worth counting (or at least being aware of what you are eating). If your maintenance is 2,000 calories and you're chucking 4,000 calories down your neck 6 days of the week, the single fast day (assuming ~600kcals) isn't going to neutralise the other 6 days :-)
  • Blokeypoo
    Blokeypoo Posts: 274 Member
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    I heard also that it's supposed to be 6:1 for maintenance.

    I prefer to eat normally but accept that it's horses for courses - good luck :o)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Thank you Sijomial. 6:1 sounds even better! Do you count for all days but allow more on the 'off' days or do you trust yourself to know when to stop? If you don't count on your off days, is this because you have learned how much to eat from counting previously? Oh and one more question ....how do I work out my calorie allowances for 5:2/6:1?
    I calorie count every day. Although my hunger and fullness signals have improved enormously by following 5:2 I'm not prepared to risk giving up the progress I've made by getting careless. I'm also conscious of my macros so logging is necessary for me.

    I use the MFP eat back exercise calories method on my normal days and just stick to my small calorie allowance on the fasting days (no eating back exercise calories these days).

    If your current daily maintenance calories are 1450 (thinking weekly totals helps so that's 10150 cals a week) then for 5:2 it would be:
    Two fast days @ 500cals and five normal days @ 1830

    For 6:1 it would be:
    One fast day @ 500cals and six normal days @ 1608

    Some experimentation and adjustment no doubt required!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Edit: double post!
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    I'm at my target weight which I achieved by regular calorie counting. Over Christmas I gained back 5lb and now that I've at last lost them again, I'm wondering whether it's possible to switch to 5:2 for maintaining? That way, I'm thinking that I may not get big gains for a holiday season and then have to work on loss again. Does anyone maintain on the 5:2 routine? Could it become a way of life?

    I wouldnt recommend the 5:2 for anything, full stop. A completely unnatural way of eating.
  • AKcanookie
    AKcanookie Posts: 230 Member
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    i'm also incorporating the 5:2 and it's working well for me :flowerforyou:
    i carb count on my off days as I'm type2 diabetic, and it keeps my blood sugars in range perfectly :happy:
    a big part of how my weight is coming off I attribute to balanced blood sugars (pretty sure it helps with hormones too) :drinker:
    if you're maintaining however the 6:1 sounds great :wink:
    either counting carbs or calories for life is my lifestyle :blushing: :bigsmile: :ohwell:
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    I'm at my target weight which I achieved by regular calorie counting. Over Christmas I gained back 5lb and now that I've at last lost them again, I'm wondering whether it's possible to switch to 5:2 for maintaining? That way, I'm thinking that I may not get big gains for a holiday season and then have to work on loss again. Does anyone maintain on the 5:2 routine? Could it become a way of life?

    I wouldnt recommend the 5:2 for anything, full stop. A completely unnatural way of eating.

    Suuuuuuuurrrrrreeeeee, unnatural lol.

    I do 6:1 for maintenance and go back to 5:2 if I see that my weight is going up because I stopped counting calories.
  • LynneW1983
    LynneW1983 Posts: 1,161 Member
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    In the book the woman who did it was doing 5:2 and now uses 6:1 to maintain. Think it's a perfectly good idea try it, whatever works for you.
  • ThousandOaksVilla
    ThousandOaksVilla Posts: 3 Member
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    I'm at my target weight which I achieved by regular calorie counting. Over Christmas I gained back 5lb and now that I've at last lost them again, I'm wondering whether it's possible to switch to 5:2 for maintaining? That way, I'm thinking that I may not get big gains for a holiday season and then have to work on loss again. Does anyone maintain on the 5:2 routine? Could it become a way of life?

    I wouldnt recommend the 5:2 for anything, full stop. A completely unnatural way of eating.

    Acutally it's not unatural. Our ancestors have been doing this for years. The body is designed to expect no food on ocassion and a lot of food on others. This is due to food not always being available. It is certainly not natural to never feel hungry and always feel full. This is why we have obesity today, people get one hunger pang and eat a plateful of food.
  • einzweidrei
    einzweidrei Posts: 381 Member
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    I wouldnt recommend the 5:2 for anything, full stop. A completely unnatural way of eating.

    You know that if you play around with the numbers, it's just another form of decreasing your calories right?

    Instead of eating at a reduced caloric intake everyday (1200-1400 for many people on MFP), you eat at a reduced number only twice a week and then eat at maintenance (or regular) calories the other days. If at the end of the week the calories you take in are the same, and it works for you, what does it matter? (You do not starve. You do not go into starvation mode. None of that nonsense.)

    ---

    Anyway, I also did 5:2 and now I do 6:1. I still keep an eye on my calories and mostly focus on my weekly intake. Some weeks I don't do 6:1 but I try to stick with it. Also, I don't do 6:1 the way most people do it---I actually just eat at a deficit one day (600 calories) so that I can stuff my face on another day (3,000+ calories.) This is why keeping track of the weekly number matters to me.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    I'm loving the responses.

    I've lost close to a 100lbs using IF as my deficit tool, and without calorie counting. I should hit maintainence by late March/early April, and am planning on using 5:2 for maintenance. The amount of calories I'll be able to consume on a 5:2 way of life (those are 2 real fasting days, not low calorie days) on my eating days are almost obscene, even with my relatively low goal weight for a man. If I continue to lose too much weight I'll probably slip in more 6:1 weeks.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses. The 6:1 approach seems reasonable but the discussion on this thread makes me wonder about just generally counting calories on a weekly basis and not daily so that I can switch things up as life demands...Any one know of some sort of app to keep track in weeks rather than just days?
  • lilbearzmom
    lilbearzmom Posts: 600 Member
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    I am in maintenance as well and using 6:1. Just started so we will see. I also work 3rd shift (12 hrs), so the timing of my meals for some reason is complicated for me. Right now my meals are at 1am and around 1p-4p, depending on when I wake up during the day. I have put some weight on in the last few weeks since I entered maintenance, but I think it is water weight from my glycogen stores replenishing...it's freaking me out so some weeks I may do 5:2 and see how it goes....LOL Can you tell I'm a maintenance newbie?????
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    I'm at my target weight which I achieved by regular calorie counting. Over Christmas I gained back 5lb and now that I've at last lost them again, I'm wondering whether it's possible to switch to 5:2 for maintaining? That way, I'm thinking that I may not get big gains for a holiday season and then have to work on loss again. Does anyone maintain on the 5:2 routine? Could it become a way of life?

    I wouldnt recommend the 5:2 for anything, full stop. A completely unnatural way of eating.

    I have to agree. Why would you want to totally deprive yourself twice a week when reasonable eating across the whole week would achieve the same results?
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Well, because there are health benefits in addition to weight loss. Because not having to worry too much 5 days a week is much easier to fit into a social life. Because restricting calories 2 days a week teaches you how to handle feeling hungry. Because being creative with 500 calories is educational.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Medical TV programmes shown here in the UK state that the health benefits have yet to be proved.
  • xCarpeDiemx24
    xCarpeDiemx24 Posts: 39
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    Would love to know how it is ok that this topic is discussed (500 calories for 2 days a week) but posts on eating less than 1000 calories a day are deleted!!??!?!!?

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