Using MFP for intermittent fasting

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deedub777
deedub777 Posts: 3
in Getting Started
Hi all,

I've looked long and hard through the help and on forums and found nothing. This is what I want to do...

Track calories for fasting days (ie set target calories) and ignore the other days. How do I do this please?

thanks

Replies

  • bdwax1
    bdwax1 Posts: 5
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    I never fast...I eat small low calorie meals for breakfast and lunch if I feel hungry I drink a glass of water( sometimes if your board or not doing anything your body will try to trick you into eating just to be doing something) and then i eat dinner around 4 pm....if you get hungry later in the evening remember the water trick stated above or eat something like vegetables...if you fast you will teach your body to store calories and not burn them ...
  • AlyPally1
    AlyPally1 Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi, I'm doing the 5:2 and I've lost 23Lb so far. MFP helps me keep track of calories using the food tracker. I aim for 1100 cals 5 days and 500 cals for 2 days sometimes 3. The tracker takes the guesswork out of it all. Try it it's easy :). I'm not saying I'm perfect but my food diary is public if you think it will help :)
  • BadgerLamb236
    BadgerLamb236 Posts: 823 Member
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    I'm doing 5:2 and I log my calories on "fasting" days and just don't log on the other days.
  • deedub777
    deedub777 Posts: 3
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    This is a technical question about how to use the MFP app, nothing else, ta..

    @bdwax1: thanks! but not looking for advice or opinion on diet methods, just how to use the app.
    @AlyPally1: thanks! how do you setup the app to track different targets on different days?
    @BadgerLamb236: that's what I'm doing currently but it gives me silly messages like "you're under target, etc.".

    All I want to do is configure the app to target 600 calories on the days of the week I choose (Mon,Wed,Fri) and forget the rest.

    Thanks.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    All I want to do is configure the app to target 600 calories on the days of the week I choose (Mon,Wed,Fri) and forget the rest.

    Thanks.

    you cant.. you can set your calorie goal manually to 600 cals, but not for specific days.
  • deedub777
    deedub777 Posts: 3
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    All I want to do is configure the app to target 600 calories on the days of the week I choose (Mon,Wed,Fri) and forget the rest.

    Thanks.

    you cant.. you can set your calorie goal manually to 600 cals, but not for specific days.
    That's a shame, OK thanks. That was the answer I was looking for.
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
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    you can't ignore other days,.. you will over eat on those days and undo all your hard work!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Hi, I'm doing the 5:2 and I've lost 23Lb so far. MFP helps me keep track of calories using the food tracker. I aim for 1100 cals 5 days and 500 cals for 2 days sometimes 3. The tracker takes the guesswork out of it all. Try it it's easy :). I'm not saying I'm perfect but my food diary is public if you think it will help :)

    great job on your loss so far :)
    The idea of 5:2 is that you eat 2 days low at 500 and then on the other days eat pretty much what you like (within reason of course) - your overall net calories for the week eating as you are now are very low and you will be losing muscle mass. Its ok to eat that low temporarily but long term its not sustainable.

    OP just log your food as usual on your low days even though your diary will just show 600 calories - at least you'll know how many cals you're eating.
  • fluffyasacat
    fluffyasacat Posts: 242 Member
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    you can't ignore other days,.. you will over eat on those days and undo all your hard work!

    ... said the 1 millionth person who knows nothing about IF.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
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    you can't ignore other days,.. you will over eat on those days and undo all your hard work!

    ... said the 1 millionth person who knows nothing about IF.

    She's right though, you still have to be on top of your weekly targets. That holds true no matter what eating protocol one chooses to follow.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
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    you can't ignore other days,.. you will over eat on those days and undo all your hard work!

    ... said the 1 millionth person who knows nothing about IF.

    She's right though, you still have to be on top of your weekly targets. That holds true no matter what eating protocol one chooses to follow.

    Agreed. I lost weight doing IF, but only because I kept track of calories.
  • fluffyasacat
    fluffyasacat Posts: 242 Member
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    you can't ignore other days,.. you will over eat on those days and undo all your hard work!

    ... said the 1 millionth person who knows nothing about IF.

    She's right though, you still have to be on top of your weekly targets. That holds true no matter what eating protocol one chooses to follow.

    While this is true, there is a trend among people on MFP who haven't got very much knowledge or experience of IF to assume that someone trying to lose weight will happily and ignorant of the consequence hit a 4000 calorie day when not fasting. I struggle to make 2000 calories on my non-fasting days because my stomach has shrunk, and because I'm not completely unaware of the impact of calories on my weight loss effort. How could you even start a diet and be unaware that hitting over your weekly calories is bad? Does it really need to be said?
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Does it really need to be said?

    Unfortunately, yes. :)

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