Another newbie...
84wweber
Posts: 97 Member
Hi everyone. I wanted to introduce myself. I recently came across Eat, Fast, and Live Longer and decided I'd give 5:2 a try. Actually, I'm starting with a slightly more extended fast and then since I have about 60 pounds I'd like to lose, I was going to see if I can handle 4:3. I tried posting my very low calorie food choices in the diary yesterday and MFP yelled at me and told me to keep posting, so I guess you guys don't post on Fast days, right?
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Welcome to the group! What I do on fast days is "quick add" the remaining calories, just to keep it even.
Good luck with the fasting! It gets easier as the weeks go by. The group is very supportive too
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Don't worry about the mfp message. If you want your completed diary to show I your thread....
Add quick cals (1000), complete diary,go back to diary and delete the added cals. It's a work around. Mfp isn't really built for fast days0 -
Thanks!0
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It is really about personal accountability. Plus we all have peaks and valleys with good days and bad. Just dust off and get back on it. 60 pounds will take at least 6-9 months. 4:3 is a good way to compensate for holidays and over indulgences but harder to sustain. Dont get too locked into the scale weight as it fluctuates but take your measurements.0
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MFP doesnt handle variable caloire amounts well, so you need to find a workaround.
Your choices are:
Ignore the message.
Log your foods but don't hit "close diary"
Invent a food that is worth 1200-500 calories and add that in (then go back and take it out)0 -
Hello all - another newbie to 5:2 here (and a Brit!). Glad I found this group as I was wondering how MFP coped with Fast days. I've spent ages checking the Help section and fiddling with my settings - I should have looked here first! This week I'm psyching myself up to have my first Fast day, researching recipes, meal plans etc. I have a lot to lose (40 pounds +) but I'm looking forward to the journey with a little help from some MFP friends
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Hello everyone! I've only done a week on the 5:2 diet so far but I've lost 4lbs already! I'm aiming to lost around 45lbs. The fast days have been a bit of a struggle but I'm pleased I've stuck to it.
I've heard there are slight variations to it, I fast for 24hrs then I break the fast with a 500cal meal. Is that what other people do too?0 -
There are indeed a number of variations, and it can be a bit of trial and error to see which works best for the individual.
I adopt the "eat at maintenance -sleep-eat 500 cals - sleep - eat at maintenance" approach. This gives a longer "fast" period and doesn't get me all confused with counting hours.0 -
New here too. Today is my first "fast" day. I am fasting for 15 hours, then eating 500 calories throughout the rest of the day. I have lost 48 lbs in the last couple of years, have 20 to go.0
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Yet another newby, and another Brit. I have been on the 5:2 for 10 days now but I am also uping the exercise, this has given me a small weight gain.
Thanks for the work round on logging fast days. I have about 30 lbs to go.0 -
Hi all - Newbie here too ... I did 5:2 briefly a few weeks ago and was sidelined by a temporary illness. Am back again and ready to go - with 40 lbs. to lose. I could use all the friends and support I can get!0
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I've lost 40 at least and want to go 10 more. Feel free to add me I've been doing 5:2 nearly 2 years and love it.0
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Hey everyone, i'm new to this group but not to mfp. I started doing the fast diet last week, for me its the long term health benefits i'm interested in most but also dropping a few stubborn pounds is a bonus. I found the fast days last week ok, i did stick to my 500 cals but think i overdone it at the weekend because I gained 2 pounds. Is this normal in the beginning? I do a lot of training, like running and insanity workout so i'm really not sure what is real 'weight loss' and what is just water/muscle. I've never done a fast before as always had it drummed into me that it was not good for your muscles. After reading The Fast Diet book i've completely changed my way of thinking. Really looking forward to hearing some of your tips and success stories. 0
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Hi newbie gals - we're all starting together and will keep each other going with the help of people who have been doing this successfully. Janette you're our role model/drill sergeant! x0
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Hey everyone, i'm new to this group but not to mfp. I started doing the fast diet last week, for me its the long term health benefits i'm interested in most but also dropping a few stubborn pounds is a bonus. I found the fast days last week ok, i did stick to my 500 cals but think i overdone it at the weekend because I gained 2 pounds. Is this normal in the beginning? I do a lot of training, like running and insanity workout so i'm really not sure what is real 'weight loss' and what is just water/muscle. I've never done a fast before as always had it drummed into me that it was not good for your muscles. After reading The Fast Diet book i've completely changed my way of thinking. Really looking forward to hearing some of your tips and success stories.
Your weight does jump around in an exagerated way when doing 5:2 - makes it harder to see the trend.
My experience when losing weight was that 5:2 suited a heavy exercise load very well, the normal days keep your glycogen topped up which helps exercise performance and also helps recovery. I managed to add a small amount of LBM whilst losing fat.
Over a period of time you adjust to fasted training as well which really boosted my cycling endurance and reduced the need to feed on long rides.
Maintenance on a 6:1 also works well - gives me 6 days at a small surplus so for the majority of the week I'm recreating "clean bulk" conditions without getting heavier.
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iwannabeonthebeach wrote: »Hello all - another newbie to 5:2 here (and a Brit!). Glad I found this group as I was wondering how MFP coped with Fast days. I've spent ages checking the Help section and fiddling with my settings - I should have looked here first! This week I'm psyching myself up to have my first Fast day, researching recipes, meal plans etc. I have a lot to lose (40 pounds +) but I'm looking forward to the journey with a little help from some MFP friends
Well I survived my first Fast Day yesterday and came in on 590 cals, the extra mainly coming from fresh fruit and extra cups of tea with skimmed milk so nothing "naughty". I overdid the portion sizes with my lunch and couldn't finish it all, then I got some hunger pangs in the middle of the afternoon which I overcame with a cup of tea, an email chat with an MFP buddy and a healthy dose of ignoring them. Next Fast Day is on Wednesday and as OH is out for the evening it should be easier (said with love) as I plan a strictly all veggie dinner.
Hope everyone's week got off to a good start!0 -
well done missus!0
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At the end of my second FD and the hunger pangs have been bad :-( I can't even go to bed yet because I need to pick my son up later, sitting here with sime fizzy water and trying to ignore them. Please tell me it gets easier!
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It gets easier. Trying doing something you enjoy to take your mind off the hunger pangs.0
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It's just a message, it won't break anything or send an alert to the National Diet Police. I log my fast days (sometimes the Nett is negative) - I'm still here.0
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Hi everyone, I just got started and would welcome some friends.0
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Hi everyone, I've done 4 fast days so far and after my first fast, my weight dropped by 1.5kg/ 3lbs but then it went back up to what I weighed before and has stayed there ever since. My non-fast days have varied cals wise between my BMR and TDEE so I don't feel I've over-eaten as I've tracked all days in MFP and so, I guess my question is how long should I wait before I can say 5:2 isn't for me? I read all these people saying they have had instant weight loss and whilst I am trying not to get discouraged, it's hard not to. I've been trying to shift 10kg/ 22lbs for so long now and to be honest, it's absolutely breaking my heart that nothing seems to work. I'm not going to pretend that I'm doing this diet for anything other than to lose weight and I don't mind committing to a lifestyle change to do it but seeing no results is really starting to make think should I go back to MFP 1200 cals as at least with that I was only losing 1lb a week on average but I had at least lost something so I didn't feel as despondent. I know the expected weight loss for 5:2 is 1lb a week so I wasn't expecting miracles but to lose nothing is soul destroying. My clothes feel a bit looser but I've measured myself and even all my measurements are the same too so now I don't know if I'm just convincing myself something's happening as I want it so desperately to be. I just really don't know what to do anymore. Sorry for the long post but I guess this more a vent than anything else!0
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Hi everyone, I've done 4 fast days so far and after my first fast, my weight dropped by 1.5kg/ 3lbs but then it went back up to what I weighed before and has stayed there ever since. My non-fast days have varied cals wise between my BMR and TDEE so I don't feel I've over-eaten as I've tracked all days in MFP and so, I guess my question is how long should I wait before I can say 5:2 isn't for me? ...
This looks so familiar. I had a similar rant 4 or 5 weeks in from starting...lost a bunch to start then right back up. Long story short...I've stuck with it and am about ten pounds down (4 half months in).
What I learned was that 5:2 has HUGE fluctuations. It works, don't give up, we've been there. 500 or so on fast days and maintenance calories on non-fast day plus eating any exercise calories back too. I'm still a work in progress.0 -
Faz - venting is good! You say your clothes feel looser, so unless some elves have snuck into your closet, you've lost some fat! Stay strong and do it for a month I'd say. I've been lucky enough to have an instant result on the scales but clothes don't feel looser ( or I was kidding myself before!) so we're in the same boat.0
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Weight goes up and down like a YO YO. Track trends not weights. then compare today's trend amount with the same day last week or the week before.0
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Thanks for the replies everyone....I'll stick with it and see how it goes. Fingers crossed I'll becomes success story soon too0
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Hi Faz - your story sounds so familiar, I'm at the end of Week 1 of 5:2 and my weight hasn't moved (though it was down after my 2nd FD). I'm slightly disappointed but this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the diet appeals to me more than any other because you only need to deprive yourself for 2 days a week, not 24/7. For my non-FD I have a 1600 cal limit because that's "normal" for me (anything less and I struggle). It may just be a question of changing my weigh-in day to reflect the good work, but I'm on a wait and see mission atm. I hope you start to see a change soon, but you do have some NSV's to your credit!0
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Peops - 5:2 is longterm and not really known for fast weightloss. Keep at it, tweek your non fast day cals if you don't lose over a period of several weeks or a month. Keep your eyes on the monthly trend. Don't make yourself crazy on the day to day fluctuations or a few weeks with no or slow losses, they are normal and there are many reasons for them.0
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Have to agree with everything said, my weight fluctuates 3-4lbs in a week when on 5:2. I can sometimes go up 1-2lbs after a fast day, which is against the trend, but if i do I'm actually pleased because nearly always a day or two after I get a 'lump' loss as i like to call it! Weight loss is not linear, our bodies do not respond to the scales in our bathrooms but to the scales in our kitchens, also our bodies do not work on a 7 day week either so be patient...this way of eating is for life, not a week if we want to become slim, active healthy people.0
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My experience has been that I weigh once a week and average about a .5 lb loss each time as long as I stick to my NFD and FD cals. Sometimes I get surprised with a 1 lb loss. Sometimes I am surprised with a gain. In the 5 months I have been doing 5:2 the overall trend has been down. NO weeks on end discouraging plateaus. Like everyone has said, I highly recommend accepting that this is long term and definitely works.0
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