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5:2 Diet with a TDEE of 1700

baybeejulia
baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! :smile:

I have just decided to give the 5:2 Diet a go. I've completed two fast days already and it was so much easier than I expected.

I eat 500 calories on my fast days. However, I know a lot of people eat at maintenance on their 5 normal days. But given my TDEE is so low, I feel like I still need to eat at a (small) deficit on my normal days. My combined fast days will only give me an approximate deficit of 2400, not even half a pound a week. So on my normal days I try to eat 1400-1500, which will still leave me at a 200-300 calorie deficit to get me to a weightloss of 1 pound a week.

Does anyone have any experience or tips? Anyone doing the 5:2 Diet with a low TDEE like me?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    A 2400 calorie deficit is over half a pound a week. I'd say going by your TDEE, that's probably a good loss rate for you. What are your stats and how much do you want to lose?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    That's a surprisingly low TDEE?
    Did you use the TDEE calculator on the 5:2 site?
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I would not recommend holding a deficit on your non fast days.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited September 2016
    how did you calculate your TDEE? do you not exercise?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    I would not recommend holding a deficit on your non fast days.

    Agree. If you are going to follow the plan then follow it on both the 5 days and the 2 days.
    Not dieting/restricting 5 days a week was what made it a very easy plan to adhere to for me.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    What you doing is no longer 5:2. I hope you reconsider eliminating the additional deficit you plan to do on non fasting days.
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    A 2400 calorie deficit is over half a pound a week. I'd say going by your TDEE, that's probably a good loss rate for you. What are your stats and how much do you want to lose?

    Malibu I am currently 56kg and would like to get down to about 48kg.
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    That's a surprisingly low TDEE?
    Did you use the TDEE calculator on the 5:2 site?

    I know, I'm a tiny girl. I'm only 145cm. Yep, I used that calculator and many many more. I also wear a fitbit so am pretty certain of my TDEE. That's 1700 on days that I walk during my lunch break lol. If I sit at my desk all day it's closer to 1500.
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    edited September 2016
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    how did you calculate your TDEE? do you not exercise?

    I exercise 5 days a week at at least one hour a day. Please keep in mind that I am really small and my BMR is approx. 1100.
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    I would not recommend holding a deficit on your non fast days.

    Agree. If you are going to follow the plan then follow it on both the 5 days and the 2 days.
    Not dieting/restricting 5 days a week was what made it a very easy plan to adhere to for me.

    Thank you both for that
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    edited September 2016
    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    You currently weigh 110 pounds, right? In that case you do not need to be trying to lose 1 pound a week. You need to be eating more to fuel the heavy lifting you are talking about as well. Adjust your expectations for speed, be patient, and if you think 5:2 might work for you, do it as intended and eat to maintenance on non-fasting days.

    Also:
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    how did you calculate your TDEE? do you not exercise?

    Are you factoring your exercise into your TDEE? I saw from other threads that you are quite short, and I don't know your age, so the answer may well be yes, but it's worth asking.

    Thanks for doing the research and not jumping on me for my low TDEE! I am not undereating and what would like to be healthy in every sense of the word. I'm just disadvantaged because I am really short. I do factor in my exercise in my TDEE. I wear a fitbit and on the best days I get to 2000, but on average I am sitting on 1700.

    I don't do heavy lifting anymore, I found I just couldn't stick with it. I mostly do HIIT and body pump now.

    But I see where you're coming from. I'll give 5:2 a go for a month or so and if it doesn't result in weightloss then I may have to reconsider my calorie goals.

    Also, I weigh 56kg so I think I am well above 110lbs. Not quite sure exactly. I have quite a bit of body fat to lose.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Definitely at the weight you are and are looking to lose, no way should you be under your tdee on your non fast days...at least not on a regular basis. My friend went from 126 to 113 @ roughly a pound a week on 5:2, with no extra reduction needed.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    As you don't have much to lose, I don't think you need to create a larger deficit than you'll have doing 500 cals and 1700 cals.
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    As you don't have much to lose, I don't think you need to create a larger deficit than you'll have doing 500 cals and 1700 cals.
    rybo wrote: »
    Definitely at the weight you are and are looking to lose, no way should you be under your tdee on your non fast days...at least not on a regular basis. My friend went from 126 to 113 @ roughly a pound a week on 5:2, with no extra reduction needed.

    Thanks you two - slow and steady wins the race I suppose. I just can't imagine eating that much, I've spent my whole life trying to eat less lol! I will definitely give it a go and I will be extremely happy if it works, because hey, who doesn't want to lose weight eating what they love!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    baybeejulia wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    That's a surprisingly low TDEE?
    Did you use the TDEE calculator on the 5:2 site?

    I know, I'm a tiny girl. I'm only 145cm. Yep, I used that calculator and many many more. I also wear a fitbit so am pretty certain of my TDEE. That's 1700 on days that I walk during my lunch break lol. If I sit at my desk all day it's closer to 1500.

    As you are tiny it is unrealistic to expect to lose weight at the same rate as a larger person. Be patient.
    The upside of being small is that small losses will be far more visible.

    The other benefit of learning to eat at your TDEE on the 5 days is that the transition to maintenance is very easy as you are already in the habit of eating the right amount.

    A month isn't much of a test, normal weight fluctuation scan easily mask or exaggerate your true results. Think longer term.

    BTW - wasn't "jumping on you" for asking for clarification/confirmation. People make all sorts of mistakes on here, a very common one is believing this place is a TDEE calculator.
  • baybeejulia
    baybeejulia Posts: 218 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    baybeejulia wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    That's a surprisingly low TDEE?
    Did you use the TDEE calculator on the 5:2 site?

    I know, I'm a tiny girl. I'm only 145cm. Yep, I used that calculator and many many more. I also wear a fitbit so am pretty certain of my TDEE. That's 1700 on days that I walk during my lunch break lol. If I sit at my desk all day it's closer to 1500.

    As you are tiny it is unrealistic to expect to lose weight at the same rate as a larger person. Be patient.
    The upside of being small is that small losses will be far more visible.

    The other benefit of learning to eat at your TDEE on the 5 days is that the transition to maintenance is very easy as you are already in the habit of eating the right amount.

    A month isn't much of a test, normal weight fluctuation scan easily mask or exaggerate your true results. Think longer term.

    BTW - wasn't "jumping on you" for asking for clarification/confirmation. People make all sorts of mistakes on here, a very common one is believing this place is a TDEE calculator.

    I know I should be patient and everything takes time. I am just so desperate to be lean and get a body that I am comfortable with - I feel so extremely uncomfortable in my skin at the moment and most of my clothes don't fit! (I'm bigger now than I used to be). I guess naturally I think of losing it faster by creating a bigger deficit.

    That's okay, apologies. Trust me when I say I am very sure of my TDEE. Try punching my stats in any calculator, my BMR is around 1100 which makes weightloss so difficult lol!

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