5:2 fasting

[anna191]

Hi,

Today is my first fasting day and I have a few questions. Should I really only eat 500 calories when I have a workout? I don't want to just sit around all day, but it is really hard to eat so little when I am active.
I also have a bigger question. Do you recommend the 5:2 fasting in general? I read a lot of positive things on the internet, but a close friend said that usually, people gain all of the weight back when they finish with a very strict diet. Also, she mentioned something about (in layman's terms) how your body goes into a survival mode on non-fasting days and doesn't burn calories, but preserves them. The body basically fears that it will get as little energy as it did on a fasting day.
Currently, I am pretty miserable because I feel really hungry. Should I stick it out?

 

[Llama]

Some people do really well with fasting, others don´t. We have a member here who did 5:2 for a good while and posted about it in her diary; I´ll try and post you a link to the start of that so you can browse through her experiences. IIf your body went into survival mode after just one day of restriction (and you´re supposed to eat to maintenance on the other days) we´d all be in it during busy times. For me fasting just makes me binge so I avoid it but everyone´s different.
Best of luck on your journey: keep questioning, keep tweaking, keep listening to your body and caring for it.

 

[Llama]

https://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/cates-diary.10636/post-916492
Found the link to where she says she´s starting it. I know she struggled with it a first but was then successful with it for quite a while.

 

[overlandflyer]

Today is my first fasting day ...

could you be a little more specific about what you are calling a 5:2 fast?

post a few basics... current ht/ wt... goal wt.
do you have complete control over your diet... or no control?
what do you do for exercise?

some general thoughts... when you exercise, your body gets energy through a much different means than when you are resting. you will not "run out" of energy from not eating. i intermittent fast, but i have had 2-3 day fasts and it is not only your perception, but you actually have more energy on day 2 of a multi-day fast than on day 1. your body uses oxygen more efficiently.

hunger is something you have to deal with on any fast, IF or multi-day. there are various mechanisms involved, but fasting will not put you in starvation mode. my hunger episodes last maybe 10 minutes. it has nothing to do with your stomach, it is your brain trying to convince you that you need to eat. your mind is devious. you have to learn to ignore it.

on an intermittent fasting diet, it is much more important WHEN you eat than HOW MUCH you eat.

look into the amount of sugar / added sugar in your diet.
specifically cut back / cut out as much as you can.

 

[Cate]

Hi,
Today is my first fasting day and I have a few questions. Should I really only eat 500 calories when I have a workout? I don't want to just sit around all day, but it is really hard to eat so little when I am active.
I also have a bigger question. Do you recommend the 5:2 fasting in general? I read a lot of positive things on the internet, but a close friend said that usually, people gain all of the weight back when they finish with a very strict diet. Also, she mentioned something about (in layman's terms) how your body goes into a survival mode on non-fasting days and doesn't burn calories, but preserves them. The body basically fears that it will get as little energy as it did on a fasting day.
Currently, I am pretty miserable because I feel really hungry. Should I stick it out?

Hi, Anna & welcome to the forum. How long have you been on 5:2? I have gone back to doing 5:2 a few times, as I do think giving your body a bit of a break is beneficial. It's not intended for weight-loss, but that is usually the end result. It is really another form of intermittent fasting, but I liked that I felt like I was not "dieting" on the other 5 days. On the 2 days I did the 500 cal "fasts" I did not exercise much. Years ago, when I did it successfully I got into the swing of it & the hunger became quite bearable & almost enjoyable on those 2 days. I liked feeling lighter on those days. I tried to pick days that fitted in with my activities- usually Monday & Thursday. I play golf on Wednesday & found I needed to have a "normal" eating day the day before. Just typing about 5:2 has me feeling I should try again.
Your friend is right in some respects about losing weight with a very restrictive diet, where you lose weight quickly. 5:2, done correctly, is not really a strict diet & will not put you in starvation mode as you are still getting the right amount of calories overall over the week. On non "fasting days you eat to your TDEE.
Taken from the Fast diet website, where they have a calculator-
"TDEE is the number of calories burnt in a day scaling BMR to level of activity. This is the number of calories you need daily to maintain your current weight and is about the amount you should eat on the days you’re not fasting. It depends on how active you are. Regular exercise burns up calories and is good for you. Do it! "
I will probably have another go at doing it but am having trouble motivating myself. Perhaps you might help me to do it