Welcome, LadynRedd, and congratulations! That's quite a loss. As we say in the Feathers forum, onward and downward!

So, question with doing intermittent fasting ... people who do 5 -2 or have three to four hour windows for their eating. Do you still count the calories you eat in your window? If you don't, you must have more self control than I do. That, or I can REALLLLY pack away the food quickly and easily!

Today:

Breakfast: half caff coffee with 1/3 of a cup of half and half - 130 calories.
Lunch: Quest Cinnamon roll protein bar - 170 calories

So, 300 calories for the day until dinner time. Then? I devour my meal:

Salad of: 8 ozs of grilled salmon, 3 ounces of goat cheese, mix of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, olive oil, and a HUGE portion of arugula greens - all mixed together. Dinner? 1000 calories and eaten within 15-20 minutes. JUST LIKE THAT!!!

Hi! I don't post much in here, but I've done IF for ~4-5 years (off for only 1 year out of those). I typically have coffee in the morning & my eating window is 2-6/7. If I work out in the morning (rare), then I eat before or after and don't fast those days. I absolutely count all my Cals for the whole day.

If I have an event (brunch or luncheon w/ friends, then I'll eat with them and space out my Cals throughout the day). If I go over my Cals too many days, I might consider a 500 cal fasting day, but that's so extremely rare. I'd rather have a Maintence week. I think it's safe to say 5:2 isn't for me on a regular basis. But that's the beauty of IF, is how flexible it is for each person! I just love it!

I almost always break my fast with a raw fruit or veggie and a big glass of water. Otherwise as soon as I start eating, I reach for anything I can that's sugary and high in calories lol!

I do 5:2 and on my 2 fasts day for me I eat 500 calories or less (since that's what is recommended by the guy who developed 5:2!). I no longer "count" my calories because I know what meals work within that calorie goal, but I plan ahead and know that that is what I am eating that day.

Coming up on my two year anniversary with 5:2!

So you aren't technically counting calories, but in essence you are because you know what the calorie count range is for what you are eating.

Like, for the conference I was just at, I estimated calories because I know approximately what is what by looking at it (mozzarella is mozzarella, grilled vegetables are grilled vegetables). I stayed away from cheese lasagna and got the chicken breast with veggies instead for a. less carb count and b. easier to estimate and know HOW much I was eating calorie wise.

I'm simply in awe of people who can just naturally choose to eat the right amount of food (like my husband and son). They deny themselves nothing - just have the right appetite for what they need. And no way is that LEARNED. I have taught myself to eat what I need (only) but by my major weight gains, I can see how out of proportion it is when I eat what I want. What I want is to be able to eat so that I'm at a balance around 275 pounds!!!!

^ Yep, exactly. I'm still restricting, that's for sure! But since its become something I look forward to these days, it actually doesn't feel like I'm restricting. My stomach hardly even rumbles on fast days anymore. Its weird!

If only we all had "proper" appetites like your husband and son. We sure wouldn't need diets or this forum!

I definitely count the calories, because I can eat waaaaaay more than I should be eating in order to lose weight, and eat it in a very short amount of time. I guess I would have to have like a 23.75/24 hour plan to make it work otherwise.

EXACTLY!!!!!

Hey folks,

I posted here some time back but can't seem to stick to 5:2 or any diet really. My DH is going out of town so tomorrow I will try a fast day - 5:2 so under 500. It's easier when I'm alone. I'll be sticking with simple food that is easy to count. We'll see how it goes. I'm not doing so well and want to break the 140s set point. I'll post in the evening.

Have a good day!!

Another 1.2 lbs. gone for me!

I'm used to my co-workers paying very little attention to what I eat. I have a new co-worker and while it's not that she's nosy or anything, we're in close proximity both physically and in regards to our duties, so we're spending a good deal of time together. I guess I'm unofficially training her. Anyway, I find I don't want to really say "I can't each lunch with you today because I fast every other day" - I'm just not comfortable drawing that much attention to my IT.

Is there any particular way the rest of you deal with colleagues and eating?

This is what somewhat led to my derailment last year. I was skipping lunch at home. Well, not skipping it, but eating a small lunch. I started working and people ate out more often. Then I did and then still ate dinner with the family and thus started the big pile on...then winter set in and it was over with for me.

Now, I just tell myself I have one meal a day. If I go out with coworkers for lunch, I enjoy my lunch, but that is it for the day. That is rare now that I'm mor established there.

My one coworker did 5-2, so he gets it (and he's new). My other coworkers don't notice lunches much as most of us eat in our offices by ourselves and there's only three of us full time and the one part time who starts after lunch.

It's been so easy for me to eat just 300 calories until dinner and then a big dinner. Makes me wonder why I didn't do better with eating ever before?

I couldn't do fasting with a family. So, I don't do 5-2, but fast throughout the day: half and half in my morning coffee, a protein bar and lots to drink at lunch, and then I make a full dinner for the family. I just try to take it easy on the carbs, but eat almost as much as they do at dinner (I have a teen boy, a husband, and a big 10 year old boy, so they do eat more than me).

I decided today at about 4:00 with a mood crash and a headache that IF isn't for me. You really need to go LF and my brain just can't do that for very long. When my DH went LF for health reasons I decided to join him but couldn't manage the mood crash (depression loves my family). I applaud everyone who can do this and hope it works for you. I've given it a shot a bunch of times but can't manage it. Back to LC which includes some fat and no one says you have to go overboard with it.
Cheers!!!

Who says intermittent fasting has to be low fat? It's the fat that keeps you full the longest! I do IF with low carb. And with great success.