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Fasting / 5:2 diet

5:2 Diet Thread! Number 15! Our quinceañera!

999 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 11/03/2013 15:33

The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet.

The 5:2 diet was featured on Horizon in August 2012, and essentially requires you to fast for 2 non-consecutive days per week. The other 5 days, you can eat what you like, or approximately your TDEE (see explanation below). Alternate-day fasting is just how it sounds; you fast every other day. By "fasting", we mean that we keep our calorie consumption very low, around 500 calories on average for a woman, 600 for a man, on those days.

You'll find on these threads we use a number of acronyms. If you're new to the threads, or Mumsnet in general, they might not make much sense.

WOE/WOL = Way Of Eating/Way Of Life. We use this term instead of "diet" as many of us see this as something to do in the long term.

MFP = My Fitness Pal, a website many use for keeping track of the number of calories they're eating.

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals. Here is a link to a calculator to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day.

ADF = Alternate-day Fasting, as it says on the tin, fasting every other day rather than 5:2.

Michael Mosley has recently unveiled a new website to accompany his new book on the subject. Please go check them out, as he's the whole reason most of us are here!

I know a number of people lurk on this thread, as this is currently quite popular. Please just jump in and post if you're new- you'll find a lot of support here.

Here is a list of links to get you started with this way of eating. Please let us know if you find a new article or some other information online:

First things first, here are links to some of our previous threads: most recent one before that another one!

Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the links and tips that get lost in these big threads. In addition to sharing links, we try to condense some of our top tips for fasting there. Keep in mind, we all do this differently, so these are just tips, not rules. This might be a good place to catch up with us if you're feeling a bit lost!

frenchfancy has a recipe thread over here, please post any low-calorie recipes there so they don't get lost in these bigger threads!

If you've been at this a while and are moving on to maintaining your goal weight, there is a thread here to discuss that.

Here is the link to the BBC article regarding Michael Mosley's findings, which was featured on Horizon.

There's a link to the aforementioned Horizon programme here.

A blog post here gives some of the scientific explanation for why this way of eating helps you to not only lose weight, but improve your all-around health.

A Telegraph article which comments on the diet and gives a brief overview by Dr Mosley himself, very informative if you're just starting.

A study discussed here gives commentary specifically addressing the effect of this diet on obese people (both men and women), with regard to both health and weight loss. ("After 8 weeks of treatment, participants had an average 12.5 lbs reduction in body weight and a 4 cm decrease in waist circumference. Total fat mass declined by about 12 lbs while lean body mass remained relatively constant.) it also mentions "Plasma adiponectin, a protein hormone that is elevated in obesity and associated with heart disease, dropped by 30%. As did LDL cholesterol (25%) and triglycerides (32%).")

Something to consider if you are currently your ideal BMI: this appears to suggest the benefits for women at a lower BMI might not be seeing the same health benefits that are found on men at their ideal BMI.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have been contributing, btw. Most of us are learning this way of eating as we go along. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous threads, and they've been very helpful. Sorry if I haven't given credit where it's due, but it was just enough of a job getting all the links re-copied and back into one post.

Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!

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Talkinpeace · 11/03/2013 15:47

Boo!

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NurseEzzzaChapel · 11/03/2013 16:07

Aaahhhh! TiP you scared me! Shock Ha ha. Grin Ok so I'm being silly.

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frenchfancy · 11/03/2013 16:10

Got in early for once Grin

Fasting today. Looking forward to my butternut squash casserole tonight.

Someone mentioned on the previous thread that 5:2 was expensive due to all the meat and fish - I have found the opposite. I always eat vegetarian on fast days as you get bigger portions for the same calories. And I think the idea that men need their meat is rather insulting to men Wink

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GreenEggsAndNichts · 11/03/2013 16:14

eek TIP Grin

FF We've found we've saved a load of money. I mean, we've not done actual figures (probably would have, if we'd thought about it) but our grocery bills are much smaller now. That's even accounting for buying a few special items for non-fast days.

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Breadandwine · 11/03/2013 16:15

Well done, GE!

Settle down, TiP!

Quite agree, FF

Ezzza, have you had your oats, yet? Wink

By which I mean have you slated your appetite for Oatleys, yet? Grin

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NurseEzzzaChapel · 11/03/2013 16:35

Ah! Breadandwine, not had any Oaties yet but I seem to have spent the last 10 days eating my way through all the things I couldn't get in China. Hopefully the novelty will wear off soon and I'll go back to eating 'normally' on non-fast days. Until then it's probably a very good job I'm doing 4:3!

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ThinkICan · 11/03/2013 16:50

Everyone on this new thread sounds slightly tipsy! So can we add a sense of extreme well-being as one of the side effects of this WOL? Grin

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plecofjustice · 11/03/2013 16:52

Fasting for me too! A cake and afternoon tea infusion out of my graze box to look forward to when I get home, then cauliflower pizza for dinner. Definitely agree with whoever said that it's easier being veggie on fast days - I usually go veggie or vegan, can eat loads and loads for very little!

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ExitPursuedByABear · 11/03/2013 16:52

Completely failed on my fast today - I am already at 509 calories - it was the tin of butter beans and the grapefruit what did it.......

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plecofjustice · 11/03/2013 17:04

oooh butter beans.... OmNomNomNom!!


(no jam today, jam tomorrow!)

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Aftereightsarenolongermine · 11/03/2013 17:07

Thanks greeneggs

Have to say not eating as much meat as we usually do & definitely eating more pulses even on non fasting days.

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Aftereightsarenolongermine · 11/03/2013 17:25

Meant to add that only managed to go for 20 hours as its just too cold. I caved & had some lovely soup my mum made! But still gives me 300 calories for dinner so not all bad. I think it's the first time since I started going for 24 hours that I've not managed to do it. But I live the fact that I don't think I've 'failed' if that makes sense. Onwards & downwards :o

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Breadandwine · 11/03/2013 17:30

Dr Robert Lustig is on BBC Radio 4 PM Right now!

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swallowedAfly · 11/03/2013 17:33

hello! i am bloody freeeeeeeezzzzing! just walked home in a literal snow blizzard ffs. i'm back out for my evening work event in an hour and probably not home till nearly 9. of course being so cold is making me feel starving and wondering if i can make it through till i get home again without eating.

plan is to have a marmite drink just before i go and then nothing bar water till i get home. should make it easy to keep to 500 i guess just so long as i don't starve to death before then Wink

hopefully all of the freezing and shivering has made me burn more calories than usual.

welcome to newcomers and waves to everyone fasting on this freezing cold day - just think how much easier this is going to be come summery days! mind you resisting beer gardens might be a challenge for me.

please god let me have a decent loss tomorrow to make this hypothermia worthwhile.

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catsrus · 11/03/2013 17:38

Just caught the end of that B&W thanks - thought the interviewer a tad aggressive Confused.

having an old fashioned fast day today Grin working at home, cold, snow, and after a weekend full of treats and carbs I need to get back in the saddle. Lots of tea, miso soup, and a couple of hard boiled eggs for lunch. will have a stir fry with superglue noodles later and hope that does the trick. I should be able to fit in 4:3 this week and I hope that will get my bounce back down to where it was this time last week!

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catsrus · 11/03/2013 17:39

ooh SaF summer - beer gardens - the feel of the sun on my back I'm ready for that - and the huge tasty salads fresh from the garden....

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GreenEggsAndNichts · 11/03/2013 17:40

lol ThinkICan yes we might all be slightly loopy. Wink It's a fast day for me, anyway.

I am definitely cold. I'm looking forward to my veg pot. Or veg soup. I've been so busy today I'm actually not particularly hungry yet.

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dines · 11/03/2013 17:44

So I was ment to be fasting today but.... there was some cake left from yesterday and.... u all know wot comes next lol
So I've decided to eat my normal days calories 1500 my last fast was last Wednesday.. does it effect anything if u leave fasts to long between feed days? Hope not.

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fancyanother · 11/03/2013 17:49

Hi all, I have just decided to start the 5:2 diet, and thought it would be a good idea to join you all. This is my first fast day, I've been fine so far, even managed to resist when the kids were having their tea after school and there were loads of leftovers! I've decided to break up my calories into three chunks. I had 2 poached eggs and some cherry tomatoes for breakfast, a mini pot of hummus and carrot sticks for lunch and I will be having prawn stir fry for dinner, without the noodles. My DH is seeing how I go, then he may join me. He's eating the same dinners as me though for fast days, but with carbs, so he will have noodles with the stir fry! I have a bit of a headache now, and have been drinking herbal tea and coffee to try and shake it. I've had to really think about my eating, and even after one day, I can't believe how much I snack in a normal day! The times where I have had to stop myself just eating that leftover bit of toast, or having a biscuit, or a bit of ham while making a sandwich for my DS's! It is a real eye opener! I have the book, and hope it really is as revolutionary as they say. As well as being a stone and a half overweight, I have a history of diabetes in my family and I think I have a blood sugar imbalance a a result. I had slight GD in both my pregnancies so am almost a dead cert for type 2 diabetes in the future.

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GreenEggsAndNichts · 11/03/2013 17:55

dines this is my own personal opinion, but I think if you're struggling to get a fast day done, I'd keep it as a half-fast. So, don't just say stuff it and eat until you hit 1500, rather, just proceed as you would normally on a fast day. Especially if your next planned fast isn't until Weds, and your last one was on Weds. (My advice would be different if you'd been doing this a while and you were regularly easily having 2x fast days a week- a missed fast is no big deal. But if you're just starting and would like to see some results, you'd do a lot better to half a half-fast than no fast at all today, especially if tomorrow is a normal eating day)

Hope that makes sense :) Obviously just do what works for you, but that's what I'd do.

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storminabuttercup · 11/03/2013 17:56

Thank you for the kind welcome on the other thread. Today is a feast day but I've actually not eaten yet, I've been so busy, I'm planning of filling up now so tomorrow is easier. I definitely find it easier to only eat one meal on a fast day. Grin

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dines · 11/03/2013 18:23

I got my graze box delivered today I had a banana cake and a afternoon infusion tea... brazilian nuts with chocolate buttons. . Dried apple slices with toffee sauce and savoury rosemary bread sticks and a dip.. I love those boxes

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dines · 11/03/2013 18:29

Greeneggsandnichts tomorrow will be my fast day as I couldn't do today.. if I fail to do a fast will always do it the following day. I've noticed a difference this week.. I've lost another 2lb ..a inch off my stomach and a half off my waist .. so pleased even tho I've been eating normally on my feed days, not counting every calorie. Like I wud on fast days.. has anyone lost anymore

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SerotoninCanEatTomorrow · 11/03/2013 18:35

Hello all, just dropping into the new thread briefly. Getting through a good fast day today, 20 hours done easy and broke the fast with a New York soup (nacho chilli chicken - nom) and had a couple of cups of tea. Still have about 350 cals left for the evening - so trying to decide what to do with them. Might have some toast/butter and a cup of tea before bed as up at the crack of dawn for a 5k run on an empty stomach.

Have had a 7ish lb loss since starting - that and about 10 inches off my body - feeling amazing and in control of my life and my food Grin

Am having some issues with naysayers though - I think it might be jealousy because it really is working!!

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AmericasTorturedBrow · 11/03/2013 18:37

Just checking in at the beginning of the thread....and to say sorry for the cold! Cheered me up no end in my self indulgent flu induced wallow that I'm able to post this from my garden in the sunshine wearing jeans and t shirt.Wink

Not fasting today as I've already quaffed orange juice and hot honey and lemon (all from our garden but probably a shit ton of sugar). Not hungry yet so paying attention to my body rather the usual "I'm a bit sick so I'll eat lots and lots of carbs" and fast properly tomorrow

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