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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think this 5:2 diet craze is likely to lead to an increase in anorexia

194 replies

sarahseashell · 31/07/2013 16:02

.. in the longer term?

obviously that's just my own thoughts on the subject but I do sadly think that's what'll happen

OP posts:
thebody · 31/07/2013 16:03

what is it?

Original poster
sarahseashell · 31/07/2013 16:05

you eat very little (500 calories) on 2 days of the week thebody

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 31/07/2013 16:06

I don't think it will. It's just yet another fad diet. I know loads of people who've tried it and most have not lasted long.

It's not a diet for me tbh. If I haven't eaten properly I feel light headed after a while and get nasty stomach cramps.

MelanieCheeks · 31/07/2013 16:06

There is a list of people for whom it is deemed unsuitable - on that list is "anyone with a tendency to disordered eating".

Why do you think it will lead to a rise in anorexia?

MikeOxard · 31/07/2013 16:07

What are you basing this hypothesis on? Have you done any studies? What was your sample size? What were your results/observations?

Davsmum · 31/07/2013 16:08

Its not really a 'fad diet' temporary thing - Its a lifestyle thing.
Many doctors have recommended it for health apparently.

hillyhilly · 31/07/2013 16:09

I tried it for a couple of weeks but have to say that to me it felt like disordered eating. I do not have a tendency towards anorexia but it did feel like I was challenging myself - "how little can I eat? can I skip this meal and feel okay?" which to me felt very odd as I'm three meals a day person usually.
However I do know plenty of people for whom it's been very successful - in the short term at the least

YouTheCat · 31/07/2013 16:09

Doctors used to recommend smoking for anxiety too. Hmm

It may well be suited to some people but it isn't suited to many.

kinkyfuckery · 31/07/2013 16:10

I just don't understand why it would ever be a consideration as a 'healthy eating plan'. Why not just eat PROPERLY 7 days a week, and move a bit more?

Original poster
sarahseashell · 31/07/2013 16:10

I was just thinking about it the other day melaniecheeks and how I used to know someone who was anorexic I always wondered if her family fasting (for religious reasons) was a factor - this was years ago. Could be coincidence in that case.

But 5:2 must take cast iron willpower, you must get used to ignoring being hungry and in some cases difficult to know where to stop? I would find it worrying if say I tried to do it and dd was aware of me doing it iyswim - not that I have tried it

OP posts:
currentbuns · 31/07/2013 16:11

I agree with you Op. I think there's a very real danger of this style of diet causing disordered eating, including anorexia.

solarbright · 31/07/2013 16:11

I've been doing it for months. I feel no more drawn to anorexia than I was before. Which is not at all. I eat 2,000ish calories on non-fast days. That's kinda the whole point of it... It's very easy to stick to (for me).

thebody · 31/07/2013 16:13

agree op, maybe someone with an eating disorder could use this as an excuse to not eat.

it sounds silly to say the least.

Davsmum · 31/07/2013 16:14

Because apparently - fasting has a beneficial effect on the body and after research it was discovered that so long as you do not go over about 500 cals on fasting days - this is just as beneficial. I don't think the days have to be together - not sure.
It is supposed to help prevent diabetes and keep cholesterol low.

It just takes some getting used to but like anything - feels normal after a few weeks.
Its a choice thing I guess.

Orangesarenottheonlyfruit · 31/07/2013 16:14

I think you may have a point OP. From personal experience I did it to try to curb my binge eating, I thought it would make me want food less when I could eat. How wrong I was, I actually started to put on weight as I was gorging so much on feast days, I was utterly starving. If anything, it made me more food obsessed rather than less. So have gone back to ordinary calorie counting and exercising, slow and steady but less mad.

The other thing I noticed was on fast days I was a bitch, totally vile. I didn't feel the hunger so much as snarl at the children and my husband, especially towards the end of the day.

I can understand the benefits of the diet but just can't see it as a sensible way to live.

solarbright · 31/07/2013 16:15

Oh, and I've had no problem knowing 'when to stop'. If it ain't a fast day, I eat. Not for everyone, but works for me.

Buddhagirl · 31/07/2013 16:15

I can't see how the risks of developing an ED are any higher with the 5:2 diet compared to any other fad diet. People develop an ED for lots of different reasons, doubt one particular diet is going to lead to an increase.

chihiro · 31/07/2013 16:15

You may be right, but it is not direct cause and effect. Many anorexic people use a vegetarian or vegan diet as an excuse to cut large amounts of food out of their diet, but that does not mean that being veggie/vegan is a cause of eating disorders.

BenedictCumberbitch · 31/07/2013 16:16

I tried it and had to stop as i was getting obsessive about it and thinking about food all the time.

I personally was quite surprised and feel it'd be very easy to take it too far.

Literally started getting anxious about calories and I'd never been like that about food before trying it.

LookMaw · 31/07/2013 16:16

I agree OP. MIL is obsessed with everyone's weigh, especially FIL's. She has bullied him into going on this diet (bare in mind he is in his 60's, in a very manual job). He is losing 7lbs a week and already talking about doing it at a 4:3 ratio. So IMO this diet could be a gateway to some very disordered eating.

I dread to think of the stress he's putting on his organs.

EhricLovesTeamQhuay · 31/07/2013 16:16

Bollocks.
Millions of people worldwide fast for 30 days a year and they don't become anorexic.
Some people who have a propensity to disordered eating may find the 'allowed' nature of ramadan or 5:2 encourages an eati g disorder to develop. But I hope you can see that that doesn't = fasting causes eating disorders?
I have done ramadan, and 5:2 and I'm still overweight and don't have an eating disorder. Unless you have tried fasting you can't imagine how it feels. I haven't eaten since last evening and I'm not hungry (I'm thirsty though!)
Hunger is 50% in the mind (disclaimer, not a real stat) and it does a body absolutely no harm to go without eating for a few hours longer than usual. As a culture I believe we eat too much and too often, and we are over dependent on food. Hunger passes if you tell it to and I for one am happy I have learnt this, and that a bit of hunger does no harm. Obesity is more dangerous than fasting and is caused, in millions of cases, by fear of hunger and preventative snacking. That's a dangerous belief, not the belief that prolonging periods between eating occasionally is sensible.

Davsmum · 31/07/2013 16:19

Currentbuns - Its not meant to be for losing weight as the main objective. Its not a weight loss diet.
Why would it cause disordered eating in people who are just looking for a healthier way of eating??

HopeForTheBest · 31/07/2013 16:20

I don't know about anorexia, but I believe it all leads to very skewed thinking about food and eating, tbh.
Just eat as much as you need every day.
How can it be a good idea to force yourself to eat too much on some days and not enough on others?
But then, I also don't understand low-carbing or any other diet which involves restricting in an unnatural way.

anniroc · 31/07/2013 16:21

Erm no. I do it, and I love it as it means I only feed my face 5 days a week instead of 7!

Davsmum · 31/07/2013 16:21

Don't do it to lose weight!

If you do it - then over time you MAY lose weight - but thats not the point of it.