The new 5:2 diet thread

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet. Both are two versions of Intermittent Fasting, which you can read more about here.

The 5:2 diet was featured on Horizon recently, and essentially requires you to fast for 2 non-consecutive days per week. The other 5 days, you can eat what you like. 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, on those days.

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

I've only had three fast days so far, but they have become easier with every one. I am doing something between these two diets; I am aiming to fast 3 days a week. I would do ADF (Alternate-Day Fasting) but I have decided to have two eating days in a row (Sunday, Monday) due to family and activity scheduling.

Today was a fast day. I find I really am putting effort into cooking on the days I'm not fasting. Probably have too much time to think about what I want to eat. Tomorrow might be ginger-chicken Chinese dumplings, if I can possibly find wonton wrappers in this town!

Well yesterday was my first fasting day. I decided to go for one meal - my evening meal. It only tallied to 267 calories but it was a big meal (chicken, sweetcorn, courgette, mushrooms, rice, pinenuts, olive oil and limejuice). Not having eaten all day, I could not have eaten anymore after that to top me up to my 500 cals.

Myfitnesspal is warning me that my body will go into starvation mode. I am on a non-fasting day today, but just not at all hungry.

Not sure what to do. Should I stuff it in today to make up the missed calories yesterday, or stick to what I am inclined to do and only eat when I am actually hungry? My appetite has just disappeared - although I am sure it's not gone for long...LOL

My understanding is that by fasting intermittently, you are effectively keeping your metabolism guessing and so your body won't go into starvation mode.

I'm over to this new thread. I'm on a normal eating day today, having had one meal yesterday at 2pm of around 400 calls, plus milk in tea throughout the day. Woke up and don't feel at all hungry. yesterday was fast 5 and each one is getting easier. Might put of breakfast today and start with a fruit snack around 10 ish, as as soon as i do start eating on a normal day,i find it difficult to stop! Marinated some rally nice looking salmon fillets last night for tonights dinner. Can't decide whether to have with potatoes and peas, or some boiled rice. Will decide tonight. Good luck to everyone fasting today. I'm planning on making a Quorn chilli tonight and dividing onto for portions to save for some future fasting days. Should come in at 290 calls so will be able to have with a salad our a few potatoes.
My 15 month old is stirring- better get up!
Speak later

Marking my place. Feeling crap after my first fast day yesterday. Sore throat. Exhausted. But strangely not hungry...

Marking my place - fast day tomorrow. Bootcamp in the park this morning, should burn a few more calories. Have decided to skip breakfast on a daily basis - it's the easiest meal to miss and now we have debunked the breakfast myth I no longer feel compelled to eat it.

Is this programme available online? I have looked on iplayer but cant find it. Good luck everyone.

I get a sore throat on fast days I hadn't thought of that before. Wonder if anyone else does.

Sorry goody but don't think programme on I player any more but sure someone will be along soon to help you out.

Hi, can I join you?

Was totally fascenated by the horizon programme. Have been trying to lose weight lately for health reasons (I am going in for surgery next month) and this seems really do-able. I have had to more or less totally cut fat out of my diet due to gallstones (hence surgery!).

Any tips on things to eat during fast days?

I think the reason myfitnesspal says to low calorie intake and starvation mode is because it thinks you are eating like this every day. When you put in 500 calories itdoesn'trealise that's not every day.
My 3rd fast day was Monday and my next one tomorrow.
Have decided thatmy meal will be lunch as I can keep myself busy in evening with ironing, studying or painting nails.

um why do we have a new thread? is the old one now obsolete? I do want to keep in the loop but not up on social networking ..

I'm doing my second day fast today .. eating much like the first
porridge berries
eggs (or might be turkey)
veggies

Goody Horizon prog is on You Tube

Am trying a fast day today. So far I've had a slice of melon and a cup of tea with milk.

Really not sure how I'm going to cope though as I usually eat loads! .

Wish me luck!

Marking my place. My beer wasn't quite as disastrous as I thought last night. I came in at 560 calories which wasn't so bad.

Today is second fast day this week (Week 3). Am doing Tues / Weds / Fri this week, partly because was on holiday on Monday and partly because my Italian boss is coming over on Thursday & I will take him out for dinner.

Next week will return to Mon / Weds / Fri.

Ate about 520 cals yesterday, but have today's menu well planned.
Good luck to everyone on a fast day today

Feed day after fast day yesterday, poor night sleep again after a fast day but not feeling so hungry today. Have to do another fast day tomorrow, so I'll be doing Tuesday and Thursday from now on. So far 3lbs down and a pair of trousers fit much better today, my stomach has gone flat yippee. DH is being inspired I think and I hope to shed alot more weight so he will join me. I hope its all a bit easier when the kids go back to school.

Laska there's a new thread because, I believe, a thread can only have 1,000 posts. Our last thread was around the 950 mark and I guess it just seemed like a good idea to have the fresh thread ready for today's posts. :)

For the sake of information, here is a link to our previous thread. I'm sorry I didn't put it in the first post!

Also, the Horizon programme is here, though I guess that link will stop working at some point.

Intermittent fasting keeps your body from going into starvation mode, as far as I understand, iMoniker. The longer I do this, the more articles I read on it. I'll post a few as I find the more pertinent ones.

Good luck to everyone fasting today. :) It's an eating day here, though I've just had coffee so far. I have a bit of piece and quiet in the form of a DVD full of old Looney Tunes cartoons (!) so I'll be on forums a short while longer before we head into town..

Nice one, LBY! I thought your beer might not be too much of a problem if you'd eaten well the rest of the day.

Fasting today. My scales need new batteries, but that could be a good thing and as won't be tempted to weigh in too often and will hopefully get a pleasant surprise next time I step on the scales.

I am doing ADF and really hoping to lose a stone or so. I often give up on diets if the weight doesn't seem to be coming off as quickly as I'd like, but this keeps me motivated, as I know there is always tomorrow when I can indulge.

Ate quite a lot yesterday, as I had a friend over, so we treated ourselves to cake. On a normal diet, I'd be thinking I'd blown it! Hopefully that doesn't matter with ADF, although I can't quite believe it!

Have just joined MyFitnessPal and totted up what I've had so far today and it comes out at 100 cals! Oh God, that only leaves me 300 cals and I thought I was being really good .

thanks green eggsfor the explanation - I'm still a newbie on mumsnet!
I think you'll find that the BBC content for Dr Mosleys programme isn't working now ( well i couldn't get it to work , but i'm not too good at this stuff). but it is on You tube (as I posted above)

Well I'm doing 2nd day fast today. Haven't eaten anything yet and planning on holding out until lunch if i can. Yesterdays feed day came to 1800 cals so was quite pleased with that , unfortunately 400 of those came from wine... oops unexpected guest .. it seemed rude not too ...

I saw the question posted in the previous thread as to why I noted ADF in the OP here when ADF has its own thread. ADF thread is here. I actually just thought it would be nice to mention both in this thread, as several of us seem to be doing a range of fasting days. Because both diets employ the Intermittent Fasting method, it seemed to make sense.

Also, the ADF thread is 3 pages long and two of those pages are from 2010. :( I think some people moved from ADF to this method, or the 4:3 I'm doing. Or stopped altogether.

Twas me who mentioned there is an ADF thread. I wasn't complaining, just pointing it out. ADF sounds too hard core for me. Who knows though - I'm already finding fasting much easier.

Laska ooh welcome to MN! :)

Ugh I'm sorry about the link. I did think we were close to it not working anymore. I think the programmes only stay up for 2 weeks on iPlayer. The related BBC article is here, which gives an overview of the findings.