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! :)

Female fasting

I'm relieved (slightly) to see from this article that not everyone will lose weight through fasting, although I have no idea why that would be the case. I am not over eating, mostly low carb and I'm exercising but my weight is stable, not falling after 3 weeks. Dh is suffering from sleeplessness on fast nights, so not sure how long he can maintain on that level, although the weight is falling off him quickly and he doesn't have much to lose.

Michael Mosley has reduced his fasting to one day a week - does anyone know if he has had his bloods done to see how that affects his stats. I'm thinking if I'm not losing weight doing this twice a week and I can get health benefit from having one fast day a week, then that would make more sense.

Weight loss can be such a mystery times

Anyone seen this? www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2195408/Starve-day-pig-Is-perfect-diet.html

Bit misinformed (as usual - it's the daily wail!), but even more hilarious are the ignoramouses commenting. Some arse said 'I think lazy new mums should do this diet', ahaha, thanks for that, that'll be me then!

Have not kept up with this thread, sorry, but is there a thread anywhere for under 500 cal meals for 5:2 dieters? Can't find one in this topic or recipes but thought there was one somewhere.

Also am I wrong that we're meant to not eat much protein on fast days? I thought the point is to get your body to repair itself using stored proteiny stuff rather than the protein you eat? (hah, clearly I am an expert!!) I don't really like carbs and see that lots of people are eating fish or chicken on their fast days (I am too!), but surely that's high protein?

Hmm, in that article Zoe Harcombe compares this way of eating to bulimia. Having had bulimia for a decade (thankfully I seem to be doing well now) I can honestly say it is nothing like bulimia.

I don't eat vast quantities of food on my feed days, nor do I desire to. I don't feel out of control, I feel controlled and happy about what I'm eating. I eat a normal amount. Plus, if you can eat what you want, binging is no longer appealing. It was when I tried to restrict calories that things were tricky for me, as I would go over the top and then desire all the 'bad' foods. I have found this way of eating doesn't do that, as nothing is forbidden.

right I read that this morning. I agree with all the commenters who are pointing out this is how our ancestors survived - eating when meat was fresh then going a few days without food before hunting again. Makes sense to me!

Well done on the losses and the successful fast days

I am on fast day 2 - had water and lemon/ginger tea, and just had a yogurt now at 12 noon. I then have veg soup and 2 ryvita, and chicken and courgettes followed by strawberries and an Options hot choc for this evening.

Laska- I mentioned John Briffa's book - but someone else mentioned it earlier in this thread or the next. Very interesting though

That article is also interesting Tellmelater - I think the thing I took though is that overweight women do seem to see a result- the health benefits seem less clear if not overweight, although as it says, there is not enough evidence. I think if I was wanting to get pregnant then I would be very cautious about this, but for me it isn't an issue (another non parent here) and the improved mental ability is interesting I think

It's funny - I haven't been madly hungry and got up this morning to work, and was really efficient and have got loads done at work this morning as well- I feel sharp

To be honest though for me, if this works with weight loss, then it is the way forward for me as it is just so do-able because I can do 1 day of restricted eating with no problem from the look of it. I don't have many carbs on a fast day and am trying to eat less (especially in the evening) on an eating day. I, like others, can't do Atkins type diets (and don't want to) but I think I can cut down on sugar and refined carbs -I am certainly not limiting fruit and veg, and that then gives scope for higher fat (real cheese, cream, yogurt etc)

Well did turn yesterday into a fast day, but had about 530 calories rather than 500, so sue me. (yesterday was second fast day of Week 4)

Have todays eating planned and have to say I'm not over eating now on feed days.
Will fast again tomorrow, hoping to lose another lb this week.

For those not seeing any results I lost ½lb over first two weeks, lost 2½lb third week and hopin for 1lb this. So I think it takes yur system a few weeks to adapt. HTH

I hope you're right happy orchid I'll give it another week or two before deciding either way.

Very excited to find this thread.DP and I started our new 5:2 lifestyle last week.Our main motivation is to try to live longer and be healthier,My BMI is around 30,his is within the normal range.So obviously I have weight to lose.In the past 12 days I have lost 7lbs (Time of the month during this time too which usually results in a loss of a couple of pounds).DP has lost 2lbs.we have only had 3 fast days so far,next one is tomorrow.I have been drinking green and peppermint tea throughout the day and having a late lunch of around 500 calories.I thought i would struggle with preparing and serving tea for the DCs but so far this hasn't been an issue.But I am hating the evenings of fast days.

I have tried going to bed early but am not able to sleep very well.I wake in the night with hunger pangs.Then without fail am awake by 6am as I need to eat!Has anyone else experienced this? I'm hoping this will get easier as I'm in it for the long haul!

May I join in? Thanks! I've been 5:2ing for three weeks, with a week off in the middle :) Didn't seem feasible on holiday, but have been back on it this week and am now well into fast day two. One thing - I had a health assessment recently and was told that without my activity levels (quite a lot of running) my maintenance calorie intake for my otherwise sedentary lifestyle should be just 1600 calories, not the 2000 which is widely quoted for women. That explains why I definitely can't lose weight on 1500 calories a day, with a few off-piste moments in the week. 1200 calories plus exercise works, but feels like constant deprivation. So I'm drawn to this method and excited to see how it goes. Weigh in day tomorrow!

RightBugger lol I do love a good sift through comments on the Daily Fail.

TellMe I have read that about females on this diet. Our bodies do respond differently, and I will consider stopping it if we decide to try for another baby (which is entirely possible in the next few months, another reason for me to want to lose some weight first!) I had my period as usual this month, though, we'll see how it goes in the long term.

I was pleased to see this article posted by someone upthread, as most other groups cited were male, or mixed male/female. It might be worth trying for a bit longer, if you're interested in the health benefits as well, as Happy says.

Well done salad! :)

Hi All, just checking in, haven't posted again since I started 5:2. I'm now on my 2nd fasting day of week 4. Definitely feeling peckish but I know I can ride it out, have always done so far! :)

Don't really know if I've lost weight, didn't weigh myself at start, due mainly to cowardice as I had already lost a lot of weight and started to put it back on again. But clothes that were starting to get tight are now feeling comfortable again. My main objective atm is to be able to get the size 12 jeans back on I was able to wear earlier this year.

If I find this WOE sustainable, which so far I have, I don't mind how long it takes. I was really panicked and dismayed about regaining weight after a big weight loss, although I'm nowhere near where I was (size 22), I'm now a 14/16. When I can get those jeans back on my next objective will be to get my BMI down below 25. I'm rather short so this will mean weighing less than 9st, my lowest before I started regaining was 10st 2lb. So here's hoping.

Gosh this has turned into along ramble, should post more often to keep the length down ;)

I have just weighed myself and lost four pounds in four weeks!

Woohoo! Just weighed myself and I am 10 stone 7. I'm on a feed day today as well, so I normally weigh quite a bit more. My lowest weight last week after a fast was 10 stone 8, but on a feed day it was more like 10 stone 10. So it looks like this is working for me.

Overall, since starting this, I have lost 7 pounds :)

Zoe Harcombe might well object but no doubt she might be a teeny bit worried if some regime that involves no purchasing of books, signing up to paying websites, buying nutrients or other VESTED INTERESTS, just cutting right down for a few days, might just cut some of her income stream.

Cynical self publicity methinks.

Is terms of weight loss, is the way of eating just about creating a calorie deficit, or is it supposed to change your metabolism so that you start to burn more energy generally?

WopBopaLooBop I am sure someone who has been doing this a bit longer will correct me if I am wrong but I think that eating 500 cals of food , even if some of that is protein, it is such tiny amounts that it fits the idea of the plan - so by cutting your cals on fast days you are cutting your protein
Does that make sense?

I may be getting maths wrong but if the calculator up thread tells me that I need 1800 cals a day to stay the same, and so on two days a week I eat 500 only, then that is only 2600 calories less a week. And a pound of body fat is 3500. So I am not going to lose very fast am I?

ciao chaps... fourth fast day for me, week 2. Last week I lost 5lbs, I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning before breakfast. Fingers crossed.

I'm feeling pretty hungry so I might have a cup a soup later, and some sparkling water and lemon juice. Looking forward to tomorrow's food.

as i understand it katisha the net calorie deficit creates the weight loss. The fast day / non fast day routine is mainly because there are physiological benefits in terms of reduction of factors leading to cancer and diabetes (among other things which I can't remember ATM). The other benefit of this method is that people generally find it easier to keep up - I certainly do!

I am coming to the end of week 3 and seem to have lost 6-7lb and I've had take-aways, meals out, and treats during that time. I have not felt guilty about that and have simply done a fast day the next day. I started with 5:2 but am doing a fast day whenever I can, so long as I don't do two in a row. I'm fitting the eating plan around my lifestyle rather than my life around a diet.

re. pace of loss Katisha no - not very fast at those figures, but you might use more calories than you think - or you might simply add more fast days. At one end of the spectrum is ADF - alternate day fasting - which should kick start a weight loss if you want that. I want to get back into my size 12 jeans by a particular date so am doing as many fast days as I can sensibly fit in. I will then lessen the number of fast days until I reach equilibrium as I know that under a particular weight has never been sustainable for me.

Hi! I'm a lurker escaping from Dukan frustration :) I've lost 7lb in under 2 weeks but have started dreaming about celery and watermelon and that can't be normal. I wanted to weep when I looked at the endless consolidation so I'm planning to join you 5:2ers, inspired after reading this thread but combine it with lowish carb on fast and feed days (but with fruit and maybe some wine ;) )
First fast day tomorrow...thanks for all the tips!

Can you hold my hand a bit please? Did really well on my first 2 fast days, and I am supposed to be about to start another one now. (doing 7pm to 7pm as per another poster just for this weeks as there has been so many last minute outings pre back to school etc, this has been more feasible for me).

But I have felt really irritated and annoyed as the day has worn on and am really feeling that I can't cope with it today just want to call it a day and have a big carby supper and a large gin and tonic.

Will it spoil it to leave it a couple of days and try again or will giving in today ruin my will power all together? I have done Thurs and Tue so far as my first week, so could do Sun and Tue as my second week. Would that work do you think? Will go back to 'normal' time for my fasts, i.e. start and finish in the morning.

What shall I do?

Sexbomb, this diet is really flexible, you fit in the fast days whenever makes sense for you, so just do what you feel you need to but dont give up! x