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! :)

Also just a note to everyone, I'll probably start a new thread for this later today or tomorrow morning. (In case you don't know, threads can only be 1,000 posts long, and we've been posting a lot!)

I'll try to gather up the useful links people have been posting and put them in the OP, so that we've got them in one place. If you've got any more you'd like to share, or any which you've found particularly helpful and don't want to be overlooked, please post them again. Or just PM me with them.

Thanks!

Hi can I join you all please?
DH and I started this week, so far I have managed fasting better than him, he was practically snorting vanilla essence to get over his sugar craving last night!
I struggle on the normal days, I am a terrible binge eater. I turn into a zombie in the kitchen and just eat without thinking.
The fasting made me think about how rarely I actually feel hungry.
Do I need to exercise, find it hard to get any time to myself, I have four DC, two youngest are 21 months and 5 months, I am breastfeeding too.

Ok, thanks GreenEggs

notso I'd be careful with fasting as still bfeeding. My baby is 10 m old and I'm having to watch that I don't over do it. I'm not exercising as bfeeding burns around 500cal a day so in effect on a fast day I'm not really consuming.

Good idea with the links Green, we also really need a FAQ for this thread, but not sure how we could go about that, especially as everybody has different answers! But the same questions do keep coming up.
For anyone who wants to exercise I've found strength training (stuff like press ups, squats, dumbell lifts) does not make me hungry later, I love it and what it's done for my body and can totally recommend, especially for people who are quite heavy, as less risk of injury and no undignified bouncing up and down. OK, evangelism over now :o

Hi notso, and all the other noobs and delurkers

I bf too, ds is 2 months. I havent had any problems at all. Xx

Fasting today, had nimble toast for breakfast and a cup of tea with 1% milk (genius - tastes like semi skimmed but half the fat). :-) Planning a ww ready meal mid afternoon, then I dont have to think about food again until tomorrow, which I find liberating, as a reformed fridge-botherer!

Interestingly I have found fasting this week almost impossible, gave up in fact...then went for a run yesterday and had a hunger like I have never felt before, I was so hungry I had to stop running, gorged myself on protein mostly when I got home...today my period arrives - I have been very irregular so I wasn't expecting it. Now I think my struggle may have been caused by a bit of pms and I'm going to give fasting another try next week.

Has anyone else really struggled to get through fasting during their TOM?

I was a bit hesitant BuntCadger but when I mentioned to my HV she said while she couldn't advise fasting but I would have to pretty much starving for my milk to be affected.
When I had DD we were really skint and lived on mostly shredded wheat and fruit, I lost three stone but breastfed DD was fat as butter.
With my 3 boys my weight has just stayed the same when breast feeding.
I decided if I start to feel ill on a fast day then I would eat but so far I have been fine just hungry.

Hello everyone, crikey this thread is moving fast!

As an update after my tea of mountainous veg I did crack and have a cup of tea and a plum as a snack at 9 pm. I did go for a 10 mile bike ride though as I needed to get out of they way of temptation! I felt okay but not a lot of energy which wasn't surprising really. I would say that exercising on a fast day is okay as long as you listen to your body and take it easy.

Despite being ravenous last night and not sleeping too well I wasn't too hungry this morning. I had some museli and a cup of tea and have just had egg and mushrooms for lunch. No snacks which is a first for me!!

I've only done one fast so far but for me it really seems to have kick started a bit more self control. I wonder how much the psychological aspects of this regime has an effect?

Next fast will be Tuesday, so I'm easing into it gently .

notso as far as I understand, the nutrients in the milk are taken from our own bodies, which is why it's important to keep up with a healthy diet for ourselves, or vitamin supplements if needed. The baby should be getting what it needs from your milk; it's you who needs to worry about whether or not you are getting what you need, iyswim. So I think your HV is right.

Sputnik you're right about a FAQ. :) I could include a brief one, but the summary would essentially be: your mileage may vary.

I am already taking vitamins, so far though I think I have eaten better quality calories on fast days just less of them.

PLEASE remember that 5:2 and ADF are NOT primarily about weight loss.
They are about PERMANENTLY changing the way you eat, for the rest of your life
with the aim of reducing your risk of
Stroke
Heart Attack
Alzheimers
Dementia
Joint injuries
arthritis
etc etc
THAT is why slim people keep eating this way - my BMI is 22 and I plan to eat like this for several years yet.

What does it matter what the motivation is? For some being thin is about looking good and health improvements are secondary, should they thrash themselves for being shallow?

hi lemoncurd I think I'm gaining huge psychological benefit TBH.

Even though today is non fast I have no desire to over eat, I had a healthy breakfast of wholemeal toast, fruit and yoghurt and am planning a sensible evening meal.

Even when eating out I have allowed myself desert and have been eating nan bread and poppadom along with the but haven't been doing any silly eating - I've been eating when hungry and stopped when full.

The fact that I can eat what I want has meant no desire to overeat - and the biggest psychological boost is getting into my nicer clothes again

Talkinpeace. With respect, 5:2 and ADF are about whatever the person doing them is aiming for. I'm doing this for weight loss and the health benefits are an added bonus.

We have the same BMI by the way and I would probably be classed as "a slim person", please don't try to speak for me.

Im really glad Im not the only bf'er. I wasny going to admit it because I thought people might judge. My baby is 15 months old so I can do it now, I couldnt have coped on just 500 calories in a day before now.

I want to lose weight for health reasons,
I have a dodgy knee and bad back that I know will improve if I am slimmer.
I hope my mental health will improve.
For me being overweight = feeling down = overeating, I want this to break the cycle.

DUCKS I'm a bfer too. DD is a week off 16 months and feeds on waking and before bed. (although evenings will stop at least mon-thurs this month as I'm changing jobs).

I am doing 5:2 PRIMARILY for weight loss. If I don't loose weight I will stop.

My secondary reason is because I am a high risk for diabetes.

All other health benefits are a bonus. And in any case I strongly believe that if I lost weight I would be healthier so the 2 go hand in hand anyway.

I personally would not be fasting if my BMI was 22. (but that is my personal opinion and doesn't mean I don't respect those that do)

Was going to fast today and did indeed fast til lunch, but I have a huuuge project on at the mo and DS isn't back to school til Monday (we live abroad) and is driving me mad in the way 4.5 yr olds who have been on holiday since the end of June do and DD is starting nursery, so only doing an hour here and there all week. it's been screaming manic bedlam and I couldn't face vegetables for lunch so had a small portion of what they were having rather than do another meal.
Had a serving spoon of white rice, serving spoon of pumpkin and chickpea curry and a dessert spoon of greek yoghurt. No idea how many calories, so going to try to have some fruit for tea and then fast tues and thurs next week.

yy to the psychological aspect....not feeling the need to graze or nibble biscuits and cakes all the time. Not as hungry as before either.

I would like the weight loss (bmi 30) AND the associated health benefits please.

What I would prefer is not to be on a thread where people obsess over the minutiae of 30 calories here or there, or get disheartened if they have gained half a pound, or weigh themselves every day, because I honestly think that is an unhealthy and unhelpful way to live your life. But I appreciate that this is the way many people simply are, and I am grateful that the thread is here.

I'm another one who would prefer this thread not to become solely focussed on weightloss because I don't want to get caught up in an "on a diet" mentality because that has done me no good in the past.

I understand that everyone here has their own motivations and I will happily celebrate people's weight loss with them. However, I know that it will probably take me at least 18 months to be at the sort of weight I should be so, for me, I want to focus on finding a way of eating that is sustainable in the long run so that I can gradually lose the weight and keep it off. That is part of the reason I am focussing on the health benefits because each time I fast I am doing something positive for my health even if the scales don't move.

'That is part of the reason I am focussing on the health benefits because each time I fast I am doing something positive for my health even if the scales don't move.' I agree chaz

I do want to lose weight and return to the healthy weight I was Pre children but the health benefits are huge. This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle, and one dh and I think we can adopt long term

Although if I have lost on my weigh in I'll be pleased and want to share