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! :)

[Laska42]

I really really like miso soup - have drunk it for years , only i don't buy the sachets but the jars of Clearsping barley miso..! ..

Cant bear any cup a soup at all although i didnt used to mind it .. but it might have something to do with someone once giving me a mug of tea when I was out sailing once , it was in an unwashed mug which had previously had cup a soup in it... I was feeling seasick beforehand and now even the smell of cup a soup makes me feel ill ....

[Aboutlastnight]

I admit I do chuck soy Saudi and a dab of sweet chilli sauce in to make miso more palatable. But I find it very satisfying as it is so savoury and you can chuck fish and veg intk it too.

it does seem to give me the trots though

[Aboutlastnight]

Soy Saudi? Soy sauce

[Laska42]

I was doing so well this evening but have just had a cup of frozen strawberries .. and not because I was feeling especially hungry either ..so that puts me nearer 600 than 500 now. I love to eat fruit straight from the freezer - especially frozen banana slices which taste uncannily like ice cream.

[CJCregg]

Just marking my place

[Abra1d]

Re. the consecutive days . . .

I read through all his Tweets and he said there is nothing wrong with doing consecutive days fasting but he preferred not to.

[LookBehindYou]

His article posted by GreenEggs says that should be non consecutive.

[Abra1d]

16th August

Michael Mosley ‏@DrMichaelMosley
@GailThornton the researchers do back to back days, I dont because I don't enjoy. Not sure much evidence either way.
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[GreenEggsAndNichts]

yep well it's in the Telegraph article I posted, but it's possible it's wrong, or is just repeating what the participants in that particular study did.

I don't like miso soup either. Would be lovely if I did!

The pizza we had today was proper pizza, not the oil-soaked crust which takeaways here seem to always make. I usually make my dough etc but didn't today. (I'm not low-carbing, obviously though I pretty much am on my fast days.)

Interesting about all these sore throats. I do get a feeling in my throat by the end of a fast day, but it's usually more the feeling that I'm missing eating something solid, if that makes sense. No pain.

[rosemarysage]

Hi all, I've been reading the threads and it is really encouraging me to keep going. I am now on day 15 myself of doing this sort of diet.

Including today I have had 6 fast days so far. Mostly I am finding the fast days fine but the very first one was hard, and last Monday was hard (but I wasn't feeling well anyway so that was probably the reason). I am not doing any consecutive fast days as I like to have a day or two of normal eating between them.

I'm hoping to lose about 18lbs and have lost 3lbs so far which I am very pleased about. I can't exercise due to illness so any weightloss is purely due to diet.

The thing I really like about this is that I just tell myself on the fast days that it is only for a day and can eat what I like the next day. It is not like having months looming ahead of me of being strict. In reality I think my appetite is often less overall than it was, and I am more able to tell when I am really hungry as opposed to just a little peckish, or just feel like something to eat even if not that hungry.

My diet was fairly healthy before this (I just had a bit too much of it!) so I am not eating loads of rubbish on my normal eating days. But with this diet I feel I can occasionally treat myself to cake, or take away, or eating a bit more than normal of something nice, on my feed days without feeling like I have blown the diet and set myself back.

I started this diet to kick start some weightloss, but I am also interested in the health benefits so I think I will try to do a fast-day once a week, or every second week, once I have lost the weight.

[2kidsintow]

I'm still watching the cals on the non fast days at the moment as I'm finding it tricky to know when I can manage a fast day, being off school with the kids at the moment. E.g. Today was going to be one, then we ended up out with others and at MDs for lunch. Not possible today. I've shopped today with a fast day in mind for tomorrow. If it goes well, I'm going to try and do 2 consecutive days.

I definitely find that I am not as hungry. I've dieted for the last month, and have got used to smaller portions, but hadn't managed to reduce my hunger.

After a few fasting (or even semi-fasting where I didn't eat til the evening, then had about 1000 cals), I've stopped being so hungry. I don't necessarily feel the need for something sweet to round off a meal. I don't feel as hungry as quickly. And most of all, even when I am very hungry (never light headed/headachy/sicky yet - yay) I think very carefully about what to eat. Even on non fast days I am far more likely to choose healthier meals and lighter portions.

It is a revelation! Hurrah for 5:2 even if that is the biggest outcome for me.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Just finishing my first fast day, yay. I've used MyFitnessPal to calculate the calories after seeing it recommended on here and mine come out at 468, which I don't think is too bad for a first attempt.

Really, really looking forward to eating normally tomorrow though .

[suja1983]

Well after a massive whoop whoop last week, I seem to have regained those 2lbs I lost! I fasted Saturday, yesterday and today, but did have a blow out when I was away Sunday and Monday. Having thought about it though, it is my TOTM so I'm going to be adult about it and say its probably water retention due to me starting my period today. Otherwise, steam may start coming out of my ears!!!!!

Fasting again on Friday now.

[suja1983]

Oh and with regards to going for a number 2

I go fine after an eating day. Don't go after a fasting day unless I've drunk lots of ginger and lemon tea. That could also explain my weight gain?

[dontcallmehon]

Was supposed to be fasting today, but was feeling a bit emotional, so
blew it by eating cake and chocolate . Not sure what to do now. Shall I treat tomorrow as a fast day instead?

[rowingboat]

Hi all,
I am just winding up my fourth fast day and it has been reasonable. I don't think I stuck to the calories too well, but not sure.
Got very hungry at around 8pm so had some crackers and carrot. Oh well, probably still quite a low calorie day.
Normal eating tomorrow and weigh in on Sunday, so hopefully will see some weight loss.

[2kidsintow]

You could do a fast day tomorrow. Today was going to be my fast day, but it didn't work out that way, so I'm probably going to be doing it tomorrow. That is the main reason I am still keeping an eye on my cals. I'd be concerned that I'd keep shifting my fast day until I'd not had 2 in the week. If I do manage a fast day, then I do have a feed day the next day when I don't count and have something that I've been depriving myself of while on my diet. Otherwise I stick to my cals from mfp. A bit of a hybrid.

Fingers crossed I can do my fast day tomorrow. I'm helping prepare a funeral buffet and will be around food all morning. I'm planning on skipping breakfast (always do in the hols) and then have a big drink before I go. I have my meals planned so won't cave through lack of prep. If I can hold out when around food I shall feel very virtuous.

[WilfSell]

You could always weigh yourself in the morning and then decide? Don't be sad - you can be flexible and just do another day, or half day or just stick to your original plan and carry on! Don't sweat it, honestly, the flexibility here is the key to sticking to it I reckon.

Just to say, on the period thing, that was by FAR my hardest week out of the four I've done (as well as the day I was under the weather) I'm just going to try and time my fast days for that week for after the first day of my period when I feel like shovelling cake shite. But I got through and with a bit of flexibility it got easier. I do think I need to take a supplement though as I felt very anaemic and a bit light headed that week..

[Laska42]

whoop whoop 3 lbs down! Blimey .. up early but not feeling hungry but had a banana anyway as just out on my bike .. feed day today

[Aftereightsaremine]

So had a fast day Monday & yesterday & weighed myself this am & I've PUT on a lb! Not the object if the game! Normal day today but may fast again tomorrow shall see how I feel.

[thinkfast]

Another fast day. Can I do this?

[CJCregg]

Yes you can

This week I've done Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. I'm tempted to do tomorrow as well, but I think that way madness lies.

My scales have broken so I have no idea what's going on with the weight, but I feel so much healthier - having seriously cut down on carbs and sugar, and just being forced to switch to more green veg, fish etc and drink more water - and can get more comfortably into clothes.

Fasting days are much easier to handle, and as everyone says, it's manageable because I always know that the next day I can eat more again. I've just had some porridge and fruit, and I probably won't want to eat again until mid-afternoon.

I like this system

[HeartsJandJ]

What is the split between people primarily doing this for weight loss opposed to those doing it for health benefits?

I'm wondering because it seemed to me that this was a way to keep yourself healthy longer and any weight loss was a nice side effect.

But a lot of the comments seem to be about losing/gaining a pound or so. It is a genuine question but surely if it is going to be all about weighing yourself then it is just another fad diet?

This isn't meant to be a controversial or aggressive post so please don't read it that way. We all have different motivations for what we do and none of them are wrong. I just want to understand how this is different to, say, Weightwatchers if weight loss is the ultimate aim.

[CJCregg]

I'm doing it for both outcomes. I need to lose weight and nothing else is working atm - watched the programme and was blown away by the health benefits, so if I can lose weight as well then it's a win-win. Plus I find this system much easier to follow - I hate calorie counting.

[Aftereightsaremine]

I'm actually doing it for both. I have a lot of health problems & am on so much medication that I put on weight literally just looking at food. If I can help not having any more health issues I will. Having said that I think once I have my next medical review I'll be told I'm not allowed to do fasting but will wait & see. I definitely feel better for it.