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Fasting / 5:2 diet

Talk about intermittent fasting and 5:2, including what’s worked for others. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

5:2 Diet Thread: Part Three. Come join us!

986 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 07/09/2012 15:51

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.

Here is a list of the links we've gathered so far about this diet. I hope I haven't left many out, but it was a 40 page thread! This is a good start for anyone, though:

First things first, here is a link to our previous thread, which we've outgrown. Lots of good support and ideas still to be found there.

Here is the link to the BBC article regarding Michael Mosley's findings, which was featured on Horizon.

is a link to the first part of the aforementioned Horizon, subsequent parts of that episode are linked on that page.

There is a Wiki article here which explains intermittent fasting and gives a short summary of some studies which have been done on it.

A blog post here gives some of the scientific explanation for why this way of eating helps you to not only lose weight, but improve your all-around health.

A Telegraph article which comments on the diet and gives a brief overview.

A study discussed here gives commentary specifically addressing the effect of this diet on obese people (both men and women), with regard to both health and weight loss. ("After 8 weeks of treatment, participants had an average 12.5 lbs reduction in body weight and a 4 cm decrease in waist circumference. Total fat mass declined by about 12 lbs while lean body mass remained relatively constant.) it also mentions "Plasma adiponectin, a protein hormone that is elevated in obesity and associated with heart disease, dropped by 30%. As did LDL cholesterol (25%) and triglycerides (32%).")

Important link if you are currently your ideal BMI: this appears to suggest the benefits for women at a lower BMI might not be seeing the same health benefits that are found on men at their ideal BMI.

And for those already fasting, here is a link to 100 snacks under 100 calories. :)

Another food link, here is a link to the BBC Goof Food site, with a list of low-calorie soups.

I will start a different thread just for recipe links, though, as there seems to be some demand for that.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have been contributing, btw. Most of us are new to this diet. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous thread, and they've been very helpful. Sorry if I haven't given credit where it's due, but it was just enough of a job getting them all in one post this afternoon. Wink

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

OP posts:
WhatYouLookingAt · 13/09/2012 20:05

Does anyone know of any meal plans online for this diet? I am terrible at counting calories and keeping track and would love to have a load of options set out that I can just pick from, knowing where I am each day.

Thanks

rachelblythe · 13/09/2012 20:08

Hi everyone, feed day for me today.been lovely. I did make some cauliflower 'rice' earlier today to go with a chicken curry and have to say that I didn't make a noticeable difference that it wasn't actually rice, which was a pleasant surprise. Fast day tomorrow and I've got some hot Quorn chilli that I batch made a couple of weeks ago and froze.definitely going to have this with some more cauliflower rice. It's a big portion and should only come in at 300 calories, so may even have a frozen berry fruit smoothy later in the day :)

Sputnik · 13/09/2012 20:13

The BBC site has loads of recipes calorie counted for you.
Jillian's killer buns sounds awesome, I am a shredder too, when I'm not doing strength training.
Dinner tonight was veg curry with chickpeas, really nice.

Laska42 · 13/09/2012 20:34

Betty i've not tried the one with sea vegetables so cant say ..but will look for it . Mine comes in a jar and is quite expensive (about £5.50 last time i got it) so make sure you like miso first and lasts a long time as you only use a spoon full but keeps ages in the fridge

.. its also nice for marinating tofu with some ginger and garlic ..If you've not had it before Tofu is one of those love it or hate it things.. Its made from soy beans , is low calorie and i think its nice in stir fry if its marinated (otherwise doesnt really taste of anything) ,, Though you can buy it already marinated in places like sainsburys as well as H&B.

beamme · 13/09/2012 20:40

bettybutter Skinny Soup's are my absolute favorites! The one's from Glorious are gorgeous. I had North African Spiced Vegetable today, tasted great and ridiculously low in calories.

rachelblythe · 13/09/2012 20:41

Haven't got a clue what all this talk about shedding it was, so just googled it and ordered a copy of the fitness DVD from Amazon. I don't do much exercise at the moment since returning back to work from maternity leave 6 months ago.I do the odd 5ish mile walk with the pushchair there and back to my sisters house (2.5 each way). It sounds like hard work, but I'm sure I can commit to a 20 minute work out at least 3 times a week, just means getting up earlier...is it worth it? Will I see results? I've got Davina DVD from about 3 years ago and it's still in the cellophane-oops

GreenEggsAndNichts · 13/09/2012 20:42

hm well am sipping a cup of soup (it's cold enough for it now!) and am discovering "Shropshire" style pea soup seems to involve mint. Hmm I'm not excited about this discovery but it's a nice evening drink on a fast day.

I've had two coffees (I lol'd at the comment someone made above that if she had to give up caffeine, she'd be scuppered!) some veg for dinner and now this cup of soup. I'll be about 400 for the day.

Tomorrow shall be eating and possibly Saturday as well as I'll be attending a conference. So, a rare Sunday fast day this weekend, I think. :)

OP posts:
rowingboat · 13/09/2012 20:42

Hi all hope all the fasters are all going strong, if not, it's almost bedtime!
I'm having a normal day today post fast day. Had a weigh in and have lost 1lb, which seems a bit measly, so have eaten a good 5 biscuits today amongst other things - I'll show that stupid 5:2 fasting who's in charge around here! [delusional face]
Oh well!
I can feel a difference, particularly on my thighs so it is doing something. This is a long-term plan s'pose.
@
Laksa what happened? You accidentally fasted? Time for a tin of Pringles? Smile

GreenEggsAndNichts · 13/09/2012 20:44

rachel The Shred is a compact, proper boot camp style workout. It's 20 minutes but it's quality minutes, not a lot of dancing around etc which other DVDs tend to do. You should definitely at least remove the cellophane Grin

OP posts:
rowingboat · 13/09/2012 20:45

Sorry my iPad keeps turning your name into Laksa it doesn't like Laska. Oh it let me do that one. It must be me then! Blush

Skinnyeye · 13/09/2012 20:47

Hi all Week 2 fast 2 today and feeling good. Fast days are getting much easier but I'm struggling to eat enough on the other days and now using my calorie counting app to make sure I am eating enough - never thought I would ever have to say that!! A few of my colleagues are 5:2ing now with a few more looking into it. Life is good the only slight down side is that I will have to buy new clothes soon as I can hardly hold up my work trousers.

Laska42 · 13/09/2012 20:54

dont worry rowingboat didnt forget , but ijust felt I felt up for it this morning after all so just went for it ..

But i've promised myself a big eating weekend.. I fancy a big roast pork dinner with apple sauce and cracking!! and Wine of course .
(oops shouldn't have written that.. my tummy just set off a big rumble..Smile

Laska42 · 13/09/2012 20:58

actually RB many years ago when i was thinking of an 'internet name I meant have Laksa because i loved eating it and still do ., but then I discovered a while later that id spelt it wrong! Duh! But its kind of stuck.. then a Czech friend told me it meant 'cute girl' in Czech so im happy with it , because ( well yes ...of course .) I AM cute!! GrinGrin)

Abra1d · 13/09/2012 21:07

I am now into week four of 5:2. Today was a fast day and I didn't eat anything until 5pm. If I possibly can wait until this late, it works well for me as I can enjoy a more 'normal' meal in the evening.

It certainly does seem a good way of losing weight. I have nagged (his word) tried to talk to (my version) my husband for two years now about his increasing girth to no avail, until he heard the Blessed Michael on Radio 4 and finally decided he would do something about his weight. He has lost about six or seven pounds and already looks much better. Calorie counting has also reinforced a few points I have been making for some years about his general, everyday, calorie intake being too high (ie, he does not need 'a proper pudding' every single night just because that's what he had when he was growing up in the North of Scotland living on a farm).

I am doing the 5:2 to keep him company and for the health benefits as I don't particularly need to lose weight (though I have lost about three or four pounds). How long do you think it would take to see a difference in cholesterol, insulin levels etc?

Mintyy · 13/09/2012 21:09

Evening everyone, just checking in and marking my place. My 5th fast day today. I feel empty rather than hungry, so can't complain. Had a slight unexpected hitch today: we have builders here and my cleaner came today so I decided to get away from the madness and go out for lunch at about 2pm. I went to my favourite local vegetarian cafe, intending to have soup, but unfortunately it was a soup I just don't like Sad. I didn't have enough money for a salad so I had scrambled eggs on toast. It came with 3 small slices of beautiful wholemeal toast, and I ate two of them. I was quite happy to leave the third slice but on a non-fast day I would definitely have eaten the third piece, no question. Have had a 100 calorie bowl of soup for dinner. If I haven't managed to go as low as 500 today then I reckon I'm not far off!

Looking forward to feed day tomorrow Grin.

BuntCadger · 13/09/2012 21:17

End of 2nd fast day of week 5! Done total of 11 fasts as first week was 4-3 then 5-2's. Might do 4-3 this week as dh away weekend so would be easy on Saturday. Lost 11lb so far Smile 2lb again this week

catsrus · 13/09/2012 21:27

Had a 'normal' day today - lunch out with colleagues, two of whom know I'm doing this, so friendly comment about it clearly being a non-fast day... turned out one of the others is also doing it and was also, clearly, on a non-fast day too Grin. Another colleague who was very Hmm about it when I first mentioned it told me that her neighbour is doing it and also losing weight so I think she's a bit more convinced now Smile

It still feels very strange to be able to eat pasta and cheese and pudding and yet still lose weight. Anyway, fast day tomorrow, a nice veggie stew I think Grin

Skinnyeye · 13/09/2012 21:34

catsrus Isn't it funny when the people who thought you were crazy a few weeks ago are now jumping onto the 5:2 bandwagon? Just as well there's plenty of room for all :)

mommybunny · 13/09/2012 21:52

Finished first day today and didn't crack. Had lots of diet coke and water, the diet coke mainly to combat the awful ketosis-breath that I remember so well from Atkins days. Very proud of DH too as he also (says he) kept it up, just having 2 wafer thin slices of salami during the day till dinner. I am still so hungry.

But I can't wait till tomorrow! Next fast isn't till Tuesday, hope we can keep the momentum till then.

mrsdrb · 13/09/2012 22:36

Hi everyone, good to see success stories.

I am on week 4, second fast day of the week. Had no food today til teatime, then had veg with chicken which I had cooked with some red pesto on top, it was yummy, dds' had same with lots of extra carrots, which they loved. Felt some waves of hunger but nothing too bad,

Overall I think I may be eating too little on non/fast days and thus slowing metabolism, will keep an eye on that over next week. Meeting friend for breakfast - looking forward to nice grub, though suspect like other post-fast days appetite will be surpressed.

Weight this morning was 10st 13, overall have lost 3 lb

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 13/09/2012 23:33

hate that the time zone means everyone else is tucked up in bed when I'm in the final part of my day. Huger not too bad, had a whopping miso soup for lunch at just 150kcal...looking forward to baked eggs for dinner and then eating normally again til Monday!

Katisha · 13/09/2012 23:36

Not really working in terms of weight loss for me. Ok have lost 4 lb in 6 weeks but was hoping for something quicker.no idea if there are other benefits - not feeling particularly alert or anything!

Lagartijadoesthecrazyshake · 14/09/2012 06:43

Just done my 7th fast day yesterday in a little over 2 weeks (I did 4, 3 the first 2 weeks). Weighed myself today even though I'm not supposed to til tues if I'm weighing every week, and down another pound, so that's 7 llbs in 2.5 weeks.
fast day fine, not even all that hungry. GOing to do 5,2 from now as back to going out to work on Monday and not sure I can manage 3 fasts a week (or even2...we'll see).

HorryWinwood · 14/09/2012 06:46

This WOE is really making me assess how i have eaten in the past, and i am actually quite disgusted with myself. Traditionally I have always followed diets that allow you to eat as much as possible, such as SW and Atkins so I wouldnt feel "deprived"! Stuff myself like a pig more like and then when i have returned to "normal" eating I have carried on eating the huge amounts. It really hit home yesterday when I was out for breakfast. I ended up with a plate of 3 pancakes with apple. I was about halfway through the second one when I was thinking god i am really full, but I carried on eating! After a few more mouthfuls I started thinking what am I doing???? A lifetime of clearing my plate (especially if you are paying for it!) has done a lot of damage. I ended up leaving the rest and felt very proud of myself, I have most definitely turned a corner with my eating habits.
Another fast day for me today and it feels good, especially after feeling so full yesterday, its kind of like a cleansing feeling if that makes sense.
DP starts 4:3 today and my parents have also decided to give it a go as well.

rachelblythe · 14/09/2012 07:44

Morning all! Fast day for me today, third and final one of the week,I do 4:3. End of week 5. Not lost any weight in a couple of weeks but as I have said before, based on eating out over last couple of weeks, would ordinarily have definitely gained. DH got home from nights this morning and we was having a cuddle, he commented on how great my body is looking :)

i would like to lose another 4lb, this takes me to my wedding weight 4 years ago, but to be honest I know this is going to be slow to go as I have so little left to lose. I will be even happier as an interim to lose another 1lb, as that knocks me back under the 9st mark again, which always feels like a milestone. I have found maintaining a weight sub 9st quite difficult on the past, as it's meant I have had to sacrifice things like avoiding meals out, drinking much, etc. I'm really looking forward to this not being the case on my new WOE.

Feeling really good about my body at the moment so much so that I have booked in to start work on a new tattoo that I have been wanting for ages, but it's a garter belt for around my thigh and didn't feel quite like my body was in a good enough shape to show it off (not that I would be flaunting it about, lol). Work starts on it on Monday, but is going to take around 6-8 hours so will take about a month to complete, by which time I'm expecting to have lost maybe another couple of lbs

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