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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:
OHforDUCKScake · 14/09/2012 08:49

Does anyone else only weigh themselves after a fast day? Thats what Ive been doing and Ive gone from 10.5 to 10.1

BUT its my 3rd fast day today so weighed myself in the morning out if interest and Im 10.5

Does that mean I havent really lost any weight at all?
My muffin top has definitely gone down.

Also to add for fast days quinoa, had anyone suggested this already?
You can eat TONNES of it for very little calories. Its a super food too, rammed full of vitamins and minerals, it has more protein per ounze than steak. Its lovely with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper.

OHforDUCKScake · 14/09/2012 08:51

Its 105calories per 90g. Compared to brown rice for example which is 351 calories per 100g.

Aboutlastnight · 14/09/2012 08:54

WaS just talking about this to DP. My weight fluctuates but overall is going down. However yesterday morning I was 10st 1lb and today after fasting I was 10 st 4lbs!

But I feel thinner, dP says I look thinner all over. I definitely have less fat all over.

It's weird.

OHforDUCKScake · 14/09/2012 09:05

Yes my DP says the same.

We sound almost identical!

MandaHugNKiss · 14/09/2012 09:47

I will chime in on the scales showing no/very little weight loss indeed over the last few weeks... yet DF said last night I'm looking very svelte! Strange phenomenon going on here or else we just have super-lovely DPs who like to boost our self esteem with compliments? Grin

To be honest, I'm perfectly happy for 5:2 to be my maintenance woe for now and I'll happily take the health benefits, thankyouverymuch! When it comes to me wanting to lose a few lbs (as I will when DS3 is a bit older - I'm currently fluctuating between 60.8 and 61.9 over the course of the week and at some point would like to get back down to pre DS2 weight of 58kg) I shall do 4:3 for a while.

DF is merrily, easily, losing weight without feeling too whilst getting roaring drunk the last few saturdays deprived. But I have counselled him on the 'too few calories' on eating days as I've noticed he can tend towards being 'good' or 'careful' and as we've all seen (if not ourselves, then anecdotally) it can lead to stalling of weight loss, fasts becoming 'harder/irritability increasing and phycologicaly the whole 'i'm on a diet, I feel deprived' feeling inching in...

Well, fast day for me/us. We both have a sore throat and feel a bit under the weather but I doubt it'll get in the way, as it were.

(oh, and update on my bp/pulae. Took it yesterday evening whilst relaxed, after two eating days. 98/65 pulse 77. I'm going to do it again this evening (hopefully relaxed!) after fasting to see if I see the big drop in pulse/slight increase in bp again... then ponder some more what it all means!)

moosemama · 14/09/2012 09:48

This is why we shouldn't weigh more than once a week, less if possible.

You can fluctuate several pounds overnight simply due to water retention or loss and I know from experience, that after a particularly salty meal when I was trying to lose weight last year I gained 6lbs, which took a good week to dissipate.

I also hold onto weight for about a week and a half before my TOTM and then drop double my usual weightloss half way through the following week. I think we all have weightloss patterns that differ according to our own bodies/metabolisms etc and it takes a while to get to know our own bodies' foibles, iyswim.

I am guilty of weighing too regularly as well. I forced myself not to this morning, as Sunday is my weigh in day and I am determined not to weigh myself again until then. I stupidly weighed myself after my first fast day and found I'd gained a pound, got all annoyed, then gave myself a good talking to. Blush Grin

I don't think I'm expecting to see a loss this week, as my body is a stubborn brute and will probably have a bit of a tantrum while it gets used to the new way of eating. Oddly, I do feel slimmer though and my jeans are definitely looser, as I've had to go in a notch on my belt. I'm thinking that could be down to eating less bread/wheat based products?

Fast day number 3 for me today and not hungry so far. Have had a decaff coffee with skimmed milk and will have some porridge late morning, then a salad for my evening meal.

Going to try and make a conscious effort to drink more water today, as I think I dehydrated myself on my last fast day.

OHforDUCKScake · 14/09/2012 09:56

Moosemama I made that mistake the first fast day, I drank a lot of water the second fast day and didnt feel anywhere near as rotten.

HappyOrchid · 14/09/2012 10:07

Horry I definitely second what you are saying. On eating days (today is one) I have found that I am making far healthier choices, not snacking as much and feeling fill sooner.

A couple of times I have eaten late on a feed day, an amount that I would have previously polished off no problem, and then lain in bed feeling full to burst. Have learned my lesson and now eat slower and stop when I'm full.

I am losing weight slowly, but this WOE is really suiting me. I can fit it around the many business trips I have to make.

Also not having forbidden / bad foods I find that although I can have them I choose not to, because they will be available another day. I don't feel the need to wolf down naughty foods. This WOE has really for the first time ever in many years of dieting actually made me stop and think what I'm putting into my body rather than just blindly following an eating plan IYSWIM.
So even though the weight loss is slow (hoping it will speed up a bit when I get back to normal gym routine) I'm certainly hoping the other health benefits will be evident.

GreenEggsAndNichts · 14/09/2012 10:14

An eating day here. Yesterday was my one-month mark of being on this diet, and I'm just a smidge shy of 10 lbs lost since I started. I'm very pleased with this, and suspect I shall continue at 4:3 until the end of October at least. If I stay at approximately the same weight loss, I should be close to my pre-baby (cough, baby is 3 now) weight. Though I'm not trying to count chickens and all that, I'm just pleased with the current progress. :) If it slows a bit, that's fine as well; this WOE really seems to suit me.

As for weighing in, I know some have asked about weight after fast days, or eating days for a more accurate result, etc. I would just say to pick a time of day (morning is good, before you've eaten/ had a drink) and just be consistent as to whether or not you're weighing after a fast or eating day. I know weighing after a fast day will give you a slightly lower weight, but it's not the number you need to be concerned with, it's the question of whether or not that number is lower than last week's, iyswim. If you weighed after a Monday fast day this week, then weigh again next week after a Monday fast day.

At least, that's my take on it. I know I weighed x when I started, and I know I weigh y now, both measurements taken on the same scales. What the actual number is doesn't concern me as much as the fact that it's a smaller number now. Grin

And yes, absolutely, there are variations in weight over the course of time, whether due to water retention, constipation, time of the month, whatever. I try not to weigh myself too often.

OP posts:
ILoveLemonCurd · 14/09/2012 10:18

What a lovely DH you rachelblythe I recently chopped my hair off and went from blonde to brunette and my DH didn't notice Hmm. well I suspect he noticed, just couldn't be arsed to say anything!

After my fast yesterday I snuck in the scales this morning and they haven't moved from the weekend but I am 1lb down overall, so can't complain. I suppose as this is a long term health plan I can't lose weight too rapidly or it would be unhealthy to keep going. I am at the top end of a healthy BMI.

I am still wobbling over whether to just fast one day a week. I feel a bit stuffy in the head today, but then I am under house arrest with two chicken poxed children so that doesn't help. I NEED FRESH AIR!

At least I can eat today. Left over curry for lunch and I can't wait but I lurve leftovers Grin.

notso · 14/09/2012 10:20

I am feelng good at the moment, had a great fast day yesterday.
Had only water and tea and a frazzle DS2 fed me until dinner at 6.30 which was pasta with tomato and basil sauce. Wasn't too hungry all day, I put my pasta in a small bowl and ate it slowly and felt really satisfied afterwards.
It was lovely today to have pancakes with DC and not feel guilty about it.

Mintyy · 14/09/2012 10:40

I don't have any scales at the moment but know I have lost weight (started on 1st September) because my bra feels more comfortable and the waistband on one of my skirts is looser. I don't feel the need to weigh myself at all ... as we can see, a lb on here or there can depress you (one) disproportionately. I might step on the scales again when I can get into a certain pair of jeans which I haven't been able to wear since I gave up smoking 4 years ago Blush.

Mintyy · 14/09/2012 10:41

P.S. Feed day for me. I have to be out over lunch time today so had an early brunch - ham, cheese and coleslaw sandwich on olive bread. Scrummy.

ThinkICan · 14/09/2012 11:08

OHforDUCKScake - I too weigh myself after a fast day, and after a 50 minute walk. Am too scared to do so after a feed day! And yes - I weigh myself after every fast day. Should stop I know. It will be terrible if I find I've gained a pound instead of losing! Hoping my BP will improve too - saw that it was 150/90 yesterday and hoping to bring it down before getting an official check-up and having my doctor look down his nose at me Blush.

mommybunny · 14/09/2012 11:21

I'm on feed day after first fast day yesterday. I wasn't as ravenous as I thought I'd be when I woke up, though even after brushing and flossing still had that awful breath! Had my normal breakfast of a bowl of cereal and milk first thing and a banana mid-morning, feel great. Breath much better now!

I hadn't watched the Horizon programme (found out about the 5:2 plan on the Telegraph website) but I found it on YouTube and watched it this morning. Very eye-opening. My DH has diabetes and prostate cancer in his family and he is a little overweight and constantly moaning about how he needs to do something about it, but he has no willpower (as a teen and young adult he never needed it, but now we're in our 40s weight is much more stubborn). I really really want this to work as much for his sake as for mine. We deserve long, healthy, active lives and I'm really hoping this will give them to us while also allowing us to enjoy the food and wine that have given us so much pleasure during our time together. I would so love being out of the mindset that when I see something I might like to eat I have to think "oohh, looks good but I can't have that!" I was last free of that when I was pregnant and breastfeeding and it felt so good. Life is so dreary when you feel you will never have that freedom again.

OHforDUCKScake · 14/09/2012 12:13

What does WOE stand for?

GreenEggsAndNichts · 14/09/2012 12:18

Way Of Eating :)

OP posts:
BorisJohnsonsHair · 14/09/2012 12:41

Eating day for me - my first fast was yesterday and I was surprisd at how easy it seemed (but it's early days I know). Have had yoghurt with strawberries, almonds and pumpkin seeds for breakfast and a quarter baguette with prawns and cucumber for lunch. Not incredibly low in terms of calories, but healthy enough, I think.

A big THANK YOU to you GreenEggs for starting and taking charge of this thread - it's great.

RevealYourselfTinySongstress · 14/09/2012 12:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BIWI · 14/09/2012 12:47

Interesting blog from Dr Briffa about IF - suggests that high fat might be better

I don't know if the fasting or brutal sessions back at the gym, or just being more vigilant about my eating overall, has done it, but I have dropped 1.75 lbs since Monday.

Grin yay!

TalkinPeace2 · 14/09/2012 13:00

well done BIWI - are you still cutting out almost all carbs?
Higher fat diets - without other calorie restrictions - are probably better for younger more active people.
The trouble with a lot of research is that its done on either animals or university students, not the middle aged Mums who have the weight to lose!

BIWI · 14/09/2012 13:10

Oh yes - he makes that very clear - that we can't conclude too much because this was a study using mice.

I'm still low carbing, yes. But also keeping my own activity levels up as much as I can.

mommybunny · 14/09/2012 13:34

Feed day after first fast day yesterday and just got home from a pub lunch with DH, scampi and chips, glass of wine AND creme brulee for pud! Feel absolutely stuffed now, but I had expected some kind of message to stop earlier than I did (ie before I had the next-to-last-scampi!), and didn't...

I hope this is normal...

WilfSell · 14/09/2012 13:41

Fasting today and dashing in at 'lunchtime'. Get much more time to MN now I don't have to eat for lunch Grin

I'm still losing - have gone down a bit each day this week even after feed days. Have done 2 clear fasts plus then I fast on Fri/Sun daytime, eating normally in the evening, and don't worry at all about Saturday! I figure this adds up to my 3 days.

V interested to see the low carb version of this and would appreciate feedback on how it goes; I'm low carbing anyway on fast days, but would be interesting to see how it interacts with a high fat, medium protein feed day. Would be something I'd consider short term, though for my long term way of thinking, eating carbs on feed days helps me. I totally get the not wanting to count calories - after low carbing, and knowing how little the body really 'needs' carbs, even though I don't think in moderation they are 'poison' either - it is awful to try and squeeze every last obsessive calorie out. By sticking to mostly veg and a tiny bit of protein on fast days, I think I'm solving this.

No idea what I'm going to eat for dinner tonight though. Am thinking of salad and will perhaps push boat out with some chicken or salmon. The main issue for me - especially if family are having something different - is finding easy, quick nutritious things. And by quick I mean 'no cooking' Grin. Your suggestions for fast day meals that are nutritious but for lazy cows welcome.

WilfSell · 14/09/2012 13:43

When I say 'eating normally' eg on Fri evenings I mean low cal salad etc, protein plus a whole shedload of wine and chocolate, obv... Grin That is NORMAL for the weekend, right?