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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:
GreenEggsAndNichts · 17/09/2012 10:02

ooh alright they were general comments. Yes, makes sense now. Was just wondering if I was missing a post here. :)

My starter is only a couple of years old. It was started by some art students at the local Uni with the tag line that they were spreading the "culture" of our town. ha, ha! Wink Works well enough, though. And I enjoy the faff of making it, though sometimes I just break out a yeast packet if I'm pressed for time.

OP posts:
ChazsGoldAttitude · 17/09/2012 10:17

Laska - good post

I am one of those caught in the conundrum of needing to lose quite a lot of weight but finding that a strong focus on dieting and calorie counting is counterproductive in the long run as I get resentful of the daily restriction and start obsessing about what I can eat rather than if I am hungry.

This WOE seems to suit me better so far. Yesterday I really wanted bread and peanut butter but I was fasting so I told myself I could have it today if I wanted. Now I am not bothered about it and may or may not have some today. For me, knowing that I can eat what I want often takes away the desire to eat "treats" etc because there aren't any forbidden foods. I had a slice of cake with DH and the children on Saturday and it was lovely, the rest of the cake sat on a plate in the kitchen for the remainder of the day (the children finished it on Sunday) and it didn't occur to me to pick at it because I was allowed to eat it if I wanted to.

Fasted on Sunday and went for a (not very long) run. I have moved down a size in my trousers so it seems to be working. Eating day today and a trip to the gym.

QuaintIrene · 17/09/2012 10:20

I have just started the 5:2 plan. First fast day was on Friday -- it didn't go too badly. I felt very energised over the following two days (both eating). Today's my second fast day and am this time trying to do 16 hours without food (so first meal will be a noon). Impatient to see results! Good luck out there.

TellMeLater · 17/09/2012 10:31

laska I have no idea what the aim of your post was. Was it a philosophical rant?

I have a BMI of 21 and I want to lose another half stone - will it make much difference to how I look - a very definite YES for me! Would anyone else notice, maybe not, who cares? I do this for me, because I like how it feels when I get dressed and I like how I look with no muffin top, no bulging thighs, no pot belly. After having lost 1.5 stones, people ask whether i would like to lose more and if I'm honest about wanting to lose half a stone (because I've taken to just saying no so that they shut up), they ask but then they seem to think i want their approval or opinion. They often become quite irritated with my vanity in wanting to have smaller thighs. I don't need someone telling me I don't need to lose weight, I'm an adult, I have a mother already, I do not have a borderline eating disorder, I did not ask for anyone's opinion on my body shape/size and I don't want it, i am not fishing for compliemnts, because it will make no difference to the fact that I want to be size 8 period and I want this for me, not dh, not for anyone, because quite simply clothes look better on me when I am skinny and that is what I want to be regardless of what anyone else says. Smile

meagain9 · 17/09/2012 10:55

Returning to 5:2 fasting as a long term WOE I thought I would share a healthy & filling recipe for fast days.
allotment2kitchen.blogspot.ch/2011/03/beetroot-and-quinoa-burgers.html?m=1

They are really tasty. I adapt the recipe slightly & add paprika, use plain flour( that is what I had in the cupboard) and I cook them in the oven as I prefer them that way. Have just made a batch to freeze for next couple of fast days. They came out as 90 calories each. And will be fab with a homemade salad or coleslaw.

Laska42 · 17/09/2012 11:19

TML
perhaps it was.. i did philosophy at uni! so perhaps ive just had too much to think !!

I do respect your choice and that of others , Believe me im not trolling. or suggesting to want to be thinner is vanity or even that is a totally bad thing (you should see my credit card bill for the lovely new clothes i cant seem to stop buying now i can wear them !!.. .)

Neither was i saying that wanting to be a certain size is tantamount to having a borderline eating disorder or anything else . I was a just bit concerned that earlier on the discussion seemed to be more pointing more towards people wanting to be thinner as the main deal for this WOE (and I am NOT sugesting it was you or anyone in particular.) I was just adding (my probably clunky) twopenneth on things people had postd about this not being an ideal WOE for people who may have had problems with unecessary calorie restrition .. As greeneggspointed out ,no one actually said that ) . But i do know that i have those tendencies in the past myself

i've struggeld all my life with my weight and my feelings of not being good enough because id idnt weigh such and such. or fit into some things . If anyone its probably me who could be said to have an eating disorder .. and now i'm just so pleased to have found something that finally seems to be getting me off the weight loss , weight gain, guilt, self loathing treadmill.

I'm not trying to suggest that anyone else is like me.. just musing on society and its often unattainable strictures on how we 'should ' look, and because i know the misery it can cause ..and has caused me in the past

In friendship L

NotInMyDay · 17/09/2012 11:41

Good morning all,

Can I join you? I've been reading the links that GreenEggs put up and have watched the documentary. I'm going to do 5:2 and today is my first fast day. I'm going to have a meal at about 2pm.
I am drinking lots of peppermint tea and really enjoying it for its own sake.

I will be walking to and from school each day as normal but would like to Shred 3 times a week too. Should I do this on eat days?

GreenEggsAndNichts · 17/09/2012 11:46

NotIn welcome! Personally, I'd keep the Shred for eating days for your first week or so. The first fast day or two can be tough, but most of us have found it gets easier after that. I could Shred now on a fast day, though at the moment I'm quite active doing other things so I haven't been (suspect I'll dust it off in the colder months, though!)

Good luck with your first fast day! There's a lot of support here. :)

OP posts:
ThinkICan · 17/09/2012 12:15

Thanks Laska for your inputs. I'm at 186 pounds for a 5'5" height, so weight loss is something I look forward to. Lots of weight piled on after my hysterectomy and always had a weight problem. Just hoping to get healthy with help from you and Greeneggs and all the good souls here. Grin

HappyOrchid · 17/09/2012 12:22

Hello to all the newbies. Lots of support.

Laska I like your thinking, I get that you were musing aloud. I started this WOE for the many health benefits that might come out of it.

I have also struggled all my life woth my weight. From being a young teenager where I was always paired up with the other 'fat' kid. Even though when I look back I was 5'2" and weighed around 8½ stone. I'd be so happy to be there now.

When I got to 17 I left school and discovered exercise. I got down to 7st 6lb and it wasn't good. At my heaviest (when not pregnant) I got up to 12st 5lb. It was miserable.

I like this WOE because if I calories restrict 3 days a week and eat whatever I like * the other four days I'm losing slowly. I need to lose 6lb to have a normal BMI, which my doctor has nagged my about every time I;ve seen her, even if its been to take DD. Wouldn't mind, but I'm easily in size 12 skiny jeans and I look in the mirror and think I'm not that bad, but maybe I'm fooling myself.

  • Eat what I like = now I'm conscious of what I'm eating on fasting days I don't feel the need to stuff myself silly when its and eating day.

I look to this thread for such musings and enjoy that the thought processes are similar to my own and I'm not the only one Grin

TalkinPeace2 · 17/09/2012 12:24

Another fast day today
Housework is an excellent alternative to lunch!
that and black coffee.

Mintyy · 17/09/2012 12:41

I agree with your musings too Laska. What I fear more than anything else (even more than being 2 stone overweight) is to slip back into the sort of exhausting, obsessive fretting about my weight that I did in my teens (and the associated binge-eating and weight gain). I don't actually think I will ever go down that road again because I am so very much older and wiser.

I would be quite happy to get to bmi 25 - I think that's at the top end of normal - which is about 9 stone 12. But as I am only 5'2" I expect many people would think I looked like a great fat lump at that weight as 5'2" women in the entertainment industry probably all weigh about 2 stone less. But I don't care, I just want to be healthy Smile.

Fasting today after a weekend of cake and pizza amongst other yummy things to celebrate ds's birthday.

I am making carrot and coriander soup for dinner from the BBC Good Food website, which I have found a great resource for low calorie interesting recipes.

katykuns · 17/09/2012 13:12

I am having a think about my 5:2 diet planning, as I work nights and this really is not helpful to fasting days, it mucks up my body a bit. Especially as I have only recently returned to work and am taking shifts all over the place. I have decided that I am going to deliberately make my fasting days Tues and Thurs when I am not working.
Is anyone else setting their days for the week around work? As long as I don't have consecutive days I am okay to do this I take it?

I am feeling anxious that I am not losing weight, I don't feel any different. I know I am only on week 2, but I have this horrid feeling that I am going to get my expectations up too much and be really disappointed when I get on the scales (trying to weigh myself monthly).
Think I am just having a 'downer day'... lol

catsrus · 17/09/2012 13:13

another one here who likes Laska's musing, muse away!

It's the flexibility I like, today was supposed to be a fast day in my grand plan, but I was up all night with cough / sore throat and feel lousy - so having a non-fast day instead and will fast on Weds and Friday this week. So, no guilt at my (wholemeal) toast and marmite for lunch as that's what I feel like having and I'm poorly

the weight is coming off more slowly now but the trend is still downwards and, sickness aside, I'm feeling good. Most importantly it seems like this is something I can use to keep my weight stable.

TellMeLater · 17/09/2012 13:19

laska I suppose my point is that it doesn't matter how many times you and others try to drive home the point that you would like to fast for health reasons primarily with weightloss as a secondary consideration, people will follow this diet for their own reasons and if that is primarily weightloss why the hell not? I'm interested in other peoples view as to why they are approaching this but I get mildly irked when they try to insist however subtly that people approach it they way they do. Not sure why this issue keeps coming up on these threads, not sure why if you are approaching this from a health point of view, you feel everyone else should to the same.

Most important thing IMO is that we on this thread support each other to reach whatever goal we chose for ourselves, not that we spend time judging each others motives. Smile

Mitchdafish · 17/09/2012 13:47

I woke up this morning with sudden urge to fast for the first time. Must be the Paul Mackenna track kicking in ;-) Have just managed to eat a bit of soup for lunch as Dad was here and I couldn't face explaining... Said I would eat the donut later! So I browsed and found this thread (s) - marvellous as always. Will see how it goes. Thanks for inspiring me everyone.

tumbletumble · 17/09/2012 13:47

Can I sit on the fence and agree with both of you? I enjoyed Laska's musings, but I'd also fully support TellMeLater in her aim to lose that final half stone. Good luck to both of you and to everyone else on this thread Smile

I've been doing 5:2 for 2 weeks and lost 4lb so far. Yay!

MandaHugNKiss · 17/09/2012 13:58

Perhaps, TML it's not exactly that anyone is saying how you should approach this way of eating (or indeed what your motivation should be) but more that it has been studied as a way of extending life/improving health and, for the most part, weight loss can come about as a side effect. Not everyone will lose weight. Some will lose weight but very, very slowly (I've only dropped a pound over the last three weeks AND I'm breastfeeding so in theory using more calories per day). I think the musing was just to reiterate that whilst you may lose weight, this woe isn't an actual 'weight-loss diet' with the end result being weight loss.

I'd be interested in a study that followed a group who actually were only primarily aiming to lose weight - to see if, once they reach their 'target' what happens then? Traditionally, a 'dieter' will reach their target, then tend to slowly (or quickly!) revert to their old habits that meant weight gain and, lo, there will be weight gain again. Does eating this way for a period of time truly 'reset' appetite and inhibit overeating or will those benefits fall away once the fasts are removed from day to day life? That would be interesting.

I think, all that's being said is that:

As a 'weight-loss diet' this may not work and if it does, it may be a slow steady plod over a long period of time. That, if you're approaching as a 'weight-loss diet' rather than a way of life then that's ok but perhaps you're likely to regain just as you would with any other traditional 'diet' when you stop once you reach your target weight. Nobody is saying that you shouldn't approach as a weigh-loss diet. Just to bear these things in mind (and so avoid disappointment when the scales move slowly, or infruriatingly won't move or even jump up sometimes).

I don't think voicing that makes anyone unsupportive - surely, it's more supportive and caring, for want of a better word, to add these cautionary caveats to newcomers who may or may not be jumping aboard thinking woo hoo - finally I will lose lots of weight easily!

TellMeLater · 17/09/2012 14:04

Fwiw this is my 6th week on the 5:2 diet and I haven't lost an ounce - so I am doing this for the potential health benefits because for me there is no weight loss.

tumbletumble · 17/09/2012 14:07

How long have you been trying to lose that last half stone? If you have been trying hard for ages using different methods then maybe it really isn't how your body is meant to be?? (Still supportive of you btw!)

BurningBright · 17/09/2012 14:07

Hi All. May I join you? Have been following this thread since it started and have decided to start doing 5:2 to see how it goes. I have about a stone and a half - the last of my baby weight - to get rid of.

(Can it still be called 'baby weight' after six years?)

I tried a version of IF, with some success, for a few weeks about three months ago, before I saw the Horizon programme. But I scuppered myself while on holiday by drinking vast quantities of alcohol consuming too many calories and never quite managed to get back into the swing of it. I'm hoping that the moral support of this thread will help me keep on track.

Today is my first fast day. Veg soup for lunch and planning a small piece of poached salmon and loads of steamed veg for supper. So far, so good...

TellMeLater · 17/09/2012 14:10

I have lost it and it's popped back on again. It may be that I'm closer to my "maintenance" weight now...hope not!

katykuns · 17/09/2012 14:11

I have been feeling run down, gungy, sore throat etc too catsrus... hope you feel better soon! I think it's going around now the kids are back at school and sharing the germs lol.

Who cares the reasons people are doing this 'diet' for? I am just pleased that it's working for so many of them :) The Horizon docu showed it could be used for both improving your health/age longitivity AND weight loss. The best thing is it's not really a diet in many ways, its a way of eating everyone can stick to. It's also adaptable and less rigid. I am sure many of the people on here that are here for weight loss, will continue doing it out of routine once they have lost the weight.

katykuns · 17/09/2012 14:13

TML - what if you tried 4:3? Perhaps your metabolism needs a boost?

Mintyy · 17/09/2012 14:15

I don't see why you have to be quite so snippy tbh TellMeLater.