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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:
MrsMargoLeadbetter · 17/09/2012 14:36

I have to say that this thread (and the others before it) are the most inspirational WOE thread I think I have ever read.

Most threads (which are generally longer/can be across months/years, so maybe unfair to compare) do tend to have a lot of people not really loosing weight and struggling. Obviously the point of support threads is to support through good and bad or up and down...but it is really refreshing to see so many people finding this works for them. Hope this doesn't come across as snidey about other threads.

So thankful for all the posters willing to share (the ups and downs) on this thread. Am doing my first fast today and I am starving, but determined. My only reservation is worrying about my fertility as am ttc dc2. However, being very overweight could potentially be causing my issues anyway, so am willing to give this a go.

Good luck everyone & let's hope it continues to works.

Laska42 · 17/09/2012 14:39

TML I totally agree with you - everyone will approach it for their own reasons.and motivations and no one 'should' try and suggest that one should not, or that their 'way' is better . .. Thats not what I meant to do at all..and if thats how it came across, I apologise

I'd like to lose that last 12lbs too of course - though at 10st I'd still be much bigger than what the media might consider to be 'acceptable'. - But reading the stuff written on reduced weightloss for people of 'normal' BMI (which ive only just managed to get to), I can see that it might be the same for me.. and I dont want to 'revert' to my old bad dieting ways by getting dissapointed that I'm not having continued weight loss..

The 'evidence' is scanty and largely unresearched, but it is pointing to decreased weightloss advantage for people of 'normal weight' .....

And also I was agreeing that people who might have had problems with over- reducing their calories to try and acheive rapid losses may find this WOE could easily have the tendency to exacerbate this (I certainly was not suggesting anyone in particular posting here was currently doing that).
..

But yes. I know exactly what you are saying.. I too love the fact that I can now wear size 10 jeans. and that my muffin top is going . . Who wouldnt ? , I dont know if this WOE will make me live longer (I might need to give up some of my other vices for that) .. but I hope so. But I do believe that it will continue to enable me to eat a good bit of I want ,when I want to (which other 'diets' dont) and also mitigate some of the damage by choosing to eat less on other days.

Thats the essence of it for me also .. I do not want to return to being overweight, but also i dont want to be telling other people what they should be doing either.. it was a Muse.. but yes , perhaps 'clunky' as i said, but I'm as much 'experimenting' with this WOE as anyone here

Yes and the support here is great .. i've learnt such a lot in the last few weeks ..

Also, a tip (if anyone wants it) for those of you who havent read it yet , I do recommend 'Escape the diet trap' by Dr John Briffa

captainmummy · 17/09/2012 14:54

My 2nd fast day today, not going too bad.

Missed breakfast, had 2 white coffees at work and a HB egg at about 12 when i got back, followed by a salad with ham. Have made tomato soup for tea, - must look out some more low-cal (pref low-carb too) soups for another day.

TellMeLater · 17/09/2012 15:05

Thanks laska that makes more sense. Flowers

DisorderlyNights · 17/09/2012 15:17

This thread moves fast

About SHRED. Glad to see some others using IF and shred. I don't do it on fast days, anything more energetic than a fast walk leaves me feeling faint, when fasting, tbh.
I'd been getting stronger and my shape changing from Shredding, but not losing any weight. The two together are working great for me (from evidence of 1 week, which is obviously limited.)

About FLEXIBILITY. Whoever mentioned that they choose days according to work schedule etc... YY! I've checked my diary for this week, I will either do Tuesday/Thursday or Thursday/Saturday depending whether a breakfast meeting goes ahead tomorrow or not.

I feel quite high. Is that normal? It started after first fast, and hasn't gone away.

GreenEggsAndNichts · 17/09/2012 15:44

TML 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.

Yes, this. :)

OP posts:
mumofcrazynamedkids · 17/09/2012 15:48

Hi, so I thought I would introduce myself and give you my experience, for what it's worth, good to have a balance of experiences I think!

so I am 39 (eekk 40 in 2 weeks) mum of a 6 and 4 year old, and watched the horizon programme and decided that the health benefits were amazing and I wanted to try it. i am in the official overweight category (I am 5'6" and weighed 11 stone 8 lb's when I started) but i wasn't really worried too much about my weight haveing lost a couple of stone 4 years ago after reading Paul Mckenna's book. But It had been creeping up ever so slowly, I'll admit the idea of being 10.7 rather than 11.7 is something I'm more comfortable with, not least becasue more of my clothes would fit!

Anyway, me and my boyfriend (age 41, weight 13 12, height 5' 9") decied to start the next day, so that was 6 weeks ago, we've done it 2 days per week, split it so usually a tues and a thurs, we had one really tough week where we were off with our kids on holiday and had all kinds of hospital and custody drama's going on so after getting to 5pm fasting and then realising our tolerance was at an all time low, we gave up and ate fish and chips, but we did do teh other day that week.

We tend to split our intake into 2 meals, I do 500, he does 600, and we often end up quite lazy and just eat supermarket soups, as they are filling and quick and easy, although we also do chicken and veg stir fry/boiled or scrambled eggs/haddock and spinach/tuna salad.

after the first 3 weeks I had lost 5 pounds, I was impressed and he had lost 8, but then i next weighed myself 2 weeks later and had gained 4 back, very disheartening, but I reminded myself that primarily this is about health, and that I had been eating whatever I wanted on the other days, and probably not doing my more usual calorie counting (i tended to aim for about 2000, although I am not in any way anal about it, but I use a calorie tracker app on my phone).

Today (so before I start week 7 of fasting) I weighed 11 5, which means only 3 pounds of loss, but actually I've found the plan getting easier and easier to follow, and if it continues like this i can mostly eat what i like and improve my health benefits and lose weight slowly.

I'm not quite sure where my bf is with his weight loss as he lives 240 miles away from me, but i will update with it when I know.

good luck everyone!

Gill

SolarSparkle · 17/09/2012 15:49

Well said GreenEggs Smile

loulou969 · 17/09/2012 15:53

First fast day of the week for me. In work so cup of tea first thing and at 1pm had mixed salad with 70 cals worth of feta cheese and some strawberries. Have been trying to think of a hot drink that will fill me up other than milk-less tea etc so have found a recipe for home-made bouillon that I am going to try out.Will have stirfry chicken & veg for tea and maybe a choc options after if needed.Have been reading the debate with interest. My experience is that I haven't lost much (have a stone or little more to lose ideally) but feel I have been having a free for all on the other 5 days which is now settling down. Since the menopause it is SO much harder to lose weight. Usually I could just cut down a little and walk more and it would come off easily.it's great to read others experiences and I feel when I'm on a fast day I'm not alone!

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 17/09/2012 16:23

I quite like the musings as this is, for me, not a diet in the traditional sense - have to admit to initially thinking "Amazing, I can lose tons of weight because I'll be eating nothing twice a week and can still drink tons of red wine!" Hell, I've only been doing it a week but have already seen a benefit for me in terms of my approach to what I'm eating, paying attention to feelings of fullness etc.

I've never been overweight but have certainly got tubby and am hoping to find a way of changing my attitude to food (ie I feel sad/crap/angry, I know a massive dose of fat and sugar will help me feel better!) early enough to make it a change for life so I don't need to spend the next 30-40 years trying the next big thing in dieting and being stuck in an up-and-down cycle of weight loss and weight gain. I'm 30 next year, have done my babymaking.

Who knows if the supposed health benefits are true, who knows if I'll actually lose any weight (as mentioned previously I'm BMI 20.7 but am actually still in size 12 with very obvious muffin top so I don't really hold any store by weight anyway) but the flexibility, ability to still enjoy wine, not feel SO guilty everytime I even think about chocolate, seems a great way to maintain it.

But as I said I've only been doing it a week!!

Musings are good, has helped me navel gaze a little about it all and I've come out feeling much more positive and reminding myself next fast day NOT to drink beer because goddamn I can drink it the other 4/5 days of the week!!

Laska42 · 17/09/2012 16:25

everyone
The great support is the definately thing I value here most .. . no ructions intended

RightBuggerforGOLD · 17/09/2012 16:30

For me, this diet is very much a weight loss tool, especially for the moment. There's nothing wrong with that imo, and I appreciate that it is not just that for others.

Weigh in today and i have lost another 3lbs. Greedy weekend though, plus a greedy eating day today. Should have been fasting but dh is off work and is a very bad influence, so i had fast food and for the first time in aaaaaggges Pimms! Was lovely. Will fast tomorrow instead.

Laska42 · 17/09/2012 16:32

loulou

How about miso?,
or
chicken stock with a little tom yum or laksa soup base in (if you like hot )and a few finely sliced spring onions, coriander leaves ,shredded ginger and a squirt of lime . (I love this! with extra chilli for me as im a chilli head )

Bovril (or Marmite) or Oxo with a squirt of tomato puree and some herbs

I actually like sparkling water with ice and a slice.. (just pretend its gin!)

Consensus here is not too many diet fizzy drinks ....

TalkinPeace2 · 17/09/2012 16:36

The point of IF / 5:2 / 4:3 is that there is in fact no "target"
Lots of people are using it as a method to lose weight
BUT
the point is that its a lifestyle - you will keep doing it forever
like those with BMI under 23 who are doing it for the long term health reasons.
That is why it is so much better than a "diet" which one can fail at.
If for some reason it was not possible to fast for a few weeks, hey ho, start again when you can.
The long term benefits will start accruing again.
As will the lack of muffin tops wahey!

loulou969 · 17/09/2012 16:36

That sounds yum Laska and like you I love chilli. I really like thinking about stuff I can try out to keep to the 500 daily limit and being inventive! Great to have others' ideas too Smile

BelinaTheChicken · 17/09/2012 16:54

Hi all, have been following this thread for a while and finally decided to take the plunge. My parents have been doing this for a month and both looking really good on it. Going to do 4:3, fasting on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, so today is my first fast day. Might have to shift the days round a bit when I'm back on day shifts, but on nights at the moment, and I never really eat on night shifts so shouldn't affect it. Hopefully!

Unfortunately I went a bit coffee crazy this morning after a really bad night with DS2, so wasted most of my calories on that (can't stand black coffee, have an unhealthy addiction to coffee mate), but made broccoli and white bean soup for lunch, which was only 100 calories and really filling. Steamed veg and ham for dinner

Hopefully I'll lose some weight, have about 2 stone to shift and would really like to fit back in my old clothes that are languishing in the back of the wardrobe. If not, at least I might reign in some of my crazy eating habits!

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 17/09/2012 17:11

Welcome Belina - that soup sounds great, can you post a recipe?

TellMeLater · 17/09/2012 17:52

Brad Pilon author of Eat Stop Eat talks about the importance of resistence training to compliment fasting for health reasons...this means either using weights or your own body weight - I think the Shred would probably fall into that category.

Love the idea of Tom Yum soup base, laska I'm a real chilli head too, where do you buy it?

HappyOrchid · 17/09/2012 18:44

Have donw well on my fast today. Had some chicken stock at lunch time to keep me going - works out about 15 cals per mug.

Just had tea with DD, but really small portion, 250 cals. nice cup of black tea.

Will eat a chicken wrap tomorrow. yummy

NotInMyDay · 17/09/2012 19:01

Ok so first fast day here and I think I've done ok - sort of. Decided to have 1 meal at 1pm (big bowl of veggies then 3biscuits Hmm). I underestimated how hard the post school snack and kids dinner time would be. I think I'll have two meals at 1pm and 4pm next time. That stills leaves a lot of fasting time either side.
I'm going to have a lovely long bath tonight too.

hoops997 · 17/09/2012 19:02

Just flicked through the thread and this sounds like something I can do, have tried my fitness pal today and have kept to the 1200 calorie limit quite easily.

Can someone give me a run down of a typical week, I'm intrigued by the fasting days Smile

TalkinPeace2 · 17/09/2012 19:14

Here's a funny thing.
Fast day - lovely big salad for supper.
Kids left some rice. I started to snack. And had to stop as I felt utterly bloated right away.
WOW. My stomach is giving me the right messages.

frenchfancy · 17/09/2012 20:06

Fast day tomorrow. I'm not dreading it. It has started to become normal - it is Tuesday therefore I won't be eating.

I for one find it difficult to listen to people with BMIs in their low 20's complaining about muffin tops. I hope this thread doesn't continue like that otherwise any support it is giving is wiped out.

And yes you can still call it baby weight after 6 years, I'm still calling it that after 13 years (but have had 3 DCs in the meantime).

RightBuggerforGOLD · 17/09/2012 20:22

French - bmi takes no account of build or percentage body fat, or shape. It's a bit unfair to assume that someone must be a skinny minny just because they have a lowish bmi. They can have muffin tops too!

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 17/09/2012 20:22

well that's pretty unsupportive of you frenchfancy....I don't know how or why it is I have a healthy BMI but still have muffin tops, they are a lot smaller than they were but they are still there! Maybe I'm all fat and not much lean muscle at all hence weighing less?

I'm pretty sure we've all been supportive of each other regardless of weight, size, health or whatever - but if you feel this should be a thread purely about weight loss and one-up-manship over who has the highest BMI than that'll start making quite a few of us here feel very unsupportive and unwelcome.