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

[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.

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.

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

[scattergun]

I have no idea about calories. I just have nothing but hot drinks and water for 24 hours. The rest of the time I eat and drink normally. I've done 4 weeks of this and the days are sometimes 2 together and 1 elsewhere or with normal days between, but it all depends on what's happening each day. I was staying with friends for a few days of this and skipped breakfast but had to do lunch and dinner as normal and then had a week on holiday where I did the same (so effectively did a 17 hour fast on all those days away) and still lost a lb each time.

Overall I think I'm 9 lbs down.

[Lagartijadoesthecrazyshake]

Interesting. Not sure I could do til evening with nothing. I've done 4:3 so far and have had nothing from evening of feed day til lunch of fast day and then split 500 kcals into lunch and dinner. I lost 5lbs the first week.

[scattergun]

I think this works for me because, even when losing weight by eating less has worked for a while, I find myself gradually returning to snacking and not monitoring and old habits return. I'm worried if I go for 500 calories, it'll actually make it harder for me to stick to it. The absolute and resolute system seems astonishingly easy and, if as I suspect, doing it once or twice a week will be sufficient quite soon, I can see it becoming a simple long-term solution. Hoping so, anyway.

Well done on your 5 lbs. Having a bit more space in clothes, as others have commented, is such a pleasure.

[WilfSell]

Marking place.

I see there has been a bit of a very polite barney while I've been away.

I think lots of people are suspicious of different WoE - low carb strikes a lot of people as nuts/unnatural/dangerous etc. Others find obsessing about calories a bit, er, anorexic. Others find eating whatever you feel like it in between fast days - like Harcombe - a bit, er, bulimic. 'Naturally' thin people just laugh incredulously at us all and go 'wtf? just eat a bit less, lard arse...'

Glad to see we've gone for an ecumenical compromise. I have a lot of time for the still-emergent science of low carb - it works, it has many strengths and whether or not everyone likes it as a WoE, for many especially those who find it hard to lose weight in other ways (menopausal women come to mind here) it works well Those who are doubting it should have a read of Gary Taubes' book, as it will put the case very effectively about why low carb has been systematically discredited by the press, the food industry and by 'nutritionists'.

Dr Varady, who featured in the programme, was VERY clear - that during ADF, you COULD, in fact, eat what you liked. Her point was that their evidence found that people's appetite self-regulated. I and many other people who have tried ADF/5:2 fasting can confirm that this is the case. I can still sometimes be found head down in the Haribo. But equally, I also find myself thinking 'nah, don't really need that' or 'oooh, I'll have some salad instead'. Whatever the other benefits, the opportunity to explore my own appetite in an obsrvational way is really helpful - experiencing hunger for almost the first time and finding out I don't die of it immediately is very liberating.

And my self-control is IMPROVED not worsened by knowing there is always tomorrow. As we've all said, anyone can do something for 16 or 24 hours.

So I don't think we should get our knickers in a twist by worrying if some people want to count calories - chances are the are right, and the bottom line of all of this is calorie restriction - even the ADF/5:2 scientists don't know yet if this is what causes the improvements in other bits of health. Nor should we ban those who want to come here to suggestions of how to try low carbing. Sure the protein issue is at stake but if you're low carbing correctly, you eat a lot of fat. So it seems a very good question to ask what the interaction is between these WoE. If I was one of those scientists, this would be my next study in fact...

[GirlWithTheMouseyHair]

Right, was going to start on Monday but have decided tomorrow is the day (by which I mean Sunday, I've got a bit of a time difference going on!) as I did a 25mile bike ride today and will be hitting the swimming pool Monday. DH is hesitantly up for doing it too.

No idea what to eat tomorrow, have never calorie counted but sure I can download an app or something. Will get some miso soup in and defrost a tuna steak. Going to try to do 1st 16 hours, which will take me to midday before I can eat.

Wish me luck!

[dexterblu]

I've been reading most of your posts (there are a lot) and would like to share my experience. I started ADF last Sunday having read about it, I decided I would do 3 & half days fasting as this would fit in with my lifestyle better and I've got 3 stone to lose. The first fast was hard I went to 800 cals but my second and third fast (tuesday&thursday) were relatively easy and I too found that I could control my eating on feed days.

I was going to have 2 feed days fri& sat but decided I would fast from 9pm fri to 1pm sat this worked out ok for me and I didn't eat anything. I had been spreading out my 500 cals but I think I agree that tryin g one or two small meals will be the most effective for me.
So for the first week I have lost 5lbs which is just fantastic I'm so happy that I have found something I can see me doing in the long term as a way of life.
Sorry for the long post!!

[HorryWinwood]

I am just completing my first week doing 4:3 and have lost 7cm off my waist! On my feed days i have not watched what I have eaten at all and I feel great.

[HappyOrchid]

Hello, found you.

Week 5, and yesterday turned into an inadvertant fast day. I was going to do Tues / Thurs / Sun this week, but by 1pm yesterday I hadn't eaten anything and it seemed daft not to take advantage of that.

So I will go back to my plan of tues / Thurs / Sat for coming week. I will eat today and tomorrow I fly to Italy for work at silly o'clock and will have a meal out with my colleagues. So Tuesday will be my fast day, I should get home about 7pm Tuesday night.

Weighed in today rather than tomorrow and another ½lb down for the week.
So just about 5lb down in 5 weeks. Not bad and feeling well too, which is the main thing.

Have been feeling very full quickly on eating days and a couple of times if I have eaten late I've felt quite uncomfortable / sick in the night. It's really making me think about not snacking on eating days too.

Good luck to all.

[3duracellbunnies]

I've found that too, on my eating day on fri we had some mr kipling apple + blackberry pies. I had one, and saw the packet a bit later with only one lonely one left. Usually I would have eaten it to tidy away, but saw how many calories it was and left it. Clothes feeling a bit looser and only had one fast day! Certainly not doubling up on calories on feed day, but feels nice to eat what I want. Second fast day tomorrow.

[cupcakeandtea]

I've been doing this diet for the past 4 weeks and although I initially lose weight on my fast days, it seems to go back on on the feed days, which is making me wonder if I'm overeating on my feed days. I often have a large glass of wine in the evening, which I'm guessing is probably adding 300 calories per day so I think I may have to knock it on the head.

it's very discouraging as I would've thought I'd have lost more by now. I really need to lose half a stone of the last of my baby weight.

[Aboutlastnight]

I think there is a danger that weight goes back on on feed days - although I have had a broad downward trajectory, I have put on three pounds in two days - it's wine and peanut butter on toast.

Do I'm goi g to be more conscious of what I consume on feed days, more veg, loads of veg and no more peanut butter toast ( sob)

[welshmill]

I also find I put weight on during feed days...but it almost seems like two steps forward one back and that the trend is steadily downwards. I've been using myfitnesspal.com to keep an eye on calorie intake just to see how much I eat on feed days - it was around the 1600 - 1800 mark (bear in mind I'm only 4ft 11 and used to eat like a sparrow when I was in my 20's!) so I'm trying to keep it a little lower - which means biscuits with ONE of my teas/coffees during the day and not ALL of them...and no snacking on cream crackers and butter

[bunjies]

Marking my place. Now off to read rest of thread. Thanks greeneggs for the links.

[MandaHugNKiss]

cupcake Have you only been doing 5:2? And how have you actually coped with it? Is it difficult or become fairly easy? If you don't struggle with the fast too much, you could consider adding another fast into the week (so you're a little more than 5:2 but not quite ADF) - this will probably get those final few pounds moving... but more's the point, if you don't struggle with fasts then the considerable health benefits are something to reap, surely?

Also, how do you split your calories on a fast day? Your body might respond better to the one or two meals in a small window on your fast day than spreading out if that's your method? Less insulin released that way.

I'm not saying don't stop if as a lifestyle you find it hard to sustain... just if you want to lose a few pounds then consider tweaking?

[katykuns]

I shall join you guys, after being invited off my thread in AIBU, as I want to give this a go. Watched the Horizon documentary (available on iPlayer) last night... and it knocked a lot of my scepticism away.

My first starve day will be tomorrow, mainly because my supermarket shop comes tomorrow hehe.

Can I ask.. is there anyone here that has been doing it over 2 months? How much have you lost in total?
I have only heard of success from people that started it recently, and my worry is that the body will adapt and start absorbing more calories... or something... I am no nutritionist

[cupcakeandtea]

I usually wAit until 12 and have a small bowl of soup and then a meal in the evening.

I am coping with two alternate days but I think three might be too much but I could give it a go this week and see I suppose.

[PigeonPie]

Welshmill - I think we're about the same height. I'm doing this primarily for health reasons but losing a bit round my tummy will be a bonus!

Main negative now is that the extremely expensive jeans I bought a few months ago are now too loose and I'm going to have to find a belt! However it's a good problem to have

[Skinnyeye]

Found this guy while doing 5:2 research though you might like to have a look. He has been doing it for years and wrote "Eat Stop Eat"

bradpilon.com/weight-loss/the-52-diet-my-review/

[Angelico]

Marking place :) I am pregnant at the minute (2 weeks to go) and hope to breast feed so my 'fast days' might involve more than 500 calories or just one fast day a week initially. Am interested in this because my mum's German friend has been doing this for years - one day a week she eats only fruit. She is in great health and shape, in her 60's but very youthful and fit :)

[Laska42]

HI again I'm on week 4now and fasting today .. and feeling good.. Gosh only a few days out and loads more posts to read!. Thanks Greeneggs fo rthe new thread

I've now lost 7 lbs and 2inches off my waist ,and am finally BMI 'normal' YAY! grin This is after several years dieting on WW and being 'stuck' gaining and losing the same few pounds for at least the last two years .. I started out as obese so I'm feeling like this is really working where it should be ..(im a typical apple shape)

Just had my dinner (i find its best to have early evening meal on fast days ) Miso veggie chilli chicken soupy thing and had my usual eggs n' ham for breakfast (but i have that every day now!)...

The great thing though is not only am I finding fasting a breeze now , but I have tons more energy ..

This is definitely a lifestyle I can keep to , and when i've lost my final 12lbs (hopefully) -taking me to 10st for my 5'5 frame -ill be keeping it up once a week for life I think ..

Hi all new people who have joined us over the last few days ..

Just adding a link to Dr John Briffa's bog which also has some good stuff on fasting

www.drbriffa.com/

Also really recommend his book 'The diet trap' ..he does advocate low carb though, but there are lots of us here who also think its the way to go, especially on fast days

[Laska42]

Oh and dr John Briffa also recommends fish oils to help weight loss .. i've been taking one ho high strength cod liver oil capsule a day for the last few weeks its early days yet , but i've maintained a loss over each week i've been doing this , something i've never been able to do so far .

[Mintyy]

I'm fasting tomorrow and actually looking forward to it! How odd is that?

I have no scales atm, so can't track progress (there is no way I am going to weigh myself in public in a shop) that way. My mosted hated roll of fat is the one around my upper middle (just under the boobs) that I didn't acquire until I was 46/47 and peri menopausal. Do you think measuring that would be a good way of gauging weight loss?

[SpiralSkies]

Angelico, I'm certainly no expert but be careful if you're newly pregnant. Admittedly, most of the nutrients baby needs come from you rather than diet but just don't be depleted. Eat good foods on feeds days, if you want to do this. And on fast days, of course.

I suspect you'll come in for criticism for doing this while pregnant. But. I was horrendously ill throughout two pregnancies. Babies take what they need; it's the mother who ends up worse for wear. I reckon it's do-able so long as your cals are good, nutritious cals.

Be flexible; see how you feel. That's how our ancestors would've done it.

[Mintyy]

Spiral - Angelico is nearing the end of her pregnancy.

[BIWI]

Mintyy - if you can find an item of clothes that is too tight, that's the best way to measure it. I have exactly the same problem - one roll of fat above the belly button and one roll below. They have definitely shrunk, and I can now wear reasonably tight-fitting t-shirts/vest tops, but there is still more to go.

Even though the numbers on the scales tell me I've lost weight, my eyes still don't believe it when I look in the mirror, because I've obviously lost weight proportionately - those rolls are clearly going to be the last bits to go!

So putting clothes on that I haven't been able to wear for years has been the best way to get my brain to realise I have lost weight, as well as to measure the extent of the weight loss.

When you find an article of clothing is suddenly too loose it is the most wonderful feeling of them all.