5:2 Diet Thread: Part Four! Sit down, have a cuppa..

[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 thread before that..

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.

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.

We often mention basal metabolic rate (BMR) here. This refers to the amount of energy (calories) a person uses when at rest; so, the basic number of calories a person needs to stay the same weight. This number is often quoted as being 2000 calories for the "average" woman, but of course is different depending on how tall you are, how much you weigh, etc. Here is a calculator which will easily help you to find out what your BMR is.

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!

wow. just marking my place, will come back and read all 12 pages later.
i have a bmi of 23, but a waist of 29" despite only being 5'2", I exercise, I watch what I eat, I feel like I can do no more and yet I still feel like one slice of white toast away from being a bit dumpy, so this could be for me.

Ah worldcitizen you're here too! I'm not stalking you.

Not meaning to pile on but, anecdotally: I read about this diet one day, and just decided to fast the next day. I managed (barely! That first fast day is tough!) and decided to go for as close to ADF as my social life would allow, hence doing 4:3.

You don't really need to do all of these other things, like cutting carbs, sweets, etc that you're listing, WC. I haven't. My first couple of weeks, my eating wasn't great at all, but I still lost weight as I was strictly keeping myself below 500 calories on my fasting days. That's the whole WOE, if you're trying to lose weight: keep your calories below 500 on fasting days.

All of these other things, limiting sweets etc, they happen eventually, naturally, as your body gets used to the WOE. I still have sweets, but not as many. I just don't eat as much as I used to, period.

I'm just saying all of this because I think it's possible to overthink things. Don't put this WOE on a pedestal. One thing at a time. Try to do a 500 calorie day, and work from there. Don't go in with grand ideas of changing everything about the way you currently eat; that will only overwhelm you. You don't want to set yourself up with a laundry list of things to achieve, fail at one, then decide the whole thing doesn't work.

I think your pie/cake avoidance is admirable :) but if I had to avoid all cake and pie, I wouldn't be able to stick with this WOE in the long term. I think what sustains some of us is the fact that we can have cake or pie on our eating days, should we so desire. This aspect is mentioned in a few of the articles, the fact that there is always a hypothetical tomorrow, where you could eat whatever it is you're fancying on a fast day. Of course, once you get to tomorrow, you're likely past the craving, but if you aren't then hey, have some pie.

Okay I'm done now, I just wanted to add my 2 cents. :) Good luck!

I found this thread because somebody on the AIBU to give up and get fat thread mentioned the 5:2

off to do four circuits from nmtz, followed by the first go round of 6w6p , so, clearly, i'm not quiiite ready to give up and get fat myself yet!! Will 'reward' myself for exercising by sitting down with a cuppa and reading this thread in about an hour.

Thanks GreenEgs. I live here in Germany and the thing with cakes/pies and baked goods in general can really be so hard to get away from, for me at least. It's good to know, that I CAN eat it on feast days, it's still hard to believe that I would still lose weight, but I'll try.

I have had a very difficult past few years, especially last year and these past few months and I pit on weight/fat, really fat, it was visible as cellulite etc. and that was mostly due to stress and higher cortisol levels and the coffee/tea intake with loads of sugar has just made things worse, so by doing this I am at least not hungry and by completely staying away from the stuff mentioned I just got rid of cravings mostly, and then lots of the cellulite and tummy fat vanished, too.

Completely agree green eggs i fully support the idea that people should do what feels right for them - everyone's responses to food both physically and emotionally is different, they know their owns needs best, everyone will do this diet slightly differently, as long as it improves their lives in some way then it's a success.

I completely agree with you greeneggs, you have perfectly articulated how I am going about this WoE and why I can continue to do it (so far - it's only been 11 days and 4 fasts! But at least 2 lbs lost...). It does seem that some people here may be setting themselves up to fail, thinking that "if I do my fast days of

what greeneggs says

Do you know what - I'm actually eating MORE puddings and cakes than I ever did before and still losing weight! in the past I was on a constant 'sort of diet' and deprived myself of 'bad stuff'. Now, if I'm out for a meal and the desert looks nice I will have some, if there is cake in the office and it's a non-fast day, and it's a cake I like then I will have a piece. The crucial thing is that I know I have a choice - I was out for sunday lunch this week, the hostess had made a ton of puddings, I didn't have profiteroles, did have fruit salad, did have a bit of mousse (yum) but was too full to eat cheese. Later on I had a few marshmallows and a bit of chocolate with a cup of tea.

re. starbucks - I had a full fat latte on a fast day yesterday when I went out to lunch with colleagues - simply counted it as a 210 calorie lunch then had a mega salad when I got home with hard boiled egg and cottage cheese - skipped the usual jacket potato due to the latte, but was still full after it.

catsrus that's what I do also... I don't usually go for coffee, but sometimes if I fancy I have a fabulous ice cream cornet from the place that makes its own and call that lunch

wow. OP, thanks for the links. Fascinating stuff I think I could do this.... two bowls of porridge with low fat soya milk, and 3 punnets of blueberries or rasberries.

(saying that,,,,,,,,,, it might be harder than I imagine).

I want to try it now,but I am going to wait til thursday. Psych myself up a bit.

I must have left a bad impression

reading the comments about people setting themselves up to fail,,,, I was planning on doing the fasts the same days I don't exercise. That would be ok wouldn't it? certainly wouldn't fast MORE than twice a week.

I think this could be the gear change I need. For six years I've been exercising and watching what I eat but I still feel a bit bigger than I want to be.

Have been following thread for a while. Heard all about it in media.
Then, whilst talking to my mum, she told me that she had been on it all summer. Was shocked she hadn't told me. She has lost 1/2 a stone.

So, I did my first 'fast day' yesterday. Not as bad as i thought. I think it helps that I was working.
I ate:
3 cups green tea. I normal tea.
Lunch I had some lettuce, 2 bits crispy bacon, 6 cherry tomatoes, 3 spring onions, and 2 drops of balsamic vinegar.
For dinner I had 2 salmon fillets. And steamed brocolli. I think I was only supposed to eat one of the fillets,( the 2 fillets together were 217 calories) but I have no sense of portion control, I am hoping that will come, once my stomach starts to shrink?
But 8pm, presumably because I had eaten no carbs and had given myself too much insulin, I was diabetically hypo ( blood sugar of 2.7 which is VERY Low) and had to have a swig of lucozade. BUGGER.
I think I was over 500 calories, but am not really sure. I don't know how to calculate how many calories I actually ate yesterday.

I am cross/worried. I tried watching what I was eating , and cut out wine and chocolate and crisps totally, for a month, this summer, and lost not a lb. During this time, I was so low diabetically, that I think I consumed so much lucozade, that any lack of wine/crisps/chocolate was cancelled out.
Believe me, trying to diet when you are a diabetic, is a nightmare. I have never ever tried before, because I have weighed the same for the last 20 years (apart from pregnancies) and now all of a sudden I am 1 and 3/4 sone over that.

Today, after a green tea, I have walked the school run and played in the park with ds2, on the way home. Arrived home to find myself hypo AGAIN. So ate a scotch egg, drizzled in salad cream. Looked at the packet: 235 calories. I have since eaten a muller light chooclate and mint youghurt - 90 calories. Today is nto supposed to be my fast day, but I don't know what to eat/ can't seem to find anyhting I even want to eat.
I am a calorie counting VIRGIN. Having never taken ANY notice of how many calories were in anything, this is quite a shock.

I wonder how I wil get on ?

LizLemon
I fast on the days it is least likely to interfere with other things. I still go to the gym every morning regardless. I'm not overweight by normal standards, but I am by mine, and would like to ensure that I am not (like Dr Mosely was) slim but with high levels of visceral fat. THAT is why I'm doing 5:2

and I'm afraid that anybody who needs to pscyh themselves up to skip breakfast and lunch just once is unlikely to succeed.

Regret what you HAVE done, not what you have not ...

ie GET ON WITH IT!

3rd fast day yesterday - got to 593 cals, would have been better if I hadent had a coffee and cream in the evening! It's my go-to drink if I'm hungry (I'm low-carbing) but forgot about the 100 cals in the cream! Still, that was about 8pm, so the worst (or best) of the fast as over with and I choose to include it in todays low-carb meals.

and I'm afraid that anybody who needs to pscyh themselves up to skip breakfast and lunch just once is unlikely to succeed.

Oh no, that doesn't sound good

mommybunny some people enjoy eating low carb and exercising madly. I think the key is if it's not of you then don't do it, know yourself and your limits!

oblomov, welcome to the thread (you too Liz!) - always nice to have newcomers. However, in your case, you should probably check with your GP before doing any more on this WoE - as a diabetic it may do you more harm than good. And by no means should you do two consecutive fasting days. You don't need to worry about calories on your non-fasting days.

If you are trying to figure out how many calories you're consuming on your fasting days, many of us use MyFitnessPal, a website (with iPhone and iPad apps too) with free access to calorie counts of just about every kind of food you can think of. Carefully measure the food you're having - use scales and measuring jugs - and enter it into MFP and it will calculate how many calories you've had. It's a great way to stay on track.

Good luck!

TellMeLater, quite right - if you're already low-carbing and exercising, then great, keep it up. What I meant (and sorry if this didn't come through) was that if you aren't already doing those things, diving into an intermittent fasting regime with them on top is too much too soon.

Hi Liz! I think if you have days when you're less active, it might be a good idea to have those as your fast days, at least for the first week. I find now that fasting doesn't bother me at all, but that first week can be tough so you probably don't want to make it more difficult for yourself.

I think the only activity now that I'd (personally) avoid on fast days is swimming, because that always makes me really hungry. :)

world .. don't worry anymore.. you are thinking too much .. Don't think too much about what you cant eat on a fast day , just plan what you are going to have and give it a go when you are ready .. Yes the fast days are hard to start with , but you do really get into it..

It ain't all bad.. yes you get hungry but then the hunger doesn't build (if you don't dwell on it ) .. ..AND you can get a fasting 'high' too.. AND you can eat the thing you crave the next day (though I bet you probably wont want it then..

You like sweet things? , have porridge (and stevia if you want ) and cinnamon with a few berries , for breakfast ,and some veggie soup for later on.. Have the cake the next day .. (for breakfast if you like..its allowed! )

Someone above said ..'we all do this different' and we all, DO. Really ..(I prefer lower carb and lots of veggies , but I don't have much of a sweet tooth..but i love bread and potatoes and cheese and all of those things.. i just have em on food days if i want them )

Come on Chick... take a deep breath and give it a go , One day at a time , if you don't like it (or you have something else on) you can stop and perhaps try again the next week. ..

Come on in the waters lovely ..and we are all here to support each other

When I said psych myself up! really, I meant prepare, and fit in around. I will go and buy some more porridge and make sure I have unsweetened soya milk and have some celery sticks and blueberries ready.

It has to be thurs because I'm having dinner with parents tomorrow night.

when I get in the ZONE though, I am evangelical I will have to gag the beak to stop myself telling everybody about this. I won't thiough because I knnow they'll think I'm mad.

Other people see me and think eh but like you're not fat, but I want to be slimmer. I just DO. I have been doing jillian michaels five times a week since january.

BUT ANNOYINGLY I PUT on TWO POUNDS doing jillian. My shape is better and I've NO regrets, but when you ahve a bmi of 23, and you already eat fairly healthily as it IS then weight doesn't come off all that easily.

omg i'm so in the zone!!! Thursday can't come quick enough!

ps @ greeneggs, yes on thursday I will treat myself to a nigth off Jililan!

mommyBunny, thank you for the welome.
I do know that I not supposed to do 2 consecutive fast days. I certainly never intended to. It realy is that I do not fancy anything to eat right now. I will go to the supermarket on the way to get ds1, and buy whatever I fancy. Promise.
I appreciate your concern, but please do not worry, re GP. My GP recently encouraged me to lose weight and we talked about the difficulties. I also have my own diabetic pump specilalist nurse, who I can contact anytime. She and I have discussed the difficulties of trying to get this right, many frustrating times. She says there is no easy answer. She has asked me to no carb breakfast, many times over the years, but this was for diabetic reasons, not losing weight.
She knows it tough for me, I do too. I find it frustrating, having to drink lucozade when I don't wnat to. But there really is no other option.

I will continue and see how I go.

thanks for the myfitnesspal suggestion. I have heard of it before. It does seem like a bit of a kerfuffle to enter in everyhting I eat. I have got enough 'on my plate' with just monitoring the diabetic side of things, but maybe I really am going to have to up the effort to get this right.