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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.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

5:2 Diet Thread: Part Five! Top of the Mornin' to you!

977 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 07/10/2012 17:53

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 a month or two ago, 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 we've filled several threads by now. Please share if you find something particularly useful, and we'll add it for the next thread.

First things first, here are links to some of our previous threads: most recent one before that another one.

Another thread which breadandwine has just started can be found here. We'll be trying to condense some of our top tips for fasting there. Keep in mind, we all do this differently, so these are just tips, not rules.

frenchfancy has a recipe thread over here, please post any low-calorie recipes there so they don't get lost in these bigger threads!

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. We tend to favour lots of hot drinks during the day (count your milk if you use it!)

Another food link, here is a link to the BBC Good 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 learning this way of eating as we go along. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous threads, 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:
rachelblythe · 12/10/2012 14:42

Fast day for me and I just had a reasonably expensive soup that I have have been saving for a few weeks, and that also had 300 calories in....well it really wasn't very nice at all and certainly wasn't worth all those calories. Only got 100 calories left for the day (had some ham earlier), humm...maybe I better start cleaning the house! :)

skippyscuffleton · 12/10/2012 14:53

Have been following this thread for sometime. I've been 5:2ing for the last 7 weeks. Main reason for doing so is potential health benefits as opposed to pure weight loss. Fasting day food intake consists of b'fast: bowl of muesli with a little chopped fruit plus mug of instant coffee with splash of milk, lunch black instant coffee and dinner: 2 corn on cobs mixed steamed green veg plus 2 low fat yoghurts.

I've been doing this in conjunction with regular exercise, mainly cycling and over the last 4 weeks have been swimming hard 3x per week. On fast days, usually tue and thur, I ride 15 miles at a fairly steady pace on a flat route. Have been getting in 3 swim sessions a week plus a steady ride of 30 miles or so on fri and longer harder ride of 30-40 miles on sat, all exercise is done without supplementary feeding.
Observations:

  • Fasting days have definitely got easier but still aren?t easy?
  • Sometimes light headed on fasting days.
  • Mild cycling on fast days helps beat the hunger pangs.
  • I think I overeat on my non fast days. I love my choc and ice cream and although I haven?t recorded my eating habits I feel sure I?m over compensating. My appetite has in no way been suppressed on non fast days. I suspect as 21/12 draws closer this will get worse.
  • This week have found fasting and exercise tough. My suspicion is that it?s due to time of year/SAD effects ie shortened daylight, falling temps with associated hormonal changes.
  • On fasting days I feel colder, especially feet in the evenings.
  • Had a few bouts of nighttime cramping in the early weeks on fast days. I believe caused by lack of salt (electrolyte) intake plus drinking too much water. Appear to have remedied this by adding seal salt to steamed veg in the evening or if I forget simply eating a few flakes.
  • Haven?t been weighing myself regularly and didn?t before I started but I think I?ve lost 1-2Kg (current weight is now 94kg). Have had to make an extra hole on my belt and I feel slimmer even though weight doesn?t seem to reflect it.
  • I feel mentally sharper especially on the day after fasting.
  • My sense of well being on the day after fasting is also good/better.

I hope I can keep this going over the winter. I must also speak to my GP about the possibility of doing a blood test. Would be v interested to see if my bp, insulin, glucose, cholesterol and IGF-1 levels are healthy. Has anyone else actually done a blood test? For me, these readings really are the crux of what it?s all about.

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 12/10/2012 16:06

oh Mintyy that must be really disheartening - does your body feel smaller? Are clothes looser or anything? Only because the scales for me haven't showed much of a loss at all but I've gone down a full dress size, which I only realised yesterday when I had the guts to test it out....

Not fasting til Sunday and actually missing it Hmm weirdo. Out for dinner tonight and drank far too much wine last night so will try to be moderate today

Mintyy · 12/10/2012 16:26

Thanks all. I'm not giving up! I'm 50 and I also want the health benefits.

Mousey - that's the most disheartening thing. I put on a pair of jeans that I'm about half a stone too big for at the start of this as a sort of measure. I put them on this morning expecting to maybe be able to do them up, even if I still wouldn't wear them yet. But the gap between the button seems just as wide Sad.

I do honestly have the most unforgiving metabolism in the world, though - I know all fat people think this, but I honestly seem to!

So far today I have eaten a small sandwich with ham and chicken and some coffee and tea. That's not unusual for me and I am not even particularly hungry now.

Oh well. First world problem Smile.

2beornot · 12/10/2012 16:29

Hi. Just introducing and marking my place! I'm starting the 5:2 diet - first fast day will be Monday. I've decided that Monday and either Wednesday or Thursday will be my two days out of seven. I'm going to have fruit mid morning (never hungry early morning anyway) a weight watchers soup for lunch (100 calories) and then mostly veggies for tea.

Any wise words before I get started? Anything to avoid? I'm presuming that ad this is part 5 this diet works so fingers crossed it works for me!

TalkinPeace2 · 12/10/2012 16:40

Mintyy
Time to be REALLY analytical.
What bread? - weigh it. What spread? - how much compared to a level teaspoon. How much of which ham? Skin on the chicken?
Coffee and tea - which milk? how much? sugar?
Do you have invisible snacks? The ones that we genuinely do not realise we are eating - DHs was 5 packs of crisps a week! Mine was the extra slice of cheese while cutting cheese for the kids packed lunches!
There WILL be a reason. Also, how much exercise do you do? PS I'm 47 so I know how you feel ...

Mintyy · 12/10/2012 16:51

But ... Talky ... this is a feed day for me. I'm not going to be weighing my bread!
(it was 2 slices of granary from a small hovis sliced loaf, Lurpak lighter butter quite thin I'm not mad about butter, 1 fairly thick slice of chicken from Sainsbury's ttd range, two thin slices of Sainsbos ttd ham, about a rounded teaspoon of mayonnaise and some dijon mustard.

Was just saying that its not abnormal for me to eat small meals/small amounts. I consider myself to have quite a small appetite actually. If I eat a big meal at lunch (ie. 2 course Sunday roast) then I very rarely eat anything at all all evening. I don't snack, I don't binge, I don't compulsively overeat.

I hardly move tho', must be said Blush.

MikeOxardForHalloween · 12/10/2012 16:51

Talkinpeace you are very scary assertive. I really want to know what job you do in rl. I'm guessing sargent major some kind of manager!

MikeOxardForHalloween · 12/10/2012 16:53

Oh, and welcome tobeornot. Good luck. x

TalkinPeace2 · 12/10/2012 16:57

:-)
I'm an auditor - onion peeling till I get to the truth.
Sorry, did not mean to come across as scary.
But I do know that being cuddly is NOT the aim of this thread - lean and toned more like Grin

See, silly thing - I've not had a 2 slice of bread sandwich for years. Rounded teaspoon of mayo actually counts as two teaspoons as the technical measure is a level one : bingo extra calories people do not REALISE they are taking in!
Not just an individual poster, any of us.

Minty- you could race Laska to the second hand wii shop : wii fit is really good as a starter ...

GreenEggsAndNichts · 12/10/2012 17:47

So how many calories do you think you're having on non-fast days, Mintyy? Normal amount, or low?

OP posts:
Mintyy · 12/10/2012 17:53

I checked that calorie counter thing and it says I need 1700 per day to stay the same (remember I'm about 30-35lb overweight).

But, tbh, I don't really know how many calories I eat on a non-fasting day. What I do know is that my weight has very gradually crept up over the years (I'd say 28lb in the last 20 years) so my guestimate of what I need to eat calorie-wise on a daily basis has only been very slightly out.

Are you telling me I need to track my calories on non-fast days?

LookBehindYou · 12/10/2012 17:59

Mintyy I really sympathise and empathise.
It really might be an idea to keep a complete account of what you eat (and when) and drink for a week or so (include a weekend). 1700 can soon add up. It might even be that you're not eating enough.

Sputnik · 12/10/2012 18:10

Minty I am 45 and thought my metabolism had really slowed down in the last few years, turns out you lose muscle every year after about 40 if you don't look after it. I started doing strength training and it has made a huge difference to me and, I think, boosted my metabolism (muscle burns more calories) which I think has helped the weightloss side be more successful too.

I'm not talking heavy weightlifter type stuff, I started with 2kg dumbells, progressed up to 4kgs for some exercises and went to buy myself some new weights today as it was getting too easy! It doesn't take long and you don't need to do much to see a difference.

GreenEggsAndNichts · 12/10/2012 18:20

Mintyy well, I wasn't going to say that Grin but it's possible you might need to, just for a bit. Do it for a week and see if you get results from it? It's worth a try.

OP posts:
MikeOxardForHalloween · 12/10/2012 18:31

I would definately do that for a little while mintyy, it's frustrating not knowing and finding out what your daily calorie limit is will be really useful. You really can't rely on those calculators too much, there are so many variables. Mine tells me I can eat over 1500 cals a day to maintain, but I know from a really detailed food diary and daily weighing that my limit before I put weight on is closer to 1300 a day. If you have a low calorie limit like I do, you really can't eat that much even on an eating day, what seems reasonable might in fact be a little bit too much. That sarnie for example sounds like about 600 calories(ish), so I if I ate one of those for lunch and one for dinner, I could only have a few cups of tea and no breakfast all day if I wanted to maintain rather than put on iyswim. Anyway, I think I'm just wittering on now!

talkinpeace An auditor - I can really see that! Thanks for satisfying my curiosity! x

Piebaldrider · 12/10/2012 18:33

Minty i am 52 and like you my weight has been creeping up over the years and i estimate i am about 70 pounds overweight but im not counting the pounds and i dont weigh myself.
If you are doing everything to the letter then i would start moving more just light exercise like walking might be enough to get things moving again. I am considering mixing things up so my body doesn't become accustomed to anything and then compensate for it. So i will mix up the number of days i do my low fat skinny days and some days i will eat more on non fast days and sometimes a bit less. I do have a limited amount of exercise everyday but i intend to up it by joining the gym and again never do the same thing over and over or on regular days. I really feel my body is just responding to the shock of what i am doing but will soon settle down and slow down so im trying to keep one step ahead. Try changing something and see what works for you.

HappyOrchid · 12/10/2012 18:39

I'm certain that my metabolism has now fully adjusted to 4:3.
Stopped losing weight and npw worried that if I can't fast one week due to work committments or holiday I am going to balloon.

Week 9 & a sneakly weigh shows I am now same weigh as have been for last month Sad

Aftereightsaremine · 12/10/2012 18:44

minty I agree that maybe you should try counting calories on a non fast day for a couple of weeks or so. I was horrified when last week on one of my days I worked out I'd eaten more than 3000 calories. I've started using mfp on non fast days also so that I can learn about portion control.

TalkinPeace2 · 12/10/2012 18:48

(((Mintyy)))
Sorry if I sounded mean. Trying to be supportive but am naturally mildly psychotic!
I am actually putting ALL my meals into MyFitnessPal on my PC.
Its really interesting to see what the balance of my nutrients is.

I used fitday for a while - till it reminded me that at the weekend 1/3 of my calories came from Alcohol - and its American so luckily had NO idea how many calories were in an Eccles Cake Wink

Its the silly thing that my lunch today, the ingredient with the most calories was the banana! A slice of bread is 100 calories. The spoonful of mayo on it is 45 calories, the ham inside is only 55 calories ..... didn't stop me adding cheese to it as well .... but I did swim a mile and do 2 hours of classes this morning...
but that was only 1000 calories - soon to be wiped out by the glass of whine DH has just brought me :-)

Exercise is REALLY REALLY good for we middle aged ladies. A mate at the gym is slimming to be size 12 for her 70th birthday. Her hubby has lost 4 stone this year - and now ENJOYS going out for walks .... they have both increased their healthy life expectancy by many years
and THAT is why we are putting ourselves through this

Sputnik · 12/10/2012 18:53

I like that idea of mixing things up too, with eating as well as exercise.
Walking is also great, I made an effort about a year ago to get into the habit of walking nearly every day and now it's second nature, I usually do 30 mins or so but if I am pushed for time I just do 10 just to keep in the habit.

insprognito · 12/10/2012 19:24

Well I've finally bitten the bullet and decided to join you ladies. Been following the thread over the last few weeks and its inspiring to see so many dropping the pounds with this WOE. Have done my first fast day today and although its been hard its not been as bad as I thought it would be. I've looked at the new calculator and discovered I'm only meant to have 1700 cals on a feed day. This is without excercising though. I'm hoping to resume working out next week after 4 weeks off due to tearing a tendon. I think its best I stick to the cals I've worked out though to be on the safe side. Can anyone tell me do I now wait 16 hours before eating tomorrow on my non fast day? I'm going to be doing 4:3 or 3:4 depending how the days fall.I'm desperate to lose a stone (ammount I've gained since having my implant put in back in january). The health benefits will be a bonus too. Great thread everybody and lots of really helpful links so thankyou.

insprognito · 12/10/2012 19:37

Sorry for lack of paragraphs am on my phone.

Sputnik · 12/10/2012 20:11

Insprognito you don't have to wait 16 hours, just eat breakfast normally tomorrow. Welcome and good luck!

Aboutlastnight · 12/10/2012 20:23

Yes I have an omelette or some porridge in the morning and then some vegetables in the evening - I fon't do the 16 hrs thing but have no idea if this has slowed my weight loss.