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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:
Alaska77 · 09/10/2012 09:38

Hi All, fast day for me today after an unnecessarily overindulgent feed day yesterday. But the best thing about this WOE is no guilt! Back on the wagon today with my usual fasting supper of spinach omelette. Planning nothing but water until then (my stomach hasn't forgiven me for yesterday yet anyway).

Interesting to read about the potatoes. Has anyone tried Bushbok potatoes from Tesco? They taste sweet (like sweet potatoes) but they're white inside like normal potatoes. From the outside they have a rough skin like yams. Really scrummy (strictly for feed days though!). Peel them, parboil and roast them. Truly delicious.

Good luck fasters, feeders and losers x

BelinaTheChicken · 09/10/2012 09:58

Thanks for the new thread GreenEggs

Feed day for me, and going to make a concerted effort to eat today, as I have been undereating on feed days, then finding it really hard to stick to fasts. Just took and average of my intake over the last 7 days and it was less than 1000, but out of the 3 fast days I only stuck under calories in one, went over by 150 and 250 calories. My weight has stayed the same for a week now, possibly because my overall intake is too low? Confused

So going to have a bowl of pasta with cheese, veg and pesto for lunch and have taken some beef casserole out of the freezer and will have that with mash and veg for dinner. No junk in the house at the moment, but I might go out and buy myself some kind of ridiculously indulgent treat.

Good luck for everyone today

OHforDUCKScake · 09/10/2012 10:06

Morning again.

Fast day for me. After the last fast day I weighed at 10.2 thats 4lb loss but as always, to begin with it is water. I gain a little bit more or sts them genuinely start losing weight so hopefully next week I'll see 'true' results. I dont even want to lose that much really. 10lb and I'll be over the moon.

Its 10.05am Ive eaten nothing yet and Im starving!

Disenchanted4 · 09/10/2012 10:34

hiya,

im looing to try this diet,

I've done some VLCDs but the complete food replacement just kills me, as soon as I start all I can see is the weeks of no food ahead of me and it inevitably makes me cave.

I'm liking the sound of this as I only have to do low calories one day in the knowledge I can 'eat' again tomorrow.

So my questions are:

1- Does it have to be 5:2? Could I do 4:3? Would I get better results doing 4:3?

2- I know on the low days I have to aim for under 400 calories, what should I stay withing on 'eating' days?

3- Does anyone use myfitnesspal to help in this diet? Keeping track?

4 - How long have YOU being doing this? And what have the results been?

5- anything else I should know? Any tips ect?

Thanks very much for reading.

OHforDUCKScake · 09/10/2012 10:53

Im looking forward to seeing the answers to your question 4 Disinchanted

GreenEggsAndNichts · 09/10/2012 11:27

Am copying and pasting from the OP: The 5:2 diet 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.

Definitely check out some of the articles in the OP if you'd like an overview.

I do 4:3, it works well for me. I think you need to see how you go with it. I suspect you'll lose faster with 4:3 because it is overall fewer calories over time.

I haven't weighed myself the last few days but last I checked I'd lost 12 pounds or so, and I've been doing this for 6 weeks (or so... I'd have to check my calendar)

OP posts:
LookBehindYou · 09/10/2012 11:29

Disenchanted, it's 500 calories if you're female.
I use mfp sometimes to know the calories. I also use other sites if I don't feel I'm getting the right info. Or I check the details on the pack.

The point is that you don't calorie count on the eating days.

I did 5:2 for around 7 weeks. Lost 2kgs more or less, which is not much but stomach flattened noticably and dropped 2 dress sizes. I stopped 5:2 for around 3 or 4 weeks, gained no weight and now am back doing 5:2. Started again last week.

Everyone will have their own coping tips but mine are:
Drink lots of fluid. Herbal teas are good because they don't need milk (which is counted in your calories). Water also good. Fizzy drinks, not so.
Calories go further with vegetables. You can play around with flavourings and have fab soups. If you eat starch you'll want more (or maybe that's just my pathetic self control) so I avoid bread, rice and usually potatoes. After playing around it works best for me to just have one meal in the evening but that differs wildly for everyone.

TalkinPeace2 · 09/10/2012 11:32

Disenchanted
5:2 / 4:3 - whatever works for you. the main thing is to find something you'll be happy doing for the rest of your life, not just till you get to a "target weight" (and then promptly go back up again....)

Fast days : NO. NOT "UNDER 400 calories". Aim for EXACTLY 500 calories for a woman, 600 for a man. that is to STOP your body going into panic mode. And on feed days, the GDA of 2000 calories is absolutely fine. REmember this is for life, not just till Christmas.

MFP : lots of people use it, mainly those with plenty of weight to lose so that they can break their snacking habits on feed days and to make sure they get the balance right on 500 calorie days.

How long : The earliest starters were the week after the Mosely programme. BUT people have been using IF as a diet system for years and years and years.
I started 5:2 at the start of term and have dropped 7 pounds and I was not overweight at the start.

Tips : read the OP of this thread and follow all of the lovely links and read them and watch the programme.

Remember, this is a Way of Eating for the rest of your life, not a diet.

MikeOxard · 09/10/2012 11:35

1- You can do 4:3 or even every other day if you fancy it for better results. I do 4:3 to get my extra weight off quicker. I will do 5:2 when I am happy to maintain my weight.
2- Fast days aim for under 500. Eat days, just eat to your appetite, you don't have to calorie count and your appetite will adjust downwards eventually. Some people use bmr for a guide, if that helps.
3- People do, not me because I can't be arsed.
4 - 8 weeks. Lost 1st 8lbs so far. Roughly 3lb a week when I have been good on my eating days (1300cals-ish). Lost none last week when I pigged out on all my eating days (2000+ cals). I won't be doing that again! Not til I'm slim anyway.
5- Just experiment with it and see what works for you. Some people need breakfast, some people skip it altogether, some eat ww ready meals/slim fast for ease of prep and sticking to calories and some prepare everything from scratch to make healthier choices and get more bulk for their calories, some people survive on diet coke and some people will give you a right telling off for that (that's you talkinpeace). But there isn't any right and wrong about that sort of thing, just do whatever makes it doable for you. Good luck and thanks disenchanted I bloody love a quiz!

welshmill · 09/10/2012 11:35

Hello Disenchanted4 I've been doing this since the last week of August and so far I've lost just over 10lb and 3 1/2 inches off my waistline and I feel great, both physically and mentally. This has been so much easier than any other diet regime I've tried (not that it's a diet or a regime!) I started on 5:2 but due to cancelled nights out and the rearrangement of fast days etc I found myself doing 4/3 by default so have stuck with that. I fast Mondays and Wednesdays and either Friday or Saturday depending on what's happening over the weekend. On my ordinary days I still do a rough calorie count just to make sure I'm getting enough (!) which for a tich like me (4' 11") is around 1800 calories (my 'maintenance' calories). I use myfitnesspal for this. I also find that if I try to keep the carbs in check on fast days I don't feel as hungry but I don't really bother about them on feed days. I have two meals on a fast day 9of about 500 cals) as I find skipping breakfast easiest. I also walk the dog every day for at least 30 mins but that's my only exercise. Smile

welshmill · 09/10/2012 11:39

oh...and I find that planning what I'm going to eat on a fast day using myfitnesspal really helps to take the panic away.

TalkinPeace2 · 09/10/2012 11:40

WinkMikeOxard - I still say that diet fizzy drinks are the spawn of the devil - fizzy wine on the other hand is the best thing for weekend non fast days !

LookBehindYou · 09/10/2012 11:41

Sorry, that should have set I lost 4kg.

MikeOxard · 09/10/2012 11:43

Hm, can we compromise and I'll just put some malibu in my diet coke? I'm not much of a fan of wine .

TalkinPeace2 · 09/10/2012 11:48

:-0
My real weakness is manhattan cocktails which when I did WW were scary poins, but now I know that my 3000 calorie deficit from other days of the week allows them...

Another pair of jeans needing a belt today BTW - will start trying on the pairs at the back of the cupboard soon ....

GreenEggsAndNichts · 09/10/2012 11:49

I highly recommend just jumping in and making tomorrow a fast day. :) You won't know how it works for you until you try it. I started the day after I heard about it, and I haven't looked back. As Mike noted re: her weight loss, I'd probably have lost more than the 12 lbs I have, if I'd not had so many nights out/ celebration type things over that time. But as TalkInPeace says, it's a way of eating, not a temporary thing, so these fluctuations are going to happen. I'm quite pleased with my 12 lbs. I love this WOE.

The first few fast days will be tough just come here for support and keep the flow of hot drinks (watch the calories in milk) coming.

It's a fast day for me, and my monthlong cough has turned into a fever, so I'm just home with DS and hugging a coffee at the moment. I considered abandoning my scheduled fast day but so far, I think I'm going to stick with it. It's not that I want to be able to eat a lot (I have no taste buds at the moment!) but I don't know if I want to have to think about anything today. Grin I've got a Covent Garden-style soup in the fridge (from Aldi!) which I'll try later.

OP posts:
Everythingsgoingtitsup · 09/10/2012 13:07

Hi everyone, been lurking on all the threads, it's all very interesting. Me and DP started 4:3 4 weeks ago. He has lost 2lb per week and I've only lost 1lb per week on average. Fast days are much easier, we just have water in day and all our calories at night. We have both got loads of weight (he 5st, me nearer 10st Blush ) to lose so I was hoping things would shift a bit quicker. It's really annoying to see it drop off him and not me!
What do people think about taking xls medical alongside this woe? Taking it probably only on eating days as obviously on fast days I am only having 1 low fat meal per day (usually quorn and veg stir fry, strawberries and 0% total yoghurt). Any advice?

mommybunny · 09/10/2012 13:16

Hi all - broke down and weighed myself this morning and found I had gained a pound in 2 weeks Angry. Grr... Officially, that's me down 1 measly pound in 3 weeks!

I'm gutted (or I wish! Getting rid of this "gut" is all I want...). I've been doing this as faithfully as I can. I haven't been "counting" the milk in coffee and tea, but I don't have much of either on fast days. I've otherwise been no more than 10 calories over 500 on fast days (I use MFP on fast days to calculate what I eat). For at least the past 2 weeks I've been doing 16 hour fasts on fast days. On feed days, I do drink wine, but I don't snack and I don't take large portions. My water consumption has shot up dramatically (and I never have more than 1 Diet Coke a day, if that). I don't know if it's really fair to say my appetite in general has decreased since starting this - maybe I have been slightly binging on my feed days in delight at the thought of not have to Hmm. It's just so disheartening when I've been so hungry on my fast days - it's been a real sacrifice to eat so little, but I had always thought it was worth it. I've never found this "easy", and by lunch time on the day after a fast, even after a normal breakfast I find myself absolutely ravenous.

But I shall persevere. No more uncounted dribbles of milk on fast days, and lots more veg and less bread to stretch out the eating periods. If I don't see some improvement by this time next week I will have to bite the bullet and plot my feed day eating into MFP, but my God I was hoping to avoid that! I am a "normal" BMI, so I guess I will just have to accept that losing weight will take a bit longer for me.

Greeneggs, sounds like your cough has turned into what I had week before last. Sorry to hear it - it sucks. I also fasted then, and felt all the conflicting emotions you have in deciding to stick with it. Hope you're feeling better soon!

mommybunny · 09/10/2012 13:23

Oh, and disenchanted, one key coping strategy: keep yourself busy on fast days. I find it's the boredom that gets me - I work at a desk, some days from home and some days in an office. I'm not always terribly busy, but sort of need to "stay at the desk", iyswim, so it's really easy to get bored and dwell on how hungry I am. Our house is also really, really cold (DH won't put on the central heating yet Angry) and I can't bear moving around in it which also keeps me chained to one spot. But some diligent posters have been using the boredom (and time not preparing or eating food) to clean out their wardrobes and do all other sorts of really useful things.

Breadandwine · 09/10/2012 13:25

I've found it's best if I eat nothing during the day, and have a big meal in the evening. That way I can have all the trimmings and treats and still come in between 5-600 calories.

It's weird - when I don't eat I don't feel hungry; when I do have breakfast, half an hour later I'm hungry again! Confused So not eating during the day is for me!

Don't forget we have a Tips thread running in parallel with this one, trying to keep them all in one place:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1581821-Tips-and-links-for-those-practicing-Intermittent-Fasting-IF-5-2-or-Alternate-Day-Fasting-ADF

TheCyclistist · 09/10/2012 13:53

Afternoon Mommybunny , keep faith it'll come and starting on a normal BMI it will of course take longer to lose weight. Ususally body shape comes first then the weight...and thankfully (for me being one) men tend to lose a lot faster than women at least initially Wink

For me one of the strengths of this WOE is it is a longterm lifestyle choice (I sound like a bl**dy hippy) and not a short term diet. So if you don't lose weight for a month or you feast when you planned to fast or you hit 2 calories over your target one day none of this matters as we all have (hopefully) many years of this in front of us. Even losing on average only 1/2 a pound every week over 13 weeks you'd be half a stone lighter, by the summer a stone lighter...it will come Smile and the health benefits, if the studies can be believed are there all the time.

Everythingsgoingtitsup keep to the WOE and don't bother with any additional weight loss medication and the weight will fall off. Incorporating some kind of moderate exercise or activity can be a lot more effective than any kind of medicin. But whatever path you choose, good luck.

MikeOxard · 09/10/2012 13:54

Welcome titsup. I'd give it a go, it can't hurt. Let us know how you get on.

I do the opposite breadandwine. Against the majority, as usual! I generally have late breakfast and lunch, and use all my calories by about 2pm. I then feel full for a good few hours through the day and I feel unburdonned, as I don't have to think about food or calories anymore. Otherwise I feel like the number of calories i have left is like a thing hanging over me. Anyone else feel like that, or am I odd?

Laska42 · 09/10/2012 14:07

I like two meals on a fast day , but today i managed without breakfast again ..
so far its been 2 HB eggs and a slice of ham and a mug of yummy Miso soup (no, i do really like it!) with Franks of course because I am a chillihead ..

Soup tonight ..

Ive been doing this about 6/7 weeks (Cant remember now) and have lost 11lb.. making me 10.9. I'm really happy with that having lost and gained (11.7 - 11.12) over the last 18 months with WW..( and which I have been doing on and off most of the last 30 years and will NEVER go back to now..)

Not to mention all the guilt and sense of failure i had with WW when eating the 'wrong things' ...But now on this WOE I can have whatever i fancy on eating days... Wine! cheese! curry! (bliss....) and am still losing weight also Grin

Just give it a go disenchanted

Disenchanted4 · 09/10/2012 14:46

Hi everyonem thanks so much.

I decided to start yesterday on an eating day Grin Grin

Today has been a down day,

I've had a slim and save bar and a tin of WW soup, i had a piece of brown bread which was prob a mistake as i only have 165c left for my evening meal :/

any ideas what I could do with that?

MyNameIsInigoMontoya · 09/10/2012 16:10

Hi again!

Having eating day today, been making the most of it (LOVELY choc brownie with custard in the canteen at lunch today! - sorry fasters!) but not going overboard. I think I am starting to inch (slowly) closer to my next weight target so that's nice!

disenchanted I think my main take on this thing so far has been - do what works for you! The thing is, there hasn't been enough research on this yet to know exactly what is best (400, 500 or 600 cals? alternate days or 5:2? How to eat on eating days?), and also, everyone is different so what works best for one person may not be the best thing for someone else.

So the way I see it is, do whatever works for you to make it sustainable and to get some benefits - we don't know exactly how to get MAX benefits so that's not a good target to aim for! But if you can do a good approximation of what's being suggested (approx. 500 cals, 2 or 3 days a week, ideally with a long-ish fast period incorporated at some point) then you are likely to see benefits.

So, I am having no breakfast but a late lunch and evening meal, plus milky coffee - but others prefer to have some breakfast, or else not to eat at all till the evening, depending on their preferences, body, and daily routine. Some people are watching what they eat (a bit) on eating days, if they think they will go overboard otherwise - but many are not. The good thing is you can be flexible with it, experiment, and change things round if you need to - no need for all the control-freakery you get with some diets. Also, if you go a bit over the calories on one fast day, or miss one out - it's not the end of the world, you haven't "blown it" and your head won't fall off or anything!

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