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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 Six! Now's the time to de-lurk and chat with us..

984 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 25/10/2012 12:49

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 in August, 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 started is a good resource for some of the links and tips that get lost in these big threads. In addition to sharing links, we try 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 mentioned BMR and TDEE often. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals. Here is a link to a calculator to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day.

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:
TellMeLater · 11/11/2012 11:53

rolf I have fallen off the wagon twice since starting fasting....both times my period arrived the next day and both times I swore I would never fast again and both times I started again the following week. I don't regret eating on those days, my body was screaming at me to eat and I felt not eating would cause too much discomfort.

The more I read these boards the more I confirm my opinion that following a diet is a bit like following a religion, it's very personal and everyone seems to want to convert people to their way of thinking and follow their diet because it is truly the diet that must be right. It's a topic best avoided IMO.

Blondie276 · 11/11/2012 13:12

Hi all,
Just catching up with everyone's posts.
I've had a really bad week eating wise and I agree with catsrus. The biggest thing for me to learn has been what calories are in what and what a day of my TDEE SHOULD look like ( and I must say its been a shock to see how much more I was eating in a daily basis).
This last couple of weeks I have found i was slipping into old habits in eating days by going way over what I should have done.
This last week I thought I would educate my body and so haven't done any fasts but have ensured everyday I eat my TDEE or under. Wow. What I've learnt- for me was def worth doing!
So - back on the wagon today and am on a fast day !
Am thinking forward and getting rid of all my very bad habits !
Wish me luck!
Have a good Sunday all!

Aboutlastnight · 11/11/2012 13:52

Oh I fell off the wagon for two weeks - combination of nightshift and moving house which was unexpectedly stressful.

Start fasting again Monday. Have only put on a couple of pounds so it's not the end of the euros. Am hoping to remain on 5:2 until Xmas as I want to lose a few more pounds.

Aboutlastnight · 11/11/2012 13:53

Euros? World. Blimmin smart phone is not as smart as it thinks it is...

SarahWithAFringeOnTop · 11/11/2012 15:21

"End of the euros..."? I wondered what that was all about when I read it - thought perhaps I'd stumbled into an economics forum by mistake Grin I think I am going to adopt it as a saying though. Who needs smartphones?!

MakeHayNotStraw · 11/11/2012 15:25

End of the euros Grin. Still makes weird sense!

Laska42 · 11/11/2012 15:27

Hi all, well i've had a couple of lovely eating (and Wine days.. Wore the fab new dress out yesterday and got loads of 'WOW! haven't you lost weight' comments.. so that was great..

Fasting today and am aiming for the 24hours again. -having already done one 16hr stretch since last night .

I've decided that this is to be the routine now. and when I go down to 6:1 ill carry on with a 24hr Sunday / Monday fast pattern as it fits in with my life..

So I've just eaten my roasted carrot and pepper soup and that will be it until tomorrow afternoon.. I'm planning on taking a hard boiled egg and some yoghurt and berries to break the fast at work, then coming home to something healthy like fish and veg later on..

Last week was a 5:2 and this will be the same as I'm going to be working at a polling station on Thursday (which would normally be a fast day.. and as ill be on duty from 6am to around midnight and then on to the count right after on Friday morning there's no way ill be fasting that day , so ill be doing Wednesday instead

I'm only looking to lose a little more now, a few lbs to get to10st would be great , but I'm not worried if it stays the same as I am now..

Laska42 · 11/11/2012 15:36

pookey its a shame that your DP doesn't seem to be supportive.. but don't let it put you off.. tell him you are doing it for YOU and that's it .. Don't let him and his uniformed friends derail you..

Rachelblythe I seem to be eating the same things on fasting days..I still do two meals as it seems to be working fine for me.. I eat usually eggs and ham and then either roasted carrot and pepper soup or broccoli spring onion and prawn stir fry..

But what does it matter if its what you like? You could make veggie curry or do veggie stir fries (with stock not oil) or have baked beans with mushrooms and ham or egg . Do you eat eggs,ham or prawns? I find they are the easiest to portion control

OHforDUCKScake · 11/11/2012 15:53

Ive taken a different approach to todays fast day.

Usually I have quinoa and beans at 1pm and 7pm but I was finding after the 1pm food Id really struggle with hunger.

So I thought today Id ride it out and have a 'proper' dinner. Chicken fillet, jacket with beans and a pile of veg.

Its much easier. Im putting the oven on soon and Im hungry but not at deaths door.

I wont be able to do that every fast day, I was busy, well slept and the baby isnt feeding much so I had all of that in my favour. More of these days and I'll be on a winner.

MrsHelsBels74 · 11/11/2012 16:31

My husband has been doing this for some time but I was pregnant so it wasn't an option. I'm now 7 weeks post partum, not breast feeding so would it be too early to think about starting?

My worries are, I'm a tea addict, and am worried that will take too many calories out on fast days. Also I really struggle with irritability when hungry so need filling low calorie food ideas. My husband kind of went into it without doing research but I don't want to do it that way.

Any tips?

fatsatsuma · 11/11/2012 16:33

Hi everyone. My first two fast days went fine. Very easy during the day, but harder in the evening. I went to bed feeling very hungry, and when DD came in in the middle of the night I was even hungrier! But as others have observed, when I woke in the morning I wasn't so hungry. I have noticed that I've been pretty hungry over the weekend (maybe my body trying to make up for the lost calories) but I've tried not to go mad. So far so good.

A question please: I've got a succession of work/social events this week which were in the diary before I started 5:2. So the only days I can fast are Thurs and Fri. I don't want to do two consecutive days. On Monday I need to eat lunch, lunch and dinner on Tuesday, and lunch on Wednesday. If I fast on Friday, can anyone suggest a way of doing the equivalent of another day's fast earlier in the week - or should I just make it a 6:1 week?

Thanks for all the help I've gleaned from this thread Smile

Skinnyeye · 11/11/2012 19:05

Hi all back from cycling a bit cold and muddy!! Cycled 20 miles today and did it on an empty stomach a little heavy legged at the start but otherwise it was fine. Rewarded ourselves with fish and chips when we finished - well it was supposed to be a normal day Grin and it was a fairly hard ride lol

Hitting the shower now will check in again later

TalkinPeace2 · 11/11/2012 19:19

fatsatsuma
works meals - if you have a choice of menu, pick the soup as your starter and then another starter as your main course - easy way to eat at the same time as others but less (and a STANDARD trick among my skinny friends)
if its a buffet, think low carb - avoid anything with pastry in, max out on fish and vegetables : you'll appear to eat the same as others but in fact will be the same as the skinnymalinks in the room (watch them .... you'll be amazed that you've never noticed before)
also make sure that your plate empties totally before taking any more food
again a technique to control and space out the bites ...

kerri80 · 11/11/2012 19:43

i am about 4 weeks into 5:2 diet and would like to know if i could fast between say, after sunday lunch (1pm) to monday teatime?? we have a big lunch on a sunday and since starting this diet i dont seem to be able to eat two big meals a day so thinking i could skip sunday tea n have under 500 cals shared between breakfast n lunch on mon and have a ?normal tea? which we would usually eat around 7pm? any thoughts?? (my other fast day is weds which i would do normally)

Thelittlestranger · 11/11/2012 20:39

Hi all, checking in for the first time in a while...I've been sticking to it, but stayed the same last week. Not a problem for me, and I'm pretty sure I'll lose again this week. Still enjoying it, and it's becoming more and more natural to me.

Helsbels, I have switched to skimmed milk since starting this way of eating, and now actually prefer it to semi skimmed. I drink approx 3/4 cups of tea and a coffee on fast days and put about 80-100 calories towards it. This still leaves me with enough to eat with. I also got very tetchy when hungry before, and noticed this massively on my first fast days, but this has now gone as my body has got used to it..on a last note, I started WW 8 weeks after giving birth, and swapped to this at 12 weeks...

This week I'll be fasting Monday, Wednesday and on Friday will be doing my 16 hour fast. Had a lovely couple of days of eating this weekend, but also looking forward to tomorrow.

Breadandwine · 11/11/2012 20:49

Another step along the way to this WOL becoming mainstream - a good, positive article on the subject by Dom Joly:

www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/ive-discovered-how-to-lose-weight-fast-8303657.html

Skinnyeye · 11/11/2012 20:49

Hi Kerri
It looks to me like your Sunday into Monday "fast" would result in neither day being a 500 calorie day however you could still have the 16 hour non eating period on Sunday which would be beneficial. As we frequently say we are none of us experts and are feeling our way as we go. Do what works for you, it's all trial and error - if it doesn't work out try something else Grin

kerri80 · 11/11/2012 21:17

thank you skinneye i'll do it today but think will go back to normal after that n cut portion sizes on feast days i really have found i cant eat nearly as much as before but i keep trying lol from now on will stop when full. loving this thread btw just discovered it tonight but will defo keep popping in. good luck all fellow 5:2ers :)

lilacbluebell · 11/11/2012 21:45

good article B&W

TiP2 - I can't imagine being allergic to chocolate, but it would probably be a good thing for meWink

had a "feed" weekend. very odd to not think about fasting for 2 days!

feeling a bit ill tonight, been to a kids tea party today with mayo-packed sandwiches, so it could be that, or the old reliable hormones, or a bug... hope to fast tomorrow.

TalkinPeace2 · 11/11/2012 21:49

lilac
I'd be OK if I was allergic to cheese ..... that has always been my weakness : a relaxed snack is a 400g pack of cheshire cheese!

Breadandwine · 11/11/2012 22:07

Kerri As skinnyeye says, it's all trial and error to begin with. If you were to fast tomorrow - or not eat until you feel hungry, you may well go through to the evening. Then you could use your 500 calories to make a very filling dinner - lots of ideas on the Recipe thread.

Have a look at the way Brad Pilon (author of Eat, Stop, Eat) does it on the Tips and Links thread - you're not far off his method.

lilacbluebell · 11/11/2012 22:19

I am thankful I don't like cheese!

MakeHayNotStraw · 11/11/2012 23:04

Does anyone else notice that a fast seems to "reset" your eating patterns? I noticed this when I first tried a fast day a few months ago - I get into a habit of just eating because it's there, then I want more etc...but after a fast day I don't do that for a couple of days - I just don't have the same compulsion or cravings for sugary things. It's quite helpful really, as I was beginning to think I had a sugar addiction...

Well done to all who fasted today, not sure I could manage it at the weekend!

applefalls · 12/11/2012 10:49

Just checking in to say I think I have lost four pounds, scales initially said 7 than died. Either way am very happy and thanks to all who post and encourage! Fasting today after roast yesterday, so nostalgic for the gravy, need to get a grip!!

Onward

Aftereightsaremine · 12/11/2012 10:53

Well weighed myself this morning & I've lost a total of 25lbs in 15 weeks. Really pleased especially as was on holiday for 2 of those weeks. But am doing 4:3 so at least it gives me the incentive to carry on.

Does anyone know whether if we were to do 6:1 whether you would still get health benefits?