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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:
literarygeek · 15/11/2012 06:25

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frenchfancy · 15/11/2012 07:01

jobyloo glad to be of help. I find the 16 hour thing to be the easiest part of the fast day. I basically just have coffee for breakfast and don't eat til lunchtime. When I first started fasting I tought I needed breakfast, but eating a small breakfast just made me ridiculously hungry by about 11am. Skipping breakfast is much much easier.

Thelittlestranger · 15/11/2012 09:32

Another one here who built up to the 16 hours, and yesterday I managed 21 hours, when I had a couple of mouthfuls of tuna mayo from the fridge.

Many cups of tea throughout the day keep me warm and staves off any hunger.

Weighed in today and it's confirmed I've lost 2lbs. Makes up for the stay the same last week!

Jobyloo · 15/11/2012 10:05

thanks everyone , so far so good, keeping myself busy and trying not to clock watch! had a couple of coffees and tbh feeling better than I thought I would. Am off to look at the link for fasting and reducing the chances of breast cancer. Think I'll put the kettle on for another Brew

Jobyloo · 15/11/2012 10:06

Sorry TLS forgot to say well done on losing 2lbs

Size10tobe · 15/11/2012 10:16

Hi, I have just started on this woe having seen the article in the times, watched Horizon on youtube, googled 5:2, read lots of blogs, bought the book, etc etc.
It is amazing how much I can do to avoid actually starting!
I am 5'1" and have a good 2 stone to lose - has anyone achieved that sort of weight loss on this woe doing 5:2?
I also wondered how long people have been following it for and how doable it is in the long term.
The other doubt which has been making me stall is how to fast without disrupting the family getting together for an evening meal. It would be alright as an occasional thing but I am daunted at the prospect of missing 2 evening meals a week long term, (from the social point of view rather than the food).
Anyway, having found my first fast day much better than I had imagined, I found myself eating much more than normal on the following day. This had more to do with the idea of not restricting food on up days, than actually being hungry. Does anyone have any advise on how to avoid this pitfall?

skippyscuffleton · 15/11/2012 10:28

Re the recent comments on 6:1 and what Michael Mosely is doing, I have gone thru his twitter tweets and come up with the below, apologies if I have missed any tweets on this subject. NB His last tweet on what he's now doing was on 16 Aug, so no idea what he is actually doing as of today. As ever, draw your own conclusions...
6Aug
Michael Mosley ‏@DrMichaelMosley
@SteveCliff I am on 5:2 but sometimes 6:1 because I was losing toouch weight too fast
Expand
Michael Mosley ‏@DrMichaelMosley
@alokjha I hav kept it up, but some weeks dropped to 6:1 because losing weight too fast. Exercise potentiates benefits. Perhaps. All newish

Michael Mosley ‏@DrMichaelMosley
@Princessjonsey yes I am, though I cut back as I was losing too much weight and in danger of going gaunt. I am aiming for a BMI of 23
Michael Mosley ‏@DrMichaelMosley
?@TlKT0K: @DrMichaelMosley If consecutive hours in the fast is significant, reducing to 6:1 is a bad idea". Perhaps, but we shall see
16 Aug
Rebecca Sinnatt ‏@RebeccaSinnatt
@DrMichaelMosley Now you have eased off a bit how are you fasting?
Expand
16 Aug Michael Mosley Michael Mosley ‏@DrMichaelMosley
@RebeccaSinnatt I'm back on 5:2 after brief break

Strawberrysouffle · 15/11/2012 10:33

Hello! Finally delurking. I have been reading your messages for about 4 weeks and they have really helped so thought it was about time I gave some help myself Smile

I have been doing this as 5:2 for about 8 weeks and have lost a steady 8 pounds so far and feel great. I initially started this woe to help with poor family genetics, particularly early onset breast cancer, but I feel so good and find it so manageable that I could imagine continuing indefinitely.

I usually fast Monday/Thursday. I skip breakfast as that is definitely easiest and eat something small at about 4 then have soup at about 9. I drink tea and coffee through the day to keep warm and satisfied. I usually do an energetic exercise class on the same evening as the fast. At first I was worried that I would feel light-headed and weak but actually the opposite is true. I am full of energy and feel great (although ravenous for my soup afterwards). I find it easier to keep to basically the same food each fast day as I then dont have to think about it, but that may change if it gets boring. I certainly love my breakfast the day after the fast but get full more easily.

Apart from the vague hunger all day during a fast I cannot think of any negatives to this woe. I feel fresh and my skin feels good. I feel 'tighter' around the abdomen (I still have about 8 pounds to lose to be at a healthy bmi). Each fast day seems to reset my appetite so that I am more discerning about food. This had been my biggest worry as, although I am not a binger, I have a tendency to start eating and eat far too much then regret it, especially on occasions such as Christmas. I am not worried about eating this Christmas, as I know I will be able to eat normally and reset my appetite by fasting.

Finally, I am perimenopausal (51) and have researched this woe a great deal and agree with earlier posters who say that they are concerned that it is not suitable for weight loss in young women. I cant to find any reason why but a lot of studies seem to feel that it works best for men and older women (past childbearing age). It seems that some young women here are losing weight successfully doing IF but may this be the reason why some are not? Just a thought. I certainly feel that we have all been duped over the years to believe that we must eat little and often to keep up our blood sugar levels. Some people, when I tell them what I am doing look at me in horror and tell me it is dangerous to go without meals!!!! We are so brainwashed by food companies to keep their profits up (anyone remember 'the sweet you can eat between meals without spoiling your appetite'.....how ridiculous that sounds now)

Finally, thanks again to everyone who takes the time to post. There must be loads of people like me who get a lot of help from your experiences Thanks

Breadandwine · 15/11/2012 12:26

"Laska no I'm not a teacher, I find it easy to explain things, but I would find it very difficult spending spending all day in a room full of children!"

frenchfancy If that's your only concern, then teach adults! I trained as an adult tutor when I took early retirement in my 50s, so I could teach my hobby of breadmaking. All the students in my classes want to be there! (Even when I'm teaching kids, which I do more and more of lately.)

skippy Excellent stuff, well done, thanks! I'd decided to go back to 5:2 after the conversation I had with Tellmelater earlier. TBH, I'm rather glad, as I found the 6 eating days a bit of a trial - I really do look forward to the fasting days.

TheCyclistist · 15/11/2012 13:22

Welcome to the Thread StrawberryS , glad to see things going well for you and a great first post Smile

BananaGio · 15/11/2012 14:24

thanks for that explanation French Fancy - another one who found it useful. I have been dipping in and out of 5-2 for a few weeks but not really committed to it, I think because I need to find a way that works for me and havent found it yet. For example I normally have a latte every morning with sugar and cutting that out and replacing it with tea, then trying not to eat til after 2 was really putting me off. So I have just worked out my calorie allowance for the week as per your post and am going to retry. Just want to check something. Can I do 600 on a fast day instead of 500 as long as I stick to that and my daily non fast allowance is adjusted to reflect that? Thanks

welshmill · 15/11/2012 14:32

Hi Size10tobe I'm 4' 11" and when I stood on the scales in June I was 11st 2lb which just horrified me. Ideally I wanted to be around 8 to 8st 7lb which meant the prospect of trying to lose between 2 1/2 and 3 stone. I initially cut back on my eating and got down to 10st 5lb then stalled. This was a few weeks before the Horizon programme after which I thought I'd give it a go so initially started 5:2 in the third week of August. I lost a couple of pounds in the first week but after around 4 weeks fell into doing 4:3 and have stuck with this for the time being as, at the moment at least, I find I can cope with it. So far I have lost 16lb with this WOE and I'm really pleased. I tend to skip breakfast as I find this easy and eat lunch and dinner on a fast day, having fasted for around 18 hrs (my last meal the night before is typically around 5.30. If I eat much later than that my stomach is dreadful and I don't sleep very well). Lunch is usually light - say a boiled egg, couple of slices of ham and a couple of baby beetroot, but I'm now finding that this is pretty filling. For dinner I try to incorporate what I'm having with the family. Typically this can be baked fish and a pile of cooked frozen mixed veg for me within my calorie limit. Everyone else has the same but with say a larger portion of fish and the addition of boiled potatoes. Other times we will all have baked potatoes, cottage cheese and salad or maybe a casserole, the plan being that I'm not eating anything radically different from the rest of the family, just a suitable portion that fits in with my fast. Smile

frenchfancy · 15/11/2012 15:13

I am at 21 hours so far today. I was busy at lunchtime so didn't have time for my soup, I'm not actually starving now so I'm going to try and go the full 24 hours.

I never thought I would be able to do it. Turns out it isn't too bad.

Banana - if you can't manage 500 cals at first, then do 600. I bet after a few weeks 500 won't seem that bad. My last 2 fast days ended up at 400 just because that was the total of the meals I'd planned and I wasn't hungry enough to find another 100 cals of food.

In terms of your latte, try just cutting down gradually, before starting this I was white coffee with sugar. I have been gradually putting less and less sugar and milk in, and this morning I had black coffee no sugar. It was fine. Just make the change gradually.

Jobyloo · 15/11/2012 16:26

well I am gob smacked Shock I managed 19hrs without it really bothering me. Felt a bit light headed so had my lunch at 3pm and got soup ready for dinner later. I thought I'd be hungry constantly but the pangs came and went, happy bunny here, this really does feel achievable especially knowing tomorrow is the start of the weekend & I can have a Wine or 2 Grin

TalkinPeace2 · 15/11/2012 17:12

re Family meals :
First of all be honest with your children
"Mummy (and Daddy) have a couple of days a week when they do not eat much. This is so that we will be healthier when you are grown up. People whose bones are still growing need to eat the meals I put in front to them.

Then have the same meal as the whole family but with little or none of the carb bit (spuds, pasta, bread) and a slightly smaller portion of the topping (spag bol, curry, whatever) and drink water with your meal.
No great shakes.
My kids like fasting days as we have been mixing up our normal menus ....

mollysfolly · 15/11/2012 17:14

Hi folks, just catching up on a couple of days posts.

catsrus I think you have underestimated the number of calories you are down. If you're keeping to a TDEE of 1535 and doing 4:3 with 500 cals on fast days, you must be 3100 cals down a week? I think Frenchfancy's love of numbers has rubbed off on me! Good post BTW FF.

Fast day for me today and have just had some lovely haddock with a veg curry. Much nicer than it sounds!

skippyscuffleton · 15/11/2012 17:19

Breadandwine Good for you for going back to 5:2. My opinion is that if you want the so called health benefits it's best to copy what Dr M was doing on the Horizon prog, at a minimum, and then maybe you will get the same results that he did.

I'm still 5:2ing and doing full 24hr fasts on the fast days, b'fast to b'fast as I'm someone who suffers if I don't start the day with something in my stomach.

I hope you are getting "extra" health benefits for making bread and teaching on your fasting days, my self will would be sorely tested smelling fresh bread baking.

A general qus for anyone else out there:
Anyone know what kickstarts the process for the brain health improvements? Is it low blood glucose and or high grehlin and or low insulin and or just feeling plain old hungry or ? I will start reading the Prof Mattson papers in due course myself to find the answer too.

Must also get that IGF-1 blood test booked...

Happy fasting all Smile

healstorturepeople · 15/11/2012 18:52

I am absolutely gutted. Just weighed myself and have lost nothing. I've been doing lots of exercise and doing alternate day fasting. 1 week in after working so bloody hard and zilch.

I can see the inches gone but no weight. I need the bloody weight to go too otherwise my horrible doctor will be even more bloody horrible. So gutted, so cross.

literarygeek · 15/11/2012 19:27

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healstorturepeople · 15/11/2012 19:33

Yeah I guess so literarygeek. Same time of day though and similar clothes. I know I need to get over it otherwise I'll do what I always do, get pissed off an eat crap!

Bordercollielover · 15/11/2012 19:48

Literary geek, don't give up. Waist: hip ratio is nowadays considered to be a more accurate marker for health than weight or BMI which do not take variables into account.
If your waist measurement is dropping then you are doing the right thing and eventually it will show on the scales too.

Bordercollielover · 15/11/2012 19:50

Oops sorry talking to the wrong person. I meant to address my comment to heals not geek.

healstorturepeople · 15/11/2012 19:54

Sadly my doctor won't see it that way. I need to lose a stone by the time I see him in January.

literarygeek · 15/11/2012 20:19

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literarygeek · 15/11/2012 20:20

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