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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:
TalkinPeace2 · 16/11/2012 15:12

pookey
If you start at 7.45 pm after supper on say Sunday, nothing to eat Monday breakfast or lunch, a 500 calorie supper Monday, nothing Tuesday breakfast (I never 'do' breakfast) and then a light lunch on Tuesday, and a decent supper
you have gone 36 hours on 500 calories and nearly 48 on about 1000

sounds scary as numbers, but entirely reasonable as meals and drinks .....

PS did anybody else see this :
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20243692
about the history - or not - of three meals a day

dandycandyjellybean · 16/11/2012 15:29

Thanks for that tp2, I'm not normally so 'needy' honest, it's just been one hell of a year!!! Will do the fizzy thing, that's a lovely idea, she's been a lovely cat, soft as pudding - was around 12 when my ds arrived, and she absoltely adored him from day 1, I think she thought he was my 'kitten'. He'd lie on the bed kicking his legs and laughing and she'd go and lie next to him so that he was kicking her in the head (!!!) and purr like mad.

Thanks again.

virginposter · 16/11/2012 17:06

Hi all.
Has anyone seen this blog? helenahalme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/five-ways-to-do-52-diet.html
It's particularly interesting because someone posts a comment stating that they are in touch with Michael Mosley and that he is keen to hear from people who have been doing 5:2 for a while. They give an email address to contact him so maybe here's our chance to put some of our questions to him??

Laska42 · 16/11/2012 18:28

Oh boy I'm totally knackered and have existed pretty much on eggs coffee chocolate and BrewBrewBrewBiscuit for the last two days doing the elections .. ( not many people voted.. but there I was waiting and then doing the count (several times today.. ) .

but my 'official' Friday WI says another 1.5 lbs down ..this might not stick but if it does I've now lost 17 lbs on this WOE since end of August ..

Right I need some food (and WineWineWine)

Skinnyeye · 16/11/2012 18:54

Good work virgin now we can contact MM Grin and invite him to join us Grin Grin we should compose an email and send just one rather than filling his inbox with the same questions!! Managed 4:3 this week and kick-started weight loss. I lost 5 pounds (surely that can't be right but not complaining at all as I had STS since 27th October!) Lost 16 pounds in total Fasting works in mysterious ways lol

Bordercollielover · 16/11/2012 21:31

Dontgotheredaisy, after reading your post I can see for the first time ever the point of weighing daily or perhaps every 2 days. With a weekly weigh in only, even if done at same time etc, there is a good chance that one might happen to hit a time when weight is fluctuating upwards for some reason ( as we don't eat the same thing every week) which is very upsetting but not necessarily accurate; the very next day might give a very different result.
I shall look for some graph paper......

Breadandwine · 16/11/2012 22:01

In response to the above posts by virgin and skinny, I have started a thread wherein we can collect questions for the good doctor:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1614363-Questions-for-Dr-Mike-Mosley

pookey · 16/11/2012 22:13

I might ask about having milk in tea and coffee during a fast - I didn't have anything but herbal tea for the first time today and when I finally ate my 500 cals and had a cup of coffee with milk I crashed - shakey, nauseus, cold, falling asleep ... lasted about 3 hours. Fine now though might do some ironing! This hasn't happened really to this extent before which I think might be to do with having the drip drip of milk during the day?

Breadandwine · 16/11/2012 22:31

Sorry, here's a clickable link:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1614363-Questions-for-Dr-Mike-Mosley

Iwearblack · 16/11/2012 23:18

I'm another one who weighs every day and am amazed at the daily fluctuations (even though always weigh first thing in same place). The weight can be +/- 2 lbs easily so I don't worry if I don't show a decrease when I expect one! Even a slight movement of the scales can change the reading ...
Good idea for the questions to Dr Moseley ... I would like a follow-up show looking at the 500cals in one lot vs spread over the day etc plus a comparison of men and women on this WOE as I am sure hormonal variations through the month must play a part in how easy it is to fast sometimes and how hard at others! He won't be able to answer these qs though - he needs to persuade the BBC to commission a new programme.
Thanks to all posters....whether positive or negative .... Always a support...

ThinkICan · 17/11/2012 00:10

Dontgotheredaisy or anyone else who is computer savvy! Is there a way to create a graph on the computer to show your (hopefully decreasing!)weight? As weight loss slows down, it would be nice to have something which tells you to keep going.

Breadandwine · 17/11/2012 00:10

The Daily Mirror carried an article on 5:2 fasting this morning. Any one of us could have written it better, but it's evidence of its wider acceptance if nothing else:

www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/dieting/siobhan-mcnally-living-on-mouse-diet-1438229

ThinkICan · 17/11/2012 00:25

You are right Breadandwine. Any of us could have written it much better, highlighting the benefits we have all experienced. She makes it sound like torture and talks of pigging out on feed days, which is again misleading.

pookey · 17/11/2012 01:06

I would guess this is just written for the purpose of humour/filling up the column rather than providing information or being prompted by a genuine desire to experience the benefits of this.

ThinkICan · 17/11/2012 01:33

You are right pookey.

TellMeLater · 17/11/2012 08:34

Daily weighers can chart their fluctuations on the my fitness pal App or their website, works well and I agree about the observation that weekly weighing can still give you a wildly in accurate loss or gain, if you happen to weigh at a low point & a high point of normal fluctuations. When I weigh daily, I tend to look at the movement of the high points and the low points to determine whether I'm losing or gaining. ATM though I'm trying to relax a bit more about my eating and I'm also trying to be less scales obsessed. Apparently, when interviewed, 70% of people who have maintained their weightloss over an extended period report that they weigh in at least once a week - suggesting that staying on top of the scales goes some way to maintaining weight loss.

ThinkICan · 17/11/2012 09:02

Thank you TML for the chart info. It's true too that I gained stones and stones of weight when I stopped weighing myself - for years!

Skinnyeye · 17/11/2012 09:41

I use the calorie counter app from fast secret. It also charts weight loss and shows it in graph form.

SarahWithAFringeOnTop · 17/11/2012 10:21

I quite agree pookey and TIC. And what's with calling it the mouse diet... isn't that cheese? (and chocolate, judging by the mice in my house... Confused)

Bordercollielover · 17/11/2012 11:16

Sexbomb: thinking of you today. You will be sad but hope you are ok

Skinnyeye · 17/11/2012 13:15

Perhaps we should be eating mice lol

pookey · 17/11/2012 15:16

Eating mice bleugh; although desperado celebs would go for that! They based a lot of this woe on research into mice but really hope that name doesn't catch on!

TPT I managed 36 hours and actually felt really good this morning thanks. going to keep myself busy until dinner now rather than overdoing in choc. What food do people find good to eat after a long fast to stop crash and burn I had yesterday evening?

Thinking of you sexbomb Thanks

helenahalme · 17/11/2012 16:29

Hi, I write the blog mentioned above, (helenahalme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/five-ways-to-do-52-diet.html) The comment with the email was from a Twitter friend of mine who works for C4 News, so I wrote to Mr Moseley but am yet to hear back from him. Perhaps he already has enough material from people?

I'm still on the 5:2 but since I wrote the post haven't lost any more weight, it seems I put anything I lose during the fasting right back during the 5 days!

Interested to hear how others are doing.

Helena

Breadandwine · 17/11/2012 17:04

Hi Helena

I'm sorry, but I think your blog is entirely made up! I don't believe a word of it!

(Well you do say, "I write fiction, read fiction and eat fiction"! Grin)

Welcome to the 5:2 threads, I'm sure you'll have a lot to offer.

pookey · 17/11/2012 17:06

Welcome Helena! I have just done a sort of 48 hour fast which Talkinpeace outlined to me a few posts up and I feel itis something I will now include once or twice a fortnight. I think mixing things up is mentioned on here so some weeks trying 4:3 another time have a week off vary length of times going without food etc. There is an explanation in the Times article that is linked a few pages back that a certain period of time without eating can kick start weightloss and they reccommend having a meal at say 2pm then not eating until 2pm the following day. My weightloss hasn't been that impressive but there are some really inspiring posters on here!