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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! 7 is our lucky number...

991 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 19/11/2012 12:57

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 2012, 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.

I know a number of people lurk on this thread, as this is currently quite popular. Please just jump in and post if you're new- we won't bite. Well, maybe on a fast day. Wink

Here is a list of links to get you started with this way of eating. Please let us know if you find a new article or some other information online:

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

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.

Here is where I would link to the aforementioned Horizon programme, but it appears as if the BBC have finally noticed it on YouTube and have taken it down. If you have another link for this episode, please PM me with it, or post it to the thread and we'll put it up for the next thread.

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 all the links re-copied and back into one post.

Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!

OP posts:
Aftereightsaremine · 23/11/2012 14:35

Well done Tip! That's great. I've got 6 lbs to go before I'm in the overweight category, can't believe ill be pleased to make it into overweight but yes I will.

Thanks to all that have commented on milk in tea. I managed until 11 today when I had scrambled egg, I just couldn't hang on any longer....

TheCyclistist · 23/11/2012 14:42

Afternoon TML , I don't know whether I would label myself a 'carb lover' Grin as you stated. But I do love fruit, wholemeal toast, brown rice, porridge and veg so I suppose some would call me that.

Rather than a 'carb lover', I'd see myself as someone frustrated by the pseudo-science peddled by low carb diets. But I've said enough here about my views on the subject and to try and avoid the risk of boring people Smile will now shut up on the matter.

Non-fasting day here so after a long bike ride about to tuck into a huge bowl of porridge and oatbran...it's all downhill from there though I'm afraid, till fasting again on Monday.

Have a great weekend all and huge congratulations to Sandcj getting your cholesterol down from 7.6 something to 4.2 Shock

literarygeek · 23/11/2012 16:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TalkinPeace2 · 23/11/2012 16:21

ceebeegeebies
I've lost a steady 1-2 pounds a week. Friends commented after about four weeks. I had to wear a belt with all my jeans by mid October. Today my BodyBalance instructor commented on my flat tummy . RESULT.

aftereights
how many eggs, what size - and to make it feel more, how much fresh ground pepper - stronger flavours are more filling.

TheCyclistist Sandcj
I'm going to sound really thick here but what is a 'good' cholesterol level, what is too high, what is too low, what is yikes and what are the units of measurement?

catsrus · 23/11/2012 17:07

well done TP2 - and Laska I think we must be genetic twins separated at birth Grin I will keep my fingers crossed that you cross the 10st barrier for your birthday!

My weight loss has not been slow and steady - except over the whole period (August to now), there were weeks when it seemed to fly off and others where nothing seemed to happen. I just stuck with the general principles, sometimes upping my calories on a non fast day, other times adding some more fast days in. I just kept telling myself that even if I was not losing weight I was doing myself some good re. the other health benefits.

I've just had my veggie curry after my meeting and my stomach is def full - I do still have some of that "mouth hunger" though (body satisfied mouth isn't!) - so might go look for some gum to see if the minty sweetness helps Smile

tiggy114 · 23/11/2012 17:08

Well i've taken the plunge today and fasted. It's been fine. And i didn't decide to do it till mid morning so had already eaten porridge and a packet of crisps Blush but i still have enough cals left for a carrot stick snack later. I think the idea of it is way worse than the doing of it tbh. Plus it's waaay easier than calorie counting daily. As now i know i won't be eating again today (apart from carrot) i don't think about food constantly whereas when i calorie counted i was constantly thinking about food all day long!

literarygeek · 23/11/2012 17:20

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

literarygeek · 23/11/2012 17:22

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

literarygeek · 23/11/2012 17:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GreenEggsAndNichts · 23/11/2012 17:29

Nice one, Tiggy. :) I agree- this has kept me from thinking about food all the time. If I know in my mind that it's a fast day, I just don't even consider other food, if that makes sense. I don't feel tempted by food if it's out, because I know I'm not eating it today. (But, I could tomorrow, if I felt so inclined, and that's a nice feeling as well)

OP posts:
Aftereightsaremine · 23/11/2012 17:50

TP it was one egg dash of milk & my secret ingredient of diced chilli it gives scrambled egg such a lovely flavour....

TalkinPeace2 · 23/11/2012 17:53

nom nom - will have to try that - luv chilli - and about 90 calories only :-)

Aftereightsaremine · 23/11/2012 17:58

Didn't do it today but chopped smoked salmon poached in milk first then add as above & voila I've died & gone to heaven....

Thank god it's not a fasting day.

pip895 · 23/11/2012 18:42

De lurking ? first post on mumsnet! read most of the previous 7 threads - quite a marathon ? so interesting though!
I have been on a version of this diet since mid Sept. I have never really dieted before but gradually over the 13years since DD was born, I put on weight and I could see myself heading into the obese category with 3 stone to loose ? not good especially as I suffer from RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis).

I now diet 2 consecutive days Monday & Tuesday and have 500 calories split over 3 meals ? I know its not what many people recommend ? but it seems to work for me.

Breakfast is usually muesli ~170 kcal
Lunch soup ~ 80 kcal
Dinner typically ~250 kcal - fish or chicken with a little rice & veg with some sauce of some sort (Sometimes use half a innocent veg pot which works well) I don?t like to spend much time on food prep on low cal days.

First couple of weeks I found I really knew I was fasting ? hadn?t much energy, bit of a head ache - poor dog got shorter than normal walks -etc. Now I hardly notice it ? even able to go swimming and function perfectly normally ? always look forward to Wednesday morning though.Wink

Really feeling good on this have lost 4.5inches round my waist & just over a stone so far ? It went down steadily 1 to 2lb a week for the first 6 weeks then a blip, up two weeks running - I thought of going to 4:3 or even calorie counting on my non diet days Shock, but decided to just let it run a bit and the following week I lost 3.5lb! ? no Idea what changed but glad to be back on track. I would really like to be out of the overweight category by Christmas - would be the best Christmas presie ever - love this diet (WOL/WOE) whats WOE stand for btw? Blush lol

TellMeLater · 23/11/2012 18:43

Bordercollie have you seen this with regard to the effect of fasting on insulin sensitivity in woman. It's hard to tell whether fasting will make your condition better or worse.

www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature

"Another diabetes risk factor that has shown a sex-specific effect is glucose tolerance. After 3 weeks of ADF, women but not men had an increase in the area under the glucose curve. This unfavorable effect on glucose tolerance in women, accompanied by an apparent lack of an effect on insulin sensitivity, suggests that short-term ADF may be more beneficial in men than in women in reducing type 2 diabetes risk. ? The opening line of their discussion reads: ?Alternate day fasting may adversely affect glucose tolerance in nonobese women but not in nonobese men.?

My weekly diary wouldn't help you move from your plateau as i am not losing weight, never have done through fasting and I am now on carb maintenance so my carb levels are higher and I drink a lot of wine Blush and eat out more often than I should. More Blush I dont really have a typical week as I get bored eating the same food but this is the plan for this week.

My fasting days, I eat Greek yoghurt as a lunch time snack and evening meal is usually a very spicy curry - recipe varies every week - made with chicken, fish, prawns or egg served with cauliflower rice.

Feed days - breakfast hot berries with yoghurt, mixed seeds and vanilla. Sometimes cream cheese pancakes with yoghurt and berries. Boiled eggs with butter and Tabasco. At weekends scrambled eggs with truffle oil and Parmesan. Middle eastern eggs, Shakshuka, Heuvos rancheros, kedgeree using cauliflower rice and sometimes bacon, sausage, mushroom & eggs.

Lunch often veg soup or left overs - today was a chicken leg with roasted artichokes but it is always a bit of a raid the fridge affair.
Dinner this week - friday pizza - homemade so a very thin base - used to make a low carb one but it's a once/twice a month treat so I make it with flour.
Saturday steak with roasted shallots, courgettes, mushroom and thyme, kids will have theirs with potato wedges.
Sunday shoulder of lamb with pumpkin and thyme wedges, celeriac purée and roast broccoli kids will have roasties too.
Monday fast kids spaghetti Bol
Tuesday Bee's chilli bake and greens
Wednesday fast
Thursday rocket and ricotta savoury cheesecake with maybe Brussels with lardons with a vinegerette - bit of an experiment on the Brussels, I normally find them a bit too ordinary.

Hope that helps, there's lots of ideas on the Internet, some good recipes on the bootcamp recipe thread. Also the low carb section of the Diabetes website.

www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewforum.php?f=18

TalkinPeace2 · 23/11/2012 18:54

Pip895
welcome to the threads and this Way of Eating

tellmelater
I don't like that paleo site as its makes some VERY dodgy assumptions - primarily they did not have Ocado in the stone age .... so meals were not regular

ceebeegeebies · 23/11/2012 20:15

Evening Smile

Well, I am VERY proud of myself - first day of fasting and I am nearly there Grin I have probably had about 550 cals (mainly because I had to eat an apple mid-afternoon as the shakes were starting). Considering I have always been someone who has had to eat at the first sign of hunger pangs, today has been a huge achievement. I managed to resist all temptation (we have bucketloads of chocolate in the house thanks to MIL's generous friends at a Christmas Fayre last week).

However, it has not been easy - have had to do a lot to distract myself, I have felt a little uncomfortable (I would never describe hunger as a pleasurable feeling) and, if I am honest, I can't say I am going to look forward to my next fasting day (probably Monday).

I need to lose at least 2 stone so I guess that is going to take me approximately 4 months and the thought of doing this twice a week for the next 4 months is not exactly filling me with glee Sad

Please reassure me that it does get easier?

TalkinPeace2 · 23/11/2012 20:26

ceebeegeebies
it gets much, much easier
I sat working this evening with my tummy rumbling. And its not a fast day.
But I knew that once DH was home the booze and food would come out so I told my tummy to shut up.
Am still hungry (pissed but hungry) - but have learned that leaving eating till specified times reduces (markedly) the amount I need to eat to feel stuffed.

Snacking is the spawn of the devil.
I've started loooking up the science papers that explain how fat cells work and trust me, you'll never not scream at a food advert again after reading

synopsis :
overeat = create fat cells
overeat more = inflate those fat cells
circular loop
stop eating = deflate fat cells
stay low eating = body absorbs the fat cells
(and the last bit is what is missing in most diets and results in yo yo .....)

TheCyclistist · 23/11/2012 20:55

Evening TiP2 , regarding the cholestreol question, basically imo ditto what Literarygeek said. As a rule of thumb an overall level below 5 and Docs are happy, above that and they'll continue to monitor it.

Had blood tests this week for PSA levels but also managed to talk them into doing my:
Cholesterol
Trigs
Fasting insulin
and some liver enzyme thing Confused

I've had them done every 6 months for the last 2 years or so because of a (previous) less than healthy alcohol habit Blush but the last time was in July just before going on to this WOL, so will be interested to see whether there's any changes. My last Cholesterol reading was around 4 something not sure on the LDL/HDL split.

CBGB's sometimes it's hard sometimes it's easy(ish), Don't think too much about the toil of doing it two times a week for X number of weeks. This may or may not help but when I'm cycling up a hill especially the steep b*ggers, I never look at the top, just the immediate road in front of me...and sooner or later I get there. To cut a long analagy short - take one day at a time Smile

skippyscuffleton · 23/11/2012 21:05

TLM thanks for posting the paleo blog article link, it makes interesting reading even for a male. I think it's worth having a separate thread to this one where people can detail their gender, what kind of IF people are doing, for how long plus positive and negative effects. This could help to highlight any female specific effects. Such a thread could also be of some use to researchers as it would give basic facts without all the noise that this one has.

I've commented before that it's probably also worth firing a mail off to Prof Varady for her view on female specific effects with IF. I suspect human research on this subject will always be slow to surface due to difficulties with finding subjects and then their compliance to a study

MummysHappyPills · 23/11/2012 21:09

Ok so this is a weird one, but have any of you noticed less body hair since you have been fasting? Like someone mentioned on the last thread, I definitely have less body odour, but also I have noticed my legs and underarms are staying hair free for much longer after I epilate. Also, slightly more worryingly, my head hair seems to be shedding a lot more than usual and getting everywhere, fortunately it is very thick so it is not making any noticeable difference to what is on my bonce in the slightest! Grin

Bordercollielover · 23/11/2012 23:32

No Ocado in the Stone Age? No wonder they died out!
Thanks for that info about what you eat TellMeLater, I will try some of your ideas.
I will wilfully ignore the glucose thing and stick with the fasting. I have lost a stone and 2 clothes sizes although it seems to have stopped at the moment. I am not a palaeo supporter; I most definitely evolved from a gatherer - hunter, not a hunter -gatherer. Anything I caught would have been dead already so I'll stick to the leaves and berries.

FlipFlippingFlippers · 24/11/2012 00:06

Hello everyone!

I decided to start this WOE yesterday and today has been my first fast day. I managed til half 5 where I had a small fruit salad and a small tuna salad which came to 250 cals.

I'm waiting for DH to come home and then I'm eating a ready meal that states it's 159 cals for the WHOLE thing (how?!) Asda light choice chicken dinner for anyone who is interested.

One question though, am I doing it right? It seems too easy.

Breadandwine · 24/11/2012 01:14

You seem to be, FFF.

I find it incredibly easy, myself, but it's taken me several months of taking it one step at a time to realise just how easy it can be. You seem to have got there in one jump, which is great!

Welcome to the thread, BTW! Smile

Breadandwine · 24/11/2012 07:58

Just for interest, here's an article in the Irish Independent on the subject:

www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/health-fitness/intermittent-fasting-diet-3301393.html

Nothing in it that's new, but I like her final sentence:

"Right now, the jury's out. But smaller jeans? Who's going to argue with that?"

(Also posted on the Tips and Links thread)

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